A “Commonsense” Approach and the Best Ginger Cake Ever

Tom Hudgens and "The Commonsense Kitchen"

One of the best things about my work is the gift of working side by side with some of the best chefs and authors in the world. Often, I will set my sights on someone I want to meet and then conspire to get them to teach at one of the cooking schools or events that I am facilitating. Clever, eh? Oh, I am crafty…

Speaking of “crafty”, Chef Tom Hudgens, author of The Commonsense Kitchen: 500 Recipes + Lessons for a Hand-Crafted Life, was one of my “targets”. I had heard rave reviews of his 500 (!) recipe cookbook and his blog The Whole Hog Blog, had caught my attention. So, I hatched a plan and we cooked together for a full house at the remarkable Fresh Starts Cooking School, benefitting Homeward Bound of Marin’s homeless programs. Now THAT was a winning proposition!

Mission accomplished,
learning from the best!

Tom’s Bio:

“Equally at home on the shelf of an urbanite or a rural housewife, The Commonsense Kitchen features amazing food as well as lessons in life skills, from the proper way to wash dishes to how to make homemade soap. The book's do-it-all spirit originates at Deep Springs College, where the author lived as a student, chef, and teacher. Deep Springs is an organic farm, top-notch school, and working cattle ranch in the high desert of the Sierra Nevada, where students learn both liberal arts and self-reliance. Tom Hudgens attended and cooked at Deep Springs Ranch, Chez Panisse, and Liberty Cafe in San Francisco. He teaches at College of Marin and lives in the Bay Area.”

Gumbo, Marinated Beets,  Nona’s Mac & Cheese
and the Ginger Cake

Pouring the ginger cake batter

As we cooked for a mesmerized audience, Tom shared remarkable stories from his days at Deep Springs. “Being so far out in the desert, if you wanted crackers, you couldn’t just drive to the store and get them. So we made them.” Tom made a superb gumbo from his southern childhood, accented with fresh okra and crabmeat. He shared a killer “mac and cheese” and a simply sensational marinated beet salad. I have to say, however, that his Ginger Cake with Citrus Cream was the highlight of the night. Oh, wow.
Tom adapted the recipe from his friend, blogger and famous pastry chef David Leibovitz (friends in high places, I see!). And it is moist, rich and popping with flavor.

Download the recipe by clicking on this link

Here are a few learning points from the class:

1. You will need 4 ounces of fresh peeled, sliced ginger, be sure to buy about 5 ounces so that once you are done peeling you have enough. Peel by scraping the ginger with the back of a teaspoon.

2. The ginger will then be pureed with the oil and sugar and then HOT strong coffee, molasses and remaining wet ingredients are added. I always place my blender or processor on top of a half sheet pan to facilitate clean up. Why not?

3. Dry ingredients are mixed and wet mixture is added in, DO NOT OVERMIX. Once moisture hits flour, overstirring will create a tougher cake by developing a network of gluten. Not good.

4. A springform pan is a must, line it with a parchment round and grease and flour the pan. The cake must cool in the pan.

Cake in our Dacor Oven,
set to BAKE

5. I highly suggest NOT using your otherwise FABULOUS convection oven settings. In VERY FEW instances, using CONVECTION is not preferable. Convection fans increase browning and create even cooking throughout the oven, but since this is a slower cooking item that does not benefit from additional top browning and it is cooked in a high sided pan, your cake is better off with a regular BAKE setting.


6. The Citrus Cream is a cooled lemon curd blended into fresh whipped cream. The curd is a stove top custard of sorts, Tom used a blend of Meyer lemon juice and regular lemon. You can also use just regular lemon, but all Meyer juice is too mild. Good to know…

7. Tom suggests cooling the cake thoroughly, wrapping it and letting it age for a day for better flavor. Yeah, right. With this moist, tempting flavor bomb sitting on the counter and cool tangy citrus cream beckoning from the fridge, I am so sure we can all just sit and wait for one whole day…

Hot, fresh cake!

So, don’t fear the ginger. Bake a cake. Cook some curd. Whip some cream. Then you tell me if you were able to wait a day, or if the magnificent ginger scent lingered longer in your kitchen than the cake!

Thanks, Chef Tom!

Join me as I host our next culinary adventure at Fresh Starts Cooking School, “Try Thai with Chef Joyce Jue” 6:30 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, April 6 (1385 N. Hamilton Parkway, Novato, CA)

Cookbook author and Chef Joyce Jue, a doyenne of Asian cooking, teaches you to handle Thai ingredients with ease. A native of San Francisco's Chinatown, Chef Joyce has been writing, teaching and leading trips to explore the cuisines of Asia for more than 20 years. Her class will include cultural insights and tips for creating the irresistible tastes of Thailand at home. The menu includes the classic dishes of Tom Kha Gai, a coconut chicken soup; Yam Woon Sen, a refreshing glass noodle salad; and Choo Chee, red curry salmon.
Chef Joyce brings expertise from a career of researching Asian ingredients and recipes for Savoring Southeast Asia" and other award-winning cookbooks. "My ultimate goal is for everyone to have fun with cooking," she says.

Tickets cost $49 and include a full meal; wine will be available for purchase.
Sign up here for Joyce Jue's Thai Cooking Class or call 415-382-3363 ext.243