My cake baking is quite erratic , I do enjoy it but I don’t enjoy the mess and clear up! I only have a small collection of cakes I bake, I baked a lot more when my sons were at university so they could take them back with them after a visit, it just seemed a really homely thing to do. I still make them now more to order than to eat.

I still sometimes get confused with loaf tin sizes, they make it so complicated!!!! I have been known to take to Twitter to help me sort out the size I need for a recipe. And while I’m moaning about baking, how annoying is it when you find a recipe that looks good and is easy, then you realise you don’t own the right size tin! And that’s after you’ve emptied out your ‘baking cupboard’ … Don’t even get me started with the soften butter, although at a push the warm glass placed over the top does work!! I’ve got it covered this recipe doesn’t need it!!!

Having said all of that, I have days when baking a cake just seems the right thing to do, it can be very therapeutic and the smell of homemade cakes wafting around the house is just lovely.

Anyway back to my ginger loaf! … It’s from my small collection of baking recipes that I keep in one of my many note books! It’s scrummy and goes perfectly with a nice cup of tea, stores well for five days and in fact better eaten a couple of days after baking. Not that we’ve managed to confirm that! It’s deliciously moist, flavoured with Lemon zest, which works perfectly with the sweetness of the cake.

pre heat oven to: 170/gas 3

You will need:

1 litre loaf tin greased and lined ( I use loaf tin liners)

• 100g golden syrup
• 100g black treacle
• 75g unsalted butter
• 75g light soft brown sugar
• 150g plain flour
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp mixed spice
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 egg lightly beaten
• 75ml milk
• finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

75-100g finely chopped preserved stem ginger in syrup (drained)

• Optional to finish-
• 50g icing sugar, sifted
• 1tbsp lemon juice or water
• 50g stem ginger

Method:

Put the golden syrup, treacle,butter and sugar into a small saucepan. Place over a gentle heat and stir until the butter has melted and everything is blended together. Set aside to cool.

Sift flour, ground ginger, cinnamon and mixed spice into a mixing bowl. make a well in the centre and add the cooled treacle mixture, egg, milk and lemon zest. Using a wooden spoon,beat well until the mixture is smooth and glossy.

Dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in 1tbsp of hot water. Add to the mixture with the chopped ginger and mix throughly to make a pourable batter. Pour into the prepped tin and bake for 50-60 mins,or until the cake is firm to the touch and a skewer comes out clean.

After 10mins turn out the cake on to a wire rack to cool. When cold, you can mix the icing sugar with the lemon juice and drizzle over the cake,then top with slivers of stem ginger. It’s lovely without doing this.

If you’re following the recipe you’ll be waiting a couple of days to put the kettle on, if like me the kettle will already be on!!!

Enjoy x