English Gingerbread Recipes

THE BEST EVER GINGERBREAD CAKE RECIPE

Steps:

• Cream sugar and butter. Add egg and molasses.
• Beat well. Add dry ingredients and hot water. Beat until smooth. Batter will be very thin.
• Bake in a greased 9 x 13 pan for 40 minutes at 350 degrees.
• Serve topped with whipped cream and garnished with crushed candy canes.

EASY OLD FASHIONED ENGLISH STICKY GINGERBREAD LOAF

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 180C/350F/Gas mark 4.
• Grease and line a 2 lb loaf tin.
• Mix the flour with the salt, baking powder, ground ginger & raisins if using.
• Melt the butter or margarine and add the sugar, black treacle - mixing them together very well.
• Add the butter mixture to the flour mixture - and mix with a wooden spoon.
• Gradually beat in the egg and milk mixture to make a smooth, thick batter.
• Pour into the greased and lined 2 lb loaf tin and bake for about 45 minutes, or until a skewer when inserted comes out clean.
• The gingerbread loaf should be well risen and slightly sticky to the touch, although it gets stickier the longer it is kept.
• Slice and eat warm with butter, or leave to go cold and store in an airtight container.
• Also wonderful served warm with custard or cream.
• Keeps very well for a week or more.

ULTIMATE GINGERBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4 and line a 20cm x 35cm baking tray with greaseproof paper.
• Put the shortbread, sugar and 2 teaspoons of the ground ginger into a food processor and whiz to fine crumbs. Remove 100g of the mix and keep this to one side.
• Add the remaining teaspoon of ginger to the processor, then roughly chop and add the mixed peel and ginger, followed by the flour and baking powder. Pulse until well mixed.
• Melt the syrup, treacle and butter together in a large pan. Once melted, stir in the mixture from the food processor until thoroughly combined.
• Tip onto the baking tray and spread out evenly. Press the mixture down into the tray, using your fingers or the back of a spoon. When the mix is a flat, dense and even layer, pop the tray in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes.
• Take the tray out of the oven and sprinkle the hot gingerbread with the reserved crumbs, pressing them down really well with a potato masher or spatula.
• Carefully cut into good-sized pieces with a sharp knife, and leave to cool in the tray before eating.

FAVORITE OLD FASHIONED GINGERBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9-inch square pan.
• In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the egg, and mix in the molasses.
• In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Blend into the creamed mixture. Stir in the hot water. Pour into the prepared pan.
• Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan before serving.

ENGLISH GINGERBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Grease a 10-inch by 8-inch by 2 1/2-inch square cake tin and line it with grease-proof paper on the bottom and sides. Brush with one to two tablespoons melted margarine.
• Combine the remaining margarine in a small saucepan with the molasses and corn syrup and heat gently until melted. Remove from heat. Sift the bicarbonate of soda, plain and whole wheat flours (returning the whole wheat "flakes" left in the seive) into a large bowl.
• If using a food processor, put half the flour with the eggs, sugar, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger into the bowl fitted with the steel blade. Add the margarine-molasses mixture and process until smooth. Add the remaining flour (the bowl will be quite full) and process, adding a little milk if necessary to make a smooth mixture of dropping consistency. If working by hand, beat the eggs and add them one by one to the margarine mixture. Add to the flour with the sugar and spices and blend until smooth.
• Add the crystallized ginger and raisins to the mixture and turn it into the prepared tin. Bake in the center of the oven for one-and-a-half to two hours or until a thin skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. The gingerbread should have begun to shrink away from the sides of the tin and the center should be springy to the touch.
• Remove the gingerbread from the oven and allow it to cool in the tin for 10 minutes. Brush the top liberally with molasses and sprinkle with chopped ginger, pressing the pieces into the surface. Allow to cool and remove from the baking tin. At this point the gingerbread can be cut into four loaves and stored separately in airtight cake tins. It keeps for several weeks in a cake tin but it may also be frozen.

OLD-FASHIONED GINGERBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 13x9-inch baking dish with baking spray. Combine flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in medium bowl; set aside.
• Combine sugar, oil and eggs in large bowl; mix well. Gradually pour molasses into sugar mixture; stir until well blended. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to sugar mixture; beat well. Spread batter evenly in prepared baking dish.
• Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before serving. Cut into 12 pieces. Dust with confectioners' sugar and garnish with Reddi-wip.