Spiced Honey Cake

1 1/2 cups gluten-free all purpose flour
3/8 tsp Xanthan gum
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground cloves
3 large eggs, whites and yolks separated
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup honey
4 Tbs vegan butter, melted
3/4 cup coconut milk
2 Tbs chopped candied ginger
confectioners' sugar, optional

1) In a medium bowl, add the flour and dust the Xanthan gum on top. Whisk until blended. Add remaining dry ingredients. Using an electric mixer, beat the ingredients to mix thoroughly and aerate the flour. Set aside.
2) In a large bowl, beat the yolks and sugar with an electric mixer until pale. Mix in honey and butter until smooth. Reduce speed to low; add half of flour mixture, then milk, then remaining flour mixture.
3) In a clean, dry bowl, beat egg whites until they form soft peaks. Fold 1/3 of whites into batter, then fold in remaining whites.
4) Allow the batter to rest (10 to 15 minutes) to allow the starches and Xanthan gum to fully hydrate. This is a good time to turn the oven on to preheat. Once the batter has rested, mix in the candied ginger. Allowing the batter to rest before mixing in the ginger helps prevent the ginger from sinking to the bottom while baking.
5) Transfer batter to loaf pan and bake until center is 210F, about 1 hour. Let cool on wire rack for 10 minutes, then turn out of pan and let cool completely. Sift confectioners' sugar over top just before serving, if desired.

Review: This was a recipe that I altered to make gluten-free, with the assistance of King Arthur Flour's blog. The class I took last weekend was really helpful in teaching me about baking the gluten-free way. Unfortunately, the class also taught me that homemade gluten-free baked goods have a short shelf life, as they quickly dry out and start crumbling after just a day or two. They recommended their cake enhancer (a natural preservative), which I bought, but forgot to add into this recipe!! Looks like I'll be casting this off on my coworkers tomorrow!

Overall, I'm amazed. I can't believe I successfully pulled this off. It's moist (though dense) and cakey. It's spicy and full of ginger (it didn't all sink to the bottom!!!). It's beautiful and tasty!!!