Syrupy Chinese Ginger Cake Food

GINGER TREACLE SPONGE

Steps:

• Butter a 1 litre pudding basin. Mix the breadcrumbs, golden syrup and ginger syrup and place in the bottom of the basin.
• To prepare the steamer, put a small, upturned saucer or trivet into a large saucepan big enough to fit the pudding basin. Put the kettle on.
• In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Add the beaten eggs, vanilla and lemon zest, then sieve the flour and ginger into the mixture. Fold everything together with a big spoon or spatula. Fill the pudding basin with the sponge mixture.
• Cut out large sheets of greaseproof paper and foil, big enough to fit over the basin with a 2in overhang. Sit greaseproof on foil, fold a pleat into the middle, then butter the greaseproof. Put, butter-side down, over the pudding, and tie tightly under the rim with string. Sit the basin in the saucepan, add enough water from the kettle to come halfway up the basin sides, cover with a lid and simmer gently for 1 hr 45 mins.
• Meanwhile, candy your clementine slices by pouring 100ml water from the kettle over the sugar in a small frying pan. Heat until melted, then add the clementine slices and bubble until they are shiny and sticky with sugar. Lift out with tongs and set aside on baking parchment to dry.
• Check the pudding is cooked by inserting a metal skewer - there should be no raw mixture on the skewer, but you may find a little sticky syrup from the bottom.
• For the topping, put the syrups in a small pan and bubble to thicken for a few mins, then stir in the ginger chunks and a few clementine slices. Turn the pudding out onto a serving plate and spoon over some syrupy ginger topping. Serve with crème fraîche and custard.

SUPER MOIST GINGER CAKE

Steps:

• Melt butter and golden syrup, set aside.
• Into a large bowl, sift flours, bi-carb of soda, ginger, cinnamon,mixed spice and sugar. Stir to combine.
• Add eggs and milk. Beat well.
• Add melted butter and syrup and mix well to combine.
• Grease and line 2 loaf tins (approx 23cm x 12 cms). Divide mix evenly between the 2 tins.
• Bake in a moderate oven (180 deg C / 350 deg F) for about 50 mins or until top is golden brown and an inserted skewer comes out clean.
• Allow to cool in the tins for 10 mins before removing.

MAGIC GINGER CAKE

Steps:

• Mix everything BUT NOT the milk.
• Heat the milk to just below boiling then pour over mixed ingredients.
• Mix well or until butter has melted (although I have left some whole bits in).
• Pour into a greased lamington tin
• Bake 45 minutes @ 180°C.
• Serve with a dusting of icing sugar.

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.

SYRUPY CHINESE GINGER CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 170°C (340F) and butter a 20cm. (8") non-stick cake tin.
• First, prepare the ginger. In a medium saucepan, combine the ginger, water, brown sugar and honey and bring to the boil. Simmer for 10 minutes then cool. Set aside.
• Using an electric mixer, cream the brown sugar, white sugar and butter together until thick and creamy. Remove the bowl from the mixer and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well by hand after each addition.
• Add the flour and milk and stir gently but thoroughly. Remove the ginger from the syrup and slice thinly, then add 3/4 of the ginger to the cake, stirring to distribute the ginger.
• Pour the cake batter into the prepared tin and bake at 170°C (340F) for one hour, or until the cake appears firm and dry on top and yields gently to pressure when pressed in the centre with your finger. Pour the ginger syrup over the hot cake and allow the cake to absorb the syrup. When the syrup has been absorbed, remove the cake tin.
• To serve, spoon some thick, pure cream on top of the cake and decorate with the remaining slices of ginger. Alternatively, serve the cream on the side of the cake, with the ginger slices folded through the cream or on top of the cake.

CAJUN GINGER CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Cream together butter and brown sugar.
• Beat in the molasses, the sour cream, the ginger and the egg yolks.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder and soda, salt and cinnamon.
• Stir gradually into molasses mixture until well blended.
• Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry, and fold into batter.
• Fold in nuts.
• Generously butter a 9 x 9 x 2" baking pan.
• Pour in batter and smooth top.
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until tester comes out clean.
• Cool briefly in pan, then invert onto rack.
• Sieve powdered sugar on top of cake and enjoy.

SQUIDGY PUMPKIN & GINGER LOAF

Steps:

• Put the pumpkin or squash in a microwave- proof bowl with a dribble of water. Cover with cling film, pierce with a couple of holes and cook in a microwave on High for 5-10 mins, or until the pumpkin is soft and mashable. Drain off the water and mash until smooth. Put the treacle, syrup, sugar and milk in a pan and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease and line a 900g loaf tin with a strip of baking parchment. Sift the flour, bicarb, spices and a pinch of salt into a bowl together. Tip in the diced butter and rub with your fingertips until no big lumps remain.
• Whisk the mash and the egg into the lukewarm syrupy mixture, then stir everything into the dry ingredients. Pour the batter into the prepared tin, scatter with most of the crystallised ginger and bake for 45 mins until a skewer poked into the centre comes out with just moist crumbs attached. Scatter over the remaining sliced ginger to stick, then cool in the tin. This cake tastes delicious once thoroughly cooled and sliced, but even better if wrapped in parchment and foil, and left for a couple of days to mature. Perfect with a cuppa, smeared with some butter.

CINNAMON GINGER CAKE

Steps:

• 1. Cream butter and sugar in a small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg, beat until combined, gradually add honey, beat well.
• 2. Transfer mixture to large bowl, stir in half the sifted dry ingredients with half the water, then stir in remaining dry ingredients with water; stir until smooth.
• 3. Pour into prepared tin, bake at 190 degrees celsius for about 1hour. Stand 5minutes before turning onto wire rack to cool.

GINGER SYRUP

Steps:

• Mix together water, sugar, ginger, lemon juice, and peppercorns in a saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until sugar dissolves. Let cool, 15 to 30 minutes.
• Strain syrup through a fine-mesh sieve; discard solids. Chill, covered, for up to 2 weeks.

GUINNESS GINGER CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Butter and 9 x 5 loaf pan and line the bottom with parchment and grease the parchment.
• In a large saucepan, over high heat, combine the stout and molasses and bring to a boil.
• Turn off the heat and slowly add the baking soda.
• Allow to sit until the foam dissipates.
• Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk together the eggs and both sugars.
• Whisk in the oil.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, ground ginger, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.
• Combine the stout mixture with the egg mixture, then whisk this liquid into the flour mixture, half at a time.
• Add the candied ginger and stir to combine.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour, or until the top springs back when gently pressed.
• NOTE: Do not open the oven until the gingerbread is almost done, or the center may fall slightly.
• Transfer to a wire rack to cool.