Damp Jamaican Gingerbread English Food

JAMAICAN GINGERBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Lightly butter loaf pan, line bottom with parchment or wax paper. Butter paper, dust pan with flour; set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl cream butter, molasses, honey and brown sugar with electric mixer until smooth. Add eggs one at a time mixing well after each addition. Add sour cream, lemon zest and vanilla; beat to combine (it may separate slightly and look funny but don't worry).
• Sift flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Fold into batter with rubber spatula.
• Spread batter in prepared pan.
• Bake until toothpick comes out clean, about 55-60 minutes. If using mini-loaf pans bake time about 30 minutes.
• Cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Turn out out of pan and peel off paper. If not serving immediately, cool completely before wrapping.
• If you wanted to gild the lily you could drizzle a lemon glaze over the top or frost with a cream cheese frosting or some good ole whipped cream would be marvelous.

DARK JAMAICAN GINGERBREAD

Steps:

• Begin by placing the tin of black treacle (without a lid) in a saucepan of barely simmering water to warm it and make it easier to measure (see this recipe for weighing treacle). Sift the flour and spices into a large bowl, then mix the bicarbonate of soda with the milk and set it on one side. Now measure the black treacle, golden syrup, sugar and butter into a saucepan with 75ml of water, heat and gently stir until thoroughly melted and blended - don't let it come anywhere near the boil and don't go off and leave it! Next add the syrup mixture to the flour and spices, beating vigorously with a wooden spoon, and when the mixture is smooth, beat in the egg a little at a time, followed by the bicarbonate of soda and milk. Now pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake on a lower shelf so that the top of the tin is aligned with the centre of the oven for 1¼-1½ hours until it's well-risen and firm to the touch. Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before turning out. If possible, store it in a cake tin, still in its lining, for 24 hours before eating, and serve it cut in thick slices spread with butter. You can see more Loaf Cakes in our Online Cookery School Video

DAMP JAMAICAN GINGERBREAD (ENGLISH RECIPE)

Steps:

• Line a buttered 2lb loaf tin with greaseproof paper and paint the paper with a little melted butter.
• My tin measures 6½ x 3¾ inches at the base and is 3 3/8 inches high.
• Do not use a smaller tin as the mixture rises above the rim of the tin.
• Measure the molasses, syrup, sugar and butter into a saucepan with ½ cup of water, gently heat on a medium/low flame and stir gently until thoroughly melted and blended.
• Don't let it boil!
• If it gets very hot, allow the mixture to cool slightly.
• Sift the flour, and spices into a large bowl.
• Mix the baking soda with the milk and set aside.
• Next add the syrup mixture to the flour and spices, a little at a time and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture is smooth with no flour lumps.
• Beat in the eggs a little at a time.
• Add the baking soda and milk.
• Pour the mixture into the tin and bake in the center of oven at 325 F convection (300 F fan assisted) for 1 to 1¼ hours, until it's well risen and firm to the touch.
• Allow to cool for 5 or 10 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack.
• Once cool, put into a tin for 24 hours then enjoy.

JAMAICAN GINGERBREAD

Steps:

• 1. You will need 2 large bowls. The contents of the liquid ingredients bowl will be stirred into the dry ingredient bowl.
• 2. Bowl #1: Flour, baking powder, allspice, Jamaican ginger, baking soda, and salt. Stir to blend well.
• 3. Bowl #2: melted butter, molasses, evaporated milk, dark brown sugar, beaten eggs. Mix together thoroughly.
• 4. Add to liquid mixture the chopped cystallized ginger.
• 5. Add to liquid mixture sprinkling of grated ginger root. This ingredient gives a "kick" - it is optional.
• 6. Stir the liquid mixture into the dry mixture. Stir well.
• 7. Loaf Pans: pour mixture into 2 9x5x3 loaf pans. Bake 350 for 40-45 minutes - center rack. Important to watch carefully at about 30 minutes, as this gingerbread should NOT be overbaked. It is helpful to place a pan of water on the rack below the center baking rack.
• 8. Muffins: Pour into about 44 paper-lined muffin cups. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes - center rack. It is helpful to place a pan of water on the rack below the center baking rack.
• 9. Cool completely. Refrigerate/freeze for minimum of 48 hours to ripen ginger. Best if ripened at least a week. Freezes beautifully.

DAMP GINGERBREAD

Steps:

• 1. preheat oven to 350º, grease and flour an 8 or 9 inch square cake pan
• 2. melt the butter with the syrup in a small saucepan (I have successfully substituted other syrups such as maple, or even Log Cabin, all molasses is a bit too strong, but ½ molasses and ½ Lyle's makes a nice rich cake.)
• 3. sift all of the dry ingredients into a large bowl; add the beaten egg and milk and beat well, add the syrup/butter mixture and beat well, the batter will be quite liquid
• 4. pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 50 - 55 minutes until just done (if it is overcooked, it becomes dry.)

ULTIMATE EASY GINGERBREAD

Steps:

• Heat the butter, syrup and sugar together in a small pan until melted, stirring occasionally. Set aside to cool slightly.
• Mix together the bicarb, ginger, cinnamon and flour in a large bowl. Pour in the buttery syrup mixture and stir to combine, then use your hands to bring together to form a dough. The dough will be soft at this point, but it'll firm up in the fridge.
• Put the dough on a sheet of baking parchment, shape into a rectangle, and lay another sheet of parchment on top of it. Roll the dough out to a thickness of ½cm. Transfer to a baking sheet to keep it flat, leaving the parchment in place, then chill in the fridge for 1 hr.
• Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5 and line a large baking sheet with more baking parchment. Remove the dough from the fridge and cut out shapes using a cookie cutter. We used 9cm stars, but you can choose any shape. We also made some with smaller stars cut out of the centre to thread ribbon through and hang from a Christmas tree.
• Place the shapes, spread apart, on the lined baking sheet, and bake for 10-12 mins. (Depending on the size of the cutters you use, they might need a few minutes more or less cooking in the oven). Leave to cool completely on the baking sheet.
• Meanwhile, mix the icing sugar with 1-2 tbsp water - you want to create a consistency that's thick and pipeable, and not too thin or it will run. Decorate the cooled biscuits with the icing using a piping bag with a thin nozzle. Find out how to make a piping bag.