Jo Wright is a keen baker (she’s notched up several wins the Royal Easter Show for her cakes!) an avid gardener, a treasured member of Garden Clinic, and for the last three years, has been the trusted baker of goodies for our garden classes.
She wowed attendees at our recent Bees and Butterflies workshop with this delicious ginger cake. As we said our goodbyes everyone begged for the recipe. So here it is. Thanks for sharing it Jo!
What you need
180g butter, chopped
75g firmly packed dark brown sugar
175g treacle
175g golden syrup
250ml milk
1.5 teaspoons bi-carb soda
300g plain flour
3 teaspoons ground ginger
1.5 teaspoons ground allspice
165g crystallized ginger, chopped
1/4 teaspoon of freshly grated ginger,optional
2 eggs lightly beaten
What to do
Preheat oven to 160 C fan. Grease a loaf pan. I use a 15cmx23cm x9cm tin. Line base and sides with baking paper, extending the paper 5cm above the pan.
Stir the butter, treacle, sugar, golden syrup and milk in a large saucepan over medium heat until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil-
don’t worry if mixture looks slightly curdled.
Remove from heat and stir in bi-card soda
Sift flour and spices into a large bowl. Stir in butter mixture, crystallized ginger and fresh ginger, if using, until just combined. Pour mixture into
prepared tin.
Place apiece of tented aluminium cover the cake to protect it during baking.
Bake loaf for 1hour, then remove foil and bake an extra 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out with a few moist crumbs still attached.
Don’t worry if there’s crack along the top.
Cool in pan for 10 minutes before turning out.
The cake can be made the day before icing and serving, stored in an airtight container at room temperature. It can be frozen with or without the ginger
icing.
Ginger beer icing
Bring 125ml ginger beer or ale to the boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Boil for 6 minutes or until it has been reduced to 2 tablespoons. Remove
from heat, stir in 20g butter until melted. Transfer mixture to a small bowl, then whisk in 160gsifted icing sugar and 2 teaspoons of lemon juice until
combined. If the mixture is thick add a little more lemon juice, drop by drop.
(If you want an extra ginger hit add 1/4 teaspoon of freshly grated ginger to the icing.) Pour the icing immediately over the cooled cake and let stand
until icing sets.