Apparently there is no evidence whatsoever that Marie Antoinette actually uttered such a callous statement in response to her subjects’ bemoaning their lack of bread. But it has stuck to her shoe for centuries. And cake has henceforth retained its slightly grandiose aura. We do not eat cake every day. It is reserved for special occasions and celebrations. But there is cake of the gussied up, layered and frosted ilk, and there is the more rustic, less labor-intensive stuff. Leaving aside the former to professionals and obsessive amateurs, let’s focus on the latter.

Right about this time every year, I begin dreaming of gingerbread: dense and dark, with chewy caramelized edges. This is the cakey kind, not the drier, more brittle sort used for gingerbread men and their over-decorated houses. I’m partial to a tangy lemon glaze on mine. The crackle finish it makes on top and the way it seeps into the crumb is simply irresistible. You don’t need anything else with this gingerbread—no whipped cream, no ice cream, no applesauce—just a cup of strong, hot tea. I don’t recommend it after a hearty dinner, you’ll feel too leaden. This substantial cake is the perfect cold-weather breakfast, lazy afternoon snack or highly anticipated finish to a light meal.

Swedish nuns supposedly baked gingerbread to help ease digestion, but I’m sure there are easier, more effective (and much less indulgent) ways to get ginger into your system. In England, where they sometimes add mustard and pepper to their gingerbread, it is traditionally eaten on Guy Fawkes Night, when people celebrate the time King James I survived an assassination attempt.

I like my gingerbread generously spiced and use powdered, fresh and crystallized ginger. Judicious amounts of allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon and cardamom add complexity. Gingerbread is easy to whip up because liquefied fat is mixed with the flour rather than using the creaming method, so no mixer is required. In this recipe, you heat coffee, molasses and beer to a boil, then stir in baking soda, which causes the mixture to foam up. Combined with the remaining ingredients, it forms a dark brown, thick and creamy batter that bakes in a parchment-lined springform pan. When it’s done, the gingerbread pulls away from the edges of the pan just a bit. This cake would also be delicious without the lemony glaze, but I find it adds the perfect tart, bright counterpoint to its rich spicy depths.

Though apples are in short supply due to a late spring frost in my area, they are abundant elsewhere in the state. And nothing says fall more than an apple cake. A friend passed along this stellar recipe from an out-of-print compilation of rustic, regional Italian specialties. It’s essentially just loads of sweet-tart apples, thinly sliced and barely bound together by a light batter. The idea to cook it in a cast iron skillet is an inspired one and very convenient. Serve this cake warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of crème fraîche, and your praises will be sung across the land.

Gingerbread with Lemon Glaze

Serves 8-10

2 cups all-purpose flour (gluten-free is fine)

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, preferably freshly grated

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1 tablespoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon ground cardamom

3/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 packed cup dark browno sugar

3 tablespoons turbinado sugar

2 1/2 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger

3 tablespoons minced crystallized ginger

Grated zest of 2 lemons

1/2 cup grapeseed oil

1 large egg

3/4 cup chocolate stouts

3/4 cup molasses (not blackstrap)

1/3 cup brewed coffee

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

Butter or oil, for greasing pan

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 375º. Grease an 8-inch springform cake pan and line bottom with parchment paper. 


In a bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ground ginger and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Set aside. In a large bowl combine dark brown and turbinado sugars, fresh and crystallized gingers, zest of 1 lemon and oil. Beat in egg.

Place beer, molasses and coffee in a deep pot. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in baking soda. Mixture will bubble up. Allow to cool 5 minutes. 


Whisk flour mixture alternately with beer mixture into brown sugar mixture, in 3 increments. Pour batter in pan and bake 40 minutes without opening oven. Give pan a 180-degree turn and bake another 15 minutes, until cake is springy and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a rack. Once cool, remove sides of pan, invert briefly to remove bottom of pan and paper and set upright on a plate. 


While gingerbread is baking, whisk confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl with remaining zest of 1 lemon, lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Spread over top of cooled cake, allowing glaze to drip down the sides. 


Apple Farmhouse Cake (Torta di Melle de Fattoria)

Lightly adapted from “The Four Seasons of Italian Cooking: Harvest Recipes from the Farms and Vineyards of the Italian Countryside”

Serves 8

5 Golden Delicious apples (or similar sweet-tart variety)

2 large eggs

8 ounces organic cane sugar

2 ounces flour

1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch sea salt

4 ounces whole milk

3.5 ounces unsalted butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoons baking powder

Turbinado sugar, for topping

Preheat the oven to 375º. Lightly grease a 10-inch cast iron skillet. 


Peel, core and quarter the apples. Slice the apple sections crosswise into very thin slivers, either by hand or with the slicing blade of a food processor. 


Beat the eggs and sugar in a very large bowl with a wire whisk until sugar has dissolved. Stir in the flour, spices and salt, then add the milk, butter and vanilla. Blend thoroughly. Quickly stir in the baking powder, then fold in the sliced apples. Sprinkle a thin layer of turbinado sugar over the top. 


Pour the mixture into the skillet and bake on the oven floor for 10 minutes. Then transfer the pan to the center rack and bake for 55 minutes more, or until the cake is golden brown and cooked through. It’s done when a small paring knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack and serve warm or at room temperature.