A “Cheerio” Ginger and Apple Cake

Hello everyone! I love Ginger and over the years have made many cakes using this favourite ingredient. I started this page in September 2013 and had intended to carry on for one more year. But I am 74, have a busy life, play lots of Bridge, am a keen amateur genealogist, garden, am a voracious reader of crime novels and I am baking mad. So something has to give and now that our lives are returning to something resembling normality, I want to travel and will head to Australia next month, there is no point going for a couple of weeks.

I must tell you all that I have loved every moment, I will miss seeing the many familiar names and I hope you will continue to check out and use my recipes. My Blog will be there forever! I am Recipes From A Cornish Kitchen! Cheerio and thank you for the happy nine years, Laurie xxx

This is a great dessert cake! You will need a ring tin, well buttered [mine was 10 inches inc the hole!]. Pre heat your fan oven to  160C. Very, very yummy, eaten just warm - or any way at all.

8 oz plain flour

large pinch salt

a heaped teaspoonful of ground ginger

1½ teaspoonfuls each of baking powder and bicarbonate of soda 

Place the above in a large mixing bowl.

In a medium saucepan, over low heat, place:

3 oz butter

4 oz light muscovado sugar

1 oz treacle

4 oz golden syrup

Stirring all the time, until the butter is melted and the sugar combined.

5 fl oz whole milk, slightly warmed in a microwave. Beat in a large egg.

Pour the butter and treacle mix into the flour, then add the milky egg. Mix well and tip into your prepared ring tin. 

Bake for about 35 mins until firm to the touch. Cool in the tin for a few minutes then turn out.

Make a syrup for the fruit and to drizzle:  In a small ish saucepan place:

2 oz golden syrup

8 fl oz water

1 level teaspoonful ground ginger

a teaspoonful of cornflour 

2 tablespoonfuls of stem ginger syrup [from the jar]

Boil the water and golden syrup for 5 mins, then stir in the ginger and arrowroot, that has been mixed with the stem ginger syrup. Boil for a further 2 mins, stirring all the time. I must tell you this syrup tastes absolutely incredible! Meanwhile…

You need 3 large eating apples. I used Pink Lady, peeled, cored and sliced then dipped in lemon juice to stop them going brown.

Add the sliced apples to the glaze and gently poach for a further 15 mins, until just softening.

Now stir in 3 or 4 chopped stem ginger pieces and about a doz [or more if you wish] stoned dates, cut in half. Stir well until everything is coated in the glaze, then using a slotted spoon, tip out into the middle of your ginger cake [that you have placed on a serving dish]. Then pour the remaining glaze over the cake! Serve, with lots of clotted cream, of course!! Enjoy