Jamaican Ginger Cake

Sticky, spicy and utterly unctuous, this cake will certainly put a smile on your face. I’m a big fan of all kinds of ginger cake, be they fluffy and lightly spiced or dense and packed with a punch. This one is definitely the latter.

It’ll bowl over the competition. In fact, it’ll probably move in, kick off its shoes, put its feet up and toast its toes by the fire. And before you know, you’ll forget what life was like without it. If you need a reminder, the answer is: worse. It was much worse before this Ginger Cake came into your life.

RECIPE: Jamaican Ginger Cake

SOURCE: from The Great British Book of Baking

FLAVOUR PROFILE: Sticky, spicy with loads of ginger and warming Christmas spices.

GOES GREAT WITH: Enjoy with a cup of gloriously Thick Hot Chocolate.

NOTES: The mixture will be very sloppy, but that’s exactly how it needs to be for that trademark stickiness.

The ginger syrup glaze makes all the difference! If you can, try not to avoid this step!

MAKES: 6 mini loaves

INGREDIENTS:

115g (4oz) PLAIN FLOUR

½ tsp. BAKING POWDER

½ tbsp. GROUND GINGER

½ tsp. GROUND CINNAMON

½ tsp. MIXED SPICE

30g (1oz) STEM GINGER, finely chopped

65g (2.3oz) BUTTER, chilled and diced

65g (2.3oz) BLACK TREACLE

65g (2.3oz) GOLDEN SYRUP

65g (2.3oz) DARK BROWN SUGAR

135ml (4.8oz) MILK

1 EGG, beaten

2 tbsp. GINGER SYRUP, from the Stem Ginger jar

METHOD:

Preheat the oven to 180c & grease your tins (if using). In a large mixing bowl, mix the PLAIN FLOUR, BAKING POWDER, GROUND GINGER, GROUND CINNAMON and MIXED SPICE so that the spices are evenly dispersed. Add the BUTTER and rub in with your fingertips until you get a breadcrumb texture. Stir in the STEM GINGER.
Put a saucepan on a medium heat and add the BLACK TREACLE and GOLDEN SYRUP. Warm gently, then add the MILK and DARK BROWN SUGAR. Stir occasionally and keep warming until the sugar has dissolved.
Whisk the TREACLE-MIX into the FLOUR-MIX. Then add the EGG and whisk until just combined. Pour the mixture into your tins and bake in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean when tested.
As soon as you take it out of the oven, glaze the top with the GINGER SYRUP.