STICKY STEM GINGER CAKE

The smell as you make and bake this cake is just heavenly. A wonderful mix of sugars, treacle and syrup, plus fragrant stem ginger. I found this recipe in a magazine some years ago while flicking through the pages in the hairdressers! A real find. Over the years I have adapted it slightly though. There is an optional drizzle that does marry very well with the cake, although a light dusting of icing sugar is all you really need - or a dollop of clotted cream!

Lightly oil and line the base of a 7” spring form cake tin. Pre heat your fan oven to 160C

In a large mixing bowl, place:

8 oz SR flour

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1 teaspoon of ground ginger 

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1 teaspoon of mixed spice

4 oz cubed butter

Rub the butter in the flour mix until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. 

Finely grate 3-4 oz stem ginger and add to the flour mix, then set the bowl aside for a moment.

In a medium saucepan, place:

9 fl oz of half whole milk and half single cream

4 oz each of, muscovado sugar, black treacle and golden syrup

Stirring the whole while, heat the treacle mix until just BELOW boiling point. No not let it boil.

Add 1 beaten egg into the treacle mix then quickly pour the whole lot into the flour to make a thick batter. Beat well. Place into your preheated oven and bake for about 50 mins - 1 hour. Until firm to the touch. Cool in the tin, until completely cold.

Make a lemon drizzle with some lemon zest, a tablespoon of lemon juice and 2 oz of icing sugar.

Drizzle over the cold cake and ENJOY!

This cake is a great keeper and will be good for up to two weeks in an airtight tin.