Since this is, after all, a tourism website we tend to feature pictures of Powell River in the sunshine. Beautiful water views, sun dripped forest trails, flowers with their faces towards the sky.

Rightly so. We love the sun. And we have lots of days with our natural solar heat source shining down on us. We don’t call it the Sunshine Coast for nothing.

However, we do have other days, some with considerable rain and wind.

This time of year, we have fog. This week has been especially so with several foggy mornings in a row, taking most of the day to dissipate.

I actually like a few foggy days. It has a rather cozy feel. Although visibility is limited, other senses seem to kick in. Sounds are muffled, yet more noticeable. The town takes on a mysterious aura. Vancouver Island completely disappears, as if it doesn’t even exist.

Hydro poles become ghost-like spears in the distance. Trees become majestic shadows. Vessels on the water blare their fog horns. The low cloud moves before your eyes, on its own destination you are not privy to.

It is oddly comforting.

This week, the fog gave me a craving for ginger cake. The aroma of gingerbread baking in the oven just seemed to be perfectly suited to the weather. My recipe is from a small cafe in St. John’s Newfoundland — and believe me, they know fog.

I have made it many many times, and I can vouch it is practically fail-proof. And delicious. It can be a tad dry so we usually have it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream along side a cup of tea.

Perfect for a foggy night.

Ginger Cake

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup fancy molasses
1 cup hot water
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp each ground nutmeg and cloves

• Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan or 9-inch tube pan and set aside.
• In bowl, beat butter with brown sugar until fluffy; beat in egg. Blend in molasses and hot water until combined; let cool for 10 minutes.
• In separate bowl, whisk together flour, ginger, baking soda, salt and spices; stir into the molasses mixture until combined. Scrape batter into the prepared pan.
• Bake in centre of 300ºF oven for about 50 minutes or until cake tester inserted in centre comes out clean. Let cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Serve warm or let cool. Sprinkle with icing sugar if desired. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days. Or wrap well and freeze for up to 1 month.

We may have many foggy days ahead. I hope that you can see the beauty in this sometimes inconvenient weather condition, and enjoy the comfort it provides … on a foggy night in Powell River.

julie

Author: Julie Burden © 2018 VisitPowellRiver.ca All Rights Reserved.
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