Ingredients
- 250 g all-purpose flour
- 5 g baking soda
- 3 g ground ginger
- 2 g ground cinnamon
- 1 g ground cloves
- 2 g salt
- 115 g unsalted butter, melted
- 180 ml Québec maple syrup
- 60 ml unsulfured molasses
- 1 large egg
- 180 ml hot water
Method
- Heat the oven to 175 °C and butter a 23 cm square cake pan.
- Whisk flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and salt.
- Combine melted butter, maple syrup, molasses, egg and hot water.
- Stir the wet mixture into the dry ingredients just until blended, keeping the maple syrup evenly distributed.
- Bake 35–40 minutes, until a tester comes out clean; cool before slicing.
Conversion and rationale
Original sweetener (classic version): 150 g brown sugar plus 120 ml molasses
Conversion used: Replace the brown sugar with 180 ml maple syrup and retain only 60 ml molasses for traditional depth; reduce the original hot water by about 60 ml; bake 15 °C below the customary 190 °C.
Why Quebec maple syrup: Maple softens the assertive molasses and rounds the ginger and spice with a fuller caramel note. The combination preserves the old-fashioned dark cake while emphasizing a Québec product.
General rule: 1 cup (250 ml) sugar ≈ 3/4 cup (180 ml) maple syrup; reduce liquids by 45–60 ml per cup of syrup and lower oven by 15 °C. Substitution calculator →