Hairy Bikers Ginger Sponge Cake Food

STICKY CHILLI GINGER SPONGE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Butter a 2½ litre/4½ pint shallow ovenproof dish - a lasagne dish is ideal. Put the butter, sugar, treacle and syrup in a medium saucepan. Melt together over a low heat, stirring regularly until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat a little and simmer gently for a minute, stirring. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for five minutes.
• While the butter mixture is cooling, put the flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices in a large heatproof mixing bowl. Add the grated ginger and chilli and toss lightly together. Make a well in the centre.
• Stir the milk gradually into the warm treacle mixture and then add the beaten eggs, stirring vigorously. Pour the treacle mixture slowly into the flour mixture, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to form a thick batter. (If there are a few floury lumps, give a good stir with the metal whisk.)
• Pour the batter into the prepared dish. Bake in the centre of the oven for 35-40 minutes, or until the cake is well risen and a skewer inserted into centre comes out clean.
• While the sponge is cooking, make the toffee sauce. Put the ginger balls on a board and slice thinly. Pile the slices from each ball up and cut through them to make thin matchstick strips. Scrape off the board into a medium non-stick saucepan.
• Add the cream, sugar and butter to the stem ginger matchsticks and place the pan over a low heat. Cook together, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Bring the sauce to a very gentle simmer and cook for 30 seconds more, stirring constantly.
• Take the pudding out of the oven and pour the hot sauce over the top, spreading the ginger pieces over the surface with a spoon. Serve topped with well-chilled crème fraîche or scoops of ice cream and a sprinkling of finely grated lime zest.

THE HAIRY BIKERS' VICTORIA SPONGE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180C/360F/Gas 4.
• For the cake, grease two 23cm/9in spring-form cake tins and line with baking parchment.
• Whisk the butter and the sugar in a bowl, using an electric whisk, until light and creamy for about five minutes(the mixture should be almost white in colour).
• Add the eggs, one at a time, beating constantly until completely combined before adding the next egg. If the mixture starts to curdle you can rescue it by sprinkling in a tablespoon or so of the flour.
• Add the vanilla extract and fold in the flour.
• Divide the mixture between the two cake tins and place into the oven to bake for 25-30 minutes, or until completely cooked through. Test the cake is cooked by inserting a metal skewer into the centre of the cake. If it comes out clean the cake is cooked.
• Remove from the oven and leave to cool for five minutes, then remove the cakes from the tins and leave to cool on a wire rack.
• Meanwhile, for the butter cream, place the icing sugar, softened butter and hot water into a clean bowl. Mix well until completely combined and creamy.
• Add the cinnamon and mix well.
• To serve, trim the top off one of the cakes to make a level surface.
• Spread the raspberry jam over the top of the levelled cake surface, then cover the jam with a layer of the butter cream.
• Sandwich the second cake on the top and press down lightly.
• Dust the top of the cake with icing sugar and serve in generous slices.

JAMAICAN GINGER SPONGE PUDDING

Steps:

• Butter a 1.2-litre pudding basin, then press a disc of baking parchment into the base. Heat 4cm water in a heavy-based pan and add a trivet or upturned bowl or saucer to the base.
• Sieve the flour, baking powder and bicarb into a large bowl. Add the breadcrumbs, ginger, allspice, cinnamon and ½ tsp fine salt and stir everything together. Wrap the end of the frozen butter in foil and, holding it by the foil end, coarsely grate the butter into the dry ingredients. Unwrap and discard the foil to grate the last piece. Fold everything together so the butter is evenly distributed. Mix in the stem ginger, eggs, treacle, sugar and milk. Spoon into the pudding basin, leaving a small gap for the sponge to rise, and cover with a disc of parchment. Seal the pudding basin with a tight-fitting lid or a double layer of foil, sealed tightly around the basin and tied with cook's string. Set on top of the trivet, cover with a lid and steam for 3 hrs, topping up with water so it doesn't boil dry.
• Pour the syrup into a shallow frying pan, bring to the boil and cook until the syrup is turning a deep golden brown. Quickly whisk in the rum and butter, then whisk in the cream and bubble for 2 mins. Gently tip the sponge pudding out of its basin and onto a serving plate. Pour over the rum sauce and serve with thick cream or vanilla ice cream, if you like.

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.