Ginger Loaf

I thought it was about time that I shared a recipe using ginger. I've been using ginger a lot more over the past few months, not only because I love the flavours and warmth of ginger, but because of its medicinal benefits. I've had ginger teas, ginger shots, I use it in my green juice blend and of course in my cooking.

Did you know that it was the ancient Greeks who prized ginger so highly that they mixed it into their bread, creating the first 'gingerbread'. And I say, thank you, because I enjoy a good gingerbread man! 

My ginger loaf cake is light, it’s not the sticky dark type like the Jamaican ginger cake but it's equally tasty. I like to drizzle my cake with a ginger syrup to reinforce those warm ginger notes. 

This one has a mixture of ginger and mixed spice and it delivers a lovely, mild ginger flavour, warming and comforting. I enjoy having this cake simply with a cup of tea but why not make it into a decadent after dinner treat by serving with ice-cream and a warm ginger caramel sauce. Yum! 

Have I told you just how easy this cake is to make? Well, here goes. 

You simply mix your dry ingredients together with your melted butter, sugar, ginger preserve and syrups, add the egg and milk mixture, chuck it in the oven and voila!

Ingredients:

115g butter

125g golden syrup

100g black treacle

75g soft dark brown sugar

50g ginger preserve

115g  self-raising flour

½ level tsp bicarbonate of soda

2 level tsp mixed spice

2 large free-range eggs

100ml milk

For the syrup:

4cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
55g caster sugar
60ml water
1 tsp ground cinnamon 

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 160℃/140℃ fan/gas mark 3.

Line a 2lb loaf tin with baking paper.

Gently heat the butter, golden syrup, treacle, sugar and ginger preserve in a pan until the butter melts and the mixture is warm but not

hot. Watch the pan all the time to make sure the mixture doesn’t boil.

Sift the flours, bicarbonate of soda, ginger and mixed spice into a large bowl. Lightly beat the eggs with the milk and add to the flour mixture, along with the butter and syrup mixture. Stir until just evenly mixed but don’t beat the mixture.

Pour the mixture into your lined loaf tin and bake for about an hour, or until risen and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Ginger syrup: 

Stir the grated ginger, sugar, water and cinnamon in a small saucepan over medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer for 5-6 minutes, or until syrup thickens. Sieve the syrup using a wire sieve. Pour the hot syrup over the warm cake. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.