Fresh ginger muffin cakes
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 375 F. Mist the top of a standard 12-cup muffin tin with the spray. Mist the cups or line them with paper muffin cups. Be sure to use a light metal muffin tin. Dark metal and nonstick tins - even when lined with paper cups - make the crust too thick and dark.
- Stir together the ginger and 4 tablespoons of the sugar in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until the sugar has melted and the mixture is hot. Remove from the stove and let cool to room temperature, then stir in the lemon zest and 2 more tablespoons of the sugar.
- Whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl and set aside.
- Beat the butter and the remaining 1⁄2 cup of sugar until light and fluffy in a large bowl with an electric mixer set to high speed, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk, beating on low speed only until the batter is smooth after each addition. Overmixing makes the muffins tough. Fold the ginger-lemon mixture into the batter.
- Spoon the batter into the muffin tins. Bake until a tester inserted into a muffin comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Serve warm.