Tuesday's Letters Eat 10: 'G' is for Gingerbread Cake, Sticky
Tuesday, 29 March 2011
Late last night I listened to Nigella Lawson's Literary Luncheon on The Nightlife radio programme with Tony Delroy. This morning I was thinking about the letter 'G' for my recipe, and with Nigella on my mind I decided upon her Sticky Gingerbread Cake.
Truly this is the easiest of recipes and the tastiest of cakes. It improves with age and can be stored frozen too. It can be a plain or iced cake, and I think it would make a lovely pudding with custard and stewed apple. But that's just me!!
All you need to make this is a saucepan for the stove and one or two bowls, so the washing up is a breeze.
Gingerbread Cake, Sticky makes 20 pieces
- 150g butter
- 200g golden syrup
- 200g treacle
- 125 dark brown sugar - no muscovado to be had here
- 2 tspn finely grated fresh ginger
- 1 tspn ground ginger
- 1 tspn ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tspn ground cloves
- 1 tspn bicarbonate of soda dissolved in 60ml warm water
- 250ml full fat milk
- 2 eggs
- 300g plain flour, sifted
Preheat the oven to 170*C and grease and line a 30 x 20 x 5cm tray with baking paper. I use the disposable aluminium baking trays from the supermarket when I am taking a cake somewhere. I like to line them because I don't like my gingerbread cake to touch the aluminium.
In a saucepan, over a low heat, place the butter, golden syrup, treacle, sugar, spices and fresh ginger. It only takes a few minutes to melt, and stirring helps the process along.
While this is melting measure out the flour into a large bowl. In another bowl add the dissolved bicarbonate of soda and eggs to the milk and whisk together.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the milky mixture and mix well. Then pour the liquid ingredients into the flour and beat until it is very well combined. There may be little lumps and fibres, but this is the fresh ginger. The batter is very liquid, really runny, so do not panic or worry.
Pour the batter into the lined tray and bake for 45-60 minutes.
Check after 45 minutes. The cake is cooked if the top springs back when lightly pressed, it is firm in the centre and has come slightly away from the tray at the edges. The cake today took 50 minutes.
Cool on a rack then cut into 20 pieces. I like it plain, but it could be iced with lemon or cream cheese icing or maybe just a dusting of icing sugar.
This keeps, wrapped in baking paper, in an airight container for up to two weeks. It can be frozen for up to three months.
I love Nigella! Is this from one of her books? You did a lovely job baking it and I so want a piece with the latte I'm drinking now!
Posted by: Sarah | Wednesday, 30 March 2011 at 12:22 AM
*boggles at the concept of any cake lasting two weeks at our place*. Nice to know that if I cooked it and we went away for a fortnight, there'd be something in the tins when we go home though. ;)
Posted by: Taphophile | Wednesday, 30 March 2011 at 07:28 AM
Yum :) It's even better that it can be frozen!!
Posted by: mrspao | Wednesday, 30 March 2011 at 07:44 AM
That sounds so yummy, I want a piece right now!
Posted by: Onyi | Wednesday, 30 March 2011 at 08:04 AM
Looks so yummy & I can eat it plain. I have not done any baking for the past few months as the weather is so hot.
Posted by: Ann | Wednesday, 30 March 2011 at 11:00 AM
that looks yummmy.
Posted by: bishopstone | Wednesday, 30 March 2011 at 12:11 PM
yum yum yum, i love ginger baked goods. i want some right now!
Posted by: drk | Thursday, 31 March 2011 at 07:16 AM
i really really really need to make this....the only problem is that hubby doesn't like ginger so would have to eat the whole thing myself....hmm maybe thats not a problem :p
Posted by: Jennifer rose | Saturday, 02 April 2011 at 07:45 AM
Oooh, looks delicious! We've been enjoying gingerbread biscuits lately, but I have to undercook them to make them soft enough for my tastes. This cake looks so utterly perfect! Yum..
Posted by: bon008 | Saturday, 02 April 2011 at 11:10 PM
I LOVE Nigella's gingerbread cake! Although the little girls who thought it was chocolate cake were sadly disappointed!
Posted by: RoseRed | Tuesday, 05 April 2011 at 09:07 AM
Looks like it might work nicely for school lunches....
Posted by: Leonie | Tuesday, 05 April 2011 at 08:44 PM
Hmmmmm..... :drools on to keyboard:
Posted by: AmyP | Tuesday, 12 April 2011 at 06:44 AM