Sticky Gingerbread

Sticky Gingerbread

A deliciously spicy and sticky ginger cake originating from northern England – brings back childhood memories of family Sunday teas.

Serves 10 pieces

Prep time:  10 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour

Ingredients

225g/8 oz self-raising flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tbsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground mixed spice

115g/4 oz unsalted butter, chilled and diced

115g/4 oz golden syrup

115g/4 oz dark brown muscovado sugar

275ml/9 fl oz milk

1 free range egg, beaten

Method

1.       Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.

2.      Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda, ginger, cinnamon and mixed spice into a large bowl.  Add the butter and rub into the flour with the tips of your fingers until you have a mixture that looks like breadcrumbs.

3.      Pour the treacle and syrup into a small pan and melt gently until runny and then set aside.

4.      Put the sugar and milk into another pan and gently heat and stir until the sugar dissolves.  Set aside until lukewarm then whisk the milk into the flour mixture followed by the treacle mixture and then the egg.  Mix all together until you have a thick batter just like double cream.

5.      Pour into a 900g/32 oz loaf tin about 26cm x 13cm x 7cm , greased with butter and lined with grease proof paper.  Bake in the oven for 45 minutes or until a skewer put into the centre comes out clean.  Leave to cool then remove from the tin and wrap in foil for at least a day before cutting it.  The bread will get stickier the longer you leave it.