G F Friendly
Ginger Cake
Easily-made cake with the zing of ginger
This version of ginger bread certainly can have a zing, but only if you want. By simply reducing the amount of spice it will still make a sweet cake for those afternoon and lunch-box snacks, or just a tasty bite with a cup of tea or coffee. It keeps well in an airtight container. Wrapping the uncut cake in foil and leaving it for up to a week, the top goes "fudgy" like Jamaican ginger cake.
225g plain flour
2 level tsps ground ginger
2 level tsps baking powder
½ level tsp bicarbonate of soda (no more than this!)
110g brown sugar
85g butter or margarine
90g treacle
90g golden syrup
1 tsp minced ginger (optional)
1 egg
125ml milk
½ tsp salt
1 Tbsp chopped crystallised ginger (optional)
Gluten Free Tip: use GF flour and other ingredients as per the recipe, but beat up an EXTRA EGG.
Line a 22cm x 12cm loaf pan with baking paper. Sift the flour, salt, ground ginger, baking powder, and bicarb into a bowl large enough to include the liquid ingredients, and some.
In a suitable stove-top pan, measure the treacle, syrup, sugar, fat and minced ginger (if used). Because of their consistency, treacle and syrup aren't easily measured, so add sugar last to bring the combined weight of the three up to 290g. Warm this mixture on a low heat until melted, but do not allow to boil. Meanwhile, beat the egg in a bowl, then add the milk and beat again. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients, pour in the warmed liquid first, followed by the beaten milk/egg and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon or a plastic spatula until smooth and lump-free. Stir in crystallised ginger if used.
Pour the mixture into the tin and bake on 170°C (160°C fan-forced) for about 35-40 minutes, or until firm to the touch - if your finger makes a depression that doesn't bounce back, the cake probably needs a bit longer (even if it is cracking on the top, don't assume it's done). When cooked, carefully lift out of the tin using the paper and place on a wire rack to cool.
Bear in mind this recipe has a lot of carbs and sugar, so it's not exactly weight-watcher food; and you shouldn't need butter or jam on it - but that, of course, is your choice.
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