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GINGERBREAD “ROUSES”
Ginger Root
Ginger itself comes from the
bumpy root of the ginger
plant, which can be found
in almost any yard in South
Louisiana. Beneath those
striped green tropical leaves
lies a spice that can be both
sweet and savory. Queen
Elizabeth I of England is
credited with the invention of
the gingerbread man — now
a holiday staple.
of sugarcane in the area, there’s no doubt LeJeune’s ginger cakes
contribute to the continuance of that moniker, as the sweet smell of
the ginger cake wafts through the town.
A TRUE CAJUN DESSERT
Acadian Bakery in Lafayette calls its ginger cake “a true Cajun
dessert.” Using a recipe that dates back to current owner Anthony
Broussard’s great-great-grandmother, this bakery’s cake has a strong
molasses and ginger flavor. Anthony’s mom Bonnie — whose
parents Bill and Margaret Anderson started the bakery in 1980 —
says, “Our ginger cake is not a gingerbread. It’s more like what was
called a Rock and Roll in the ’50s and ’60s.”
The inspiration Bonnie refers to was more of a cake roll or log
with a creamy filling. Today, Acadian’s cakes — also sold at Rouses
Markets throughout Acadiana, in Iberia, East Baton Rouge and
Ascension parishes — resemble baked turnovers and come either
plain or topped with white icing.
Anthony bakes the cakes three days a week, starting around 4 a.m.
The dough for the ginger cake has to be made in advance and
chilled before going through the mixer and sheeter, or roller. It’s
then cut and baked at 400 degrees for 18 minutes. Once the cakes
cool, Anthony ices some of them by hand, leaving the remainder
without icing, then moves the cakes on down the line to be machine
wrapped. One batch of dough makes 2,000 cakes and uses five
pounds of ginger, but that’s all the Broussards are willing to reveal
about their recipe.
Acadian Bakery is a true family business. Anthony’s sister Kristen
Soileau makes the pralines and works in the office with their mom,
Bonnie, while both women’s husbands help out when needed. Kristen
and Bonnie admit that, after all these years, they’re a little tired of
eating ginger cakes, but “all of the grandchildren say their favorite is
the ginger cake,” says Bonnie. “
Everybody
loves the ginger cake.”