Ginger Cake

I thought forgetting to add the sugar would make this ginger cake fairly bland but I was pleasantly surprised that the omission almost went unnoticed. When I remembered that the demerara sugar was still unweighed in the bag, I heated a heaped tablespoon of it with the left over stem ginger syrup and doused it over the just baked cake - I guess that's the reason that it tasted just sweet enough.

This photo was taken the day after it was baked but give it five days wrapped in foil and it will darken in colour and deepen in flavour. A good cake to prepare before a trip.

Preheat oven to 180ºC. Line a 1kg loaf tin with baking paper.

• 225g plain flour, I used wholemeal Spelt


• 1/2 tsp mixed spice


• 3 heaped tsp ground ginger


• 1 1/2tsp bicarb


• 140g Chinese stem ginger - rinsed, dried and roughly chopped


• 1 egg


• 285ml milk


• 85g butter


• 85g black treacle


• 85g golden syrup


• 115g demerara sugar

Preheat Oven 180ºC. Line a 1kg loaf tin.

1. Either sieve or whisk the flour, bicarb and spices together. I whisk dry ingredients  - less messy and it's quick. Add half of the ginger.


2. Beat the egg and milk in one bowl.


3. Melt the butter, treacle, syrup and sugar until melted.


4. Add the warm syrups to the four then add the milk mix and beat until combined.


5. Pour batter into lined tin and sprinkle over remaining ginger.


6. Bake for 1 hour.
   Check the cake after 30  mins and cover with foil if it's browning too much.