the past six months are all about changes. i got a new job, moved to san francisco with my kitty sammy, started to share my apartment with a stranger, sold my first car, and facetime'd with a millionaire for a couple of times. changing the environment has forced me to be open-minded. i still can't say i like the city, but to some extent i like that i'm picking up my pace to live a life i enjoy in this urban setting.

to celebrate these tiny milestones in life, on the first day of the year i made this layer cake based on melissa clark's recipe. it was my first layer cake, ever. it was not perfect, but its flavor combination tasted perfect to me. i love that the pungent, bold aroma of cardamom is never compromising, yet somehow is able to blend so well with the spiciness of ginger and the subtle fruity note from the cara cara orange juice. it might not be a kid-friendly cake, but what's wrong with an adult-only cake, anyway?

cardamom ginger layer cake with cara cara note

inspired by the new adventure and mango lassi

makes a three-layered 6" cake

step by step

if your ricotta isn't so fresh, drain the ricotta in a fine mesh in a bowl until the liquid comes out. it would take about an hour.

preheat the oven at 350 degrees.

milk syrup is the first thing we have to make. it is a critical part of the recipe that bridges the texture of the cake and the ricotta filling seamlessly. start with a small saucepan. combine milk and cardamom pods and ground ginger. bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer until it reduces by half, for about 30 minutes. stir occasionally. then stir in sugar until it dissolves. keep simmering until mixture thickens, for another 10 minutes. remove the cardamom seeds, let cool.

line the bottom of two 6-inch cake pans with parchment paper. grease and flour the inside of the cake pans and the parchment.

in a mixing bowl, whisk together egg whites, milk, vanilla extract, and cara cara orange juice.

in another bowl, mix together cake flour, sugar, baking powder, cardamom, ginger and salt. add softened butter and half of the milk mixture. use an electric mixer to mix on low speed until dry ingredients are moistened, about a minute. then increase to medium speed and beat until everything is very smooth, for another minute. use a spatula to scrape down side of the bowl.

add remaining milk mixture, repeat the step and beat well.

pour the batter to the cake pans with a spatula. Pour one third in one cake pan and two thirds in another. bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until a tester inserted near the center comes out clean. remove the cakes from the oven and let cool, for about 20 minutes.

while waiting for the cake to cool down, make the ricotta filling. using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat ricotta, cream and confectioners’ sugar until quite smooth, about 30 seconds to a minute. the mixture should thicken.

make the mascarpone frosting. using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, sugar, cara cara juice, ginger and ground cardamom until fluffy, about 2 minutes. on low speed, whisk in mascarpone and yogurt and continue to beat until mixture is combined and smooth.

separate the cakes from the pans after they cool. trim the tops flat, and for the double-sized cake, cut into half from the middle to create three layers. brush all sides of the cakes with milk syrup.

place a cake on a serving plate, or a cake stand if you'd like. top with a layer of ricotta filling, for about half an inch tall. remember to leave a half inch border around the edge of the cakes. repeat until all three cakes are piled up.

frost the exterior of the cake with the mascarpone filling.

decorate with whatever you like. i use my favorite plants.

ingredients

for ricotta filling

fresh whole-milk ricotta - 1 1/4 cup

heavy cream - 1/4 cup

confectioners’ sugar - 1/3 cup

freshly ground ginger - 1 teaspoon

 

for milk syrup

whole milk - 1 cup

cardamom pods - 3

granulated sugar - 3 tbsp
 

for the cake

unsalted butter, softened - 6 tbsp, more for greasing pan

cake flour - 1 1/2 cup

large egg whites - 2

whole milk - 1/2 cup

vanilla extract - 1/4 tsp

cara cara orange juice - 2 generous squeezes

freshly ground ginger - 1 1/2 tsp

granulated sugar - 3/4 cup

baking powder - 1/2 tbsp

freshly ground cardamom - 1/2 tsp

fine sea salt 1/8 tsp
 

for frosting
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened - 6 tbsp

1/2 confectioners’ sugar - 1/2 cup

cara cara orange juice - 1 squeeze

freshly ground cardamom - 1/2 teaspoon

cold mascarpone - 1/2 cup

freshly ground ginger - 1/2 tsp

cold greek yogurt - 1/8 cup

 

for decoration

silver dollar eucalyptus - 1 stem

 

*feel free to replace freshly ground cardamom with the powder form. i personally prefer the crunchiness in the frost and enjoy a little surprise in the bites.