Gingerbread Cake

Modified from Delia’s Book of Cakes, after many years (25 or so) of gradual experimentation.

Dry Ingredients

• 340g/12 oz plain flour
• 3 tsp ground ginger
• 4 level tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 nutmeg, grated

Raising Agent

• 1 level tsp bicarb (baking soda)
• 60ml/4 tbs milk

Wet Ingredients

• 170g/6 oz treacle
• 170g/6 oz golden syrup
• 170g/6 oz light brown soft sugar
• 170g/6 oz butter
• 150ml/5 fl oz water
• 2 eggs

Set oven to 170C/150C fan.

Sift flour and spices. Mix bicarb into the milk in a separate container. Put treacle, syrup, sugar and butter with 150ml water into a medium saucepan and heat till the butter is melted and it is all well mixed. Make sure that any lumps in the sugar are dissolved. Allow to cool, 40C should be ok.

Mix the melted ingredients into the flour mix. Beat in the eggs, then finally the milk/bicarb. It’s OK to use an electric mixer for this, especially if the flour has formed lumps in the mix. The bicarb will start reacting as soon as it is added, so leave this to last, and put into the tin and the oven as soon as the bicarb mix is in: don’t let it hang around. It is contact with the treacle that causes the reaction.

Put into two greased and lined 1 lb loaf tins. Bake for 60 minutes at 170 C / 150C fan until done - the top will be springy to touch, and the sides will have come away slightly from the tin.

I split this quantity into 2 x 1lb loaf tins. It would also work in a deep 20cm/8" round cake tin, but is too much for an 20cm/8" square tin. If you are cooking in a single tin, extend the cooking time by 15 minutes or so.