This cake tastes fantastic straight away and when still warm, however after a couple of days a lovely sticky layer forms on the top of the cake.  As the cake matures each day the flavour and texture will improve, hard to believe but true!!

If you want to make a more traditional loaf shaped ginger cake than half the ingredients and this will fit into a 1lb loaf tin.  We like cake so I tend to make the full size.

You will need:

• 250g butter
• 250g soft brown sugar
• 225g black treacle or half a 454g tin (approx)
• 2 eggs
• 350g plain flour
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 300ml milk
• 1tsp bicarbonate of soda

Method:

• Line and grease a 20cm square tin or 22cm round tin.
• Pre-heat your oven to 140 degrees centigrade or Gas mark 1.
• Over a low heat and in a large sauce pan melt together the butter, brown sugar and black treacle until the sugar has dissolved and the butter has melted.  Stir to combine.
• Remove from the heat and allow to cool for about 5mins. It is essential this mixture has cooled, otherwise you will get scrambled eggs when these are added.
• Whilst this is cooling add the 1tsp of bicarbonate of soda to the milk and stir to dissolve and put to one side.
• Add the eggs one at a time to the cooled butter and sugar mixture and stir well after each addition, I find a balloon whisk works well.
• Sift the flour with the ginger and cinnamon over the mixture and whisk in really well. It is important to use a sieve for the flour to reduce the risk of the flour forming lumps in the cake.
• Pour in the milk with the dissolved bicarbonate of soda and mix thoroughly.
• Pour this into the prepared cake tin. This cake mix will be very runny.
• Cook for 1 – 1 ½ hours, checking after one hour. The cake should be firm to touch and not wobble.
• Allow to cool in the tin before removing to the cooling rack.

This cake improves with age and is at it’s best after two days.  But do start to eat it when you can’t wait any longer….