Ginger cake

Probably the finest ginger cake recipe you will ever come across.

Adding the milk can result in it curdling a bit – but be brave and plough on. Next time, let the mixture cool or heat the milk first.

Mix up the syrups and use the syrup from the stem ginger. Why not try Maple syrup if you have some in?

INGREDIENTS

225g self-raising flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tbsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground mixed spice
115g butter, cut into cubes, plus extra for greasing
115g dark muscovado sugar
115g black treacle
115g golden syrup
250ml whole milk
85g drained stem ginger , diced finely
1 egg

FOR THE ICING

50g icing sugar, sifted
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1 tbsp lemon juice

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to fan 160C/conventional 180C/gas 4. Butter and line an 18cm round, 7cm deep cake tin with baking parchment. (This quantity also works well in  2lb loaf tine and 3 muffin cases).
2. Put the flour, bicarbonate of soda, with all the spices, into a large mixing bowl and stir around gently.
3. Chop the stem ginger and add to the flour mixture, mix in well to coat the ginger.
4. Put the butter in a heavy-bottomed pan and add the sugar, treacle, syrup, and milk and heat, gently stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Heat gently. Do not boil.
5. Add the dry mix into the treacle mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon. Break in the egg and beat until all the mixture is combined and it resembles a thick pancake batter.
6. Pour this into the prepared tin and bake for 40 minutes-1 hour (depends on your tin), until a skewer pushed into the centre of the cake comes out fairly clean. Leave to cool completely in the tin before turning the cake out. (To freeze: wrap in greaseproof paper, then in cling film. Freeze for up to 1 month.)

To make the icing,

Mix together the icing sugar and lemon zest, then gradually add lemon juice until you have a smooth, slightly runny icing, adding more juice, if needed. Drizzle icing in a zig-zag pattern over surface of cake, turn cake around and drizzle again to create the cross-hatched finish (see below). Cake keeps for up to 2 weeks stored in an airtight container.

SERVING SUGGESTION

PREPARATION AND COOKING

Preparation time: 15 minutes on the stove using a pan
Cooking time: 50 minutes. until skewer comes out clean
Cooking details: Preheat the oven to fan 160C/conventional 180C/gas 4.

Tin: Butter and line an 18cm round, 7cm deep cake tin with greaseproof or parchment paper. Or a 20cm square tin. Or, a 2lb loaf tin with a liner, and there’s enough for 3 muffins too.