Gingercake Recipes

BEST EVER EASY GINGER CAKE

Steps:

• Lightly grease a 25cm square (10 inch) cake tin and line it with baking (silicone) paper.
• (Try to use the correct size tin or the cake may crack.) Set the oven to moderate 180° C (350° F).
• Sift all of the dry ingredients into a medium mixing bowl.
• Combine butter pieces, golden syrup and treacle in a small saucepan, cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until butter is melted.
• (This step can also be done in the microwave.) Add water to syrup mixture.
• Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the syrup mixture and the eggs.
• Mix until well combined.
• Don’t be concerned that the mixture is quite liquid at this stage.
• Pour cake mixture into prepared tin.
• Tap tin lightly on bench to dispel air bubbles.
• Place on centre shelf of 180° C (350° F) oven for 35-40 minutes.
• Check towards the end of the baking time to ensure the edges are not burning.
• The cake should be dark but must not be blackened at the edges.
• (If you do burn the edges, cut them off and ice over the edges and no-one will notice!).
• When the cake is cooked, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool for 5-10 minutes.
• Then, carefully invert it onto a rack or bread board to cool.
• Icing the Cake: Sift the icing sugar into a small mixing bowl.
• In a separate small mixing bowl, beat the butter (or margarine) until smooth.
• Gradually add the sifted icing sugar, beating between additions until the sugar is completely mixed with the butter.
• Add the lemon juice and beat well until the mixture reaches an easily spreadable consistency.
• Spread icing over the top of the cake and (optional) decorate with pieces of crystallised ginger.

EASY GINGER CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180C/350FGas 4. Grease and line a 28x18cm/11x7in baking tin with baking paper.
• Mix the flour, sugar, ginger and bicarbonate of soda together in a bowl. Using your fingers, rub the margarine in until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the beaten egg, syrup and hot water and mix well with a wooden spoon until combined.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the middle of the oven for 35-40 minutes, or until golden-brown and the top is springy to the touch. Leave to cool in the tin. Once cool, cut into squares.

OLD FASHIONED GINGERBREAD CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 F
• Grease and flour an 8"x 8" square pan (or line the pan with parchment paper.) *
• Sift together dry ingredients in a large bowl.
• Add the butter, molasses and egg and beat for two minutes or 300 strokes by hand. (This is a very old recipe...)
• Add the boiling water.
• Beat for another two minutes and turn into prepared pan.
• Bake 50-55 minutes, or until cake springs back when lightly touched.

STICKY STEM GINGER CAKE WITH LEMON ICING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to fan 160C/conventional 180C/gas 4. Butter and line an 18cm round, 7cm deep cake tin with greaseproof or parchment paper.
• Put the flour, bicarbonate of soda and all the spices into a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and rub it into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
• Put the sugar, treacle, syrup and milk in a medium saucepan and heat, gently stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Turn up the heat and bring the mixture to just below boiling point.
• Add the stem ginger to the flour mixture, then pour in the treacle mixture, stirring as you go with a wooden spoon. Break in the egg and beat until all the mixture is combined and it resembles a thick pancake batter. Pour this into prepared tin and bake for 50 minutes-1 hour, until a skewer pushed into the centre of the cake comes out fairly clean. Leave to cool completely in tin before turning cake out. (To freeze: wrap in greaseproof paper, then in cling film. Freeze for up to 1 month.)
• To make the icing, mix together icing sugar and lemon zest, then gradually add lemon juice until you have a smooth, slightly runny icing, adding more juice, if needed. Drizzle icing in a zig-zag pattern over surface of cake, turn cake around and drizzle again to create the cross-hatched finish (see below). Cake keeps for up to 2 weeks stored in an airtight container.

FRESH GINGER CAKE

Steps:

• Position the oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9 by 3-inch round cake pan or a 9 1/2 inch springform pan with a circle of parchment paper.
• Peel, slice, and chop the ginger very fine with a knife (or use a grater). Mix together the molasses, sugar, and oil. In another bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, cloves and black pepper.
• Bring the water to the boil in a saucepan, stir in the baking soda, and then mix the hot water into the molasses mixture. Stir in the ginger.
• Gradually whisk the dry ingredients into the batter. Add the eggs, and continue mixing until everything is thoroughly combined. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for about 1 hour, until the top of the cake springs back lightly when pressed or a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If the top of the cake browns too quickly before the cake is done, drape a piece of foil over it and continue baking.
• Cool the cake for at least 30 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Remove the cake from the pan and peel off the parchment paper.