One of the great reasons to bake this cake apart from it being delicious, is that it keeps so well and in my mind also improves with time. My mother in law lives near us and this is one I always like to take to her – it travels well. It is just a lovely cake to have around and on the colder days, lovely to have with a cuppa, I won’t go on!  This recipe is originally from Leiths, a classic –  very plain but can be spruced up with some delicious chopped up stemmed ginger mixed through it. I always have sprinkle with icing sugar over the top, it hides any cracks.

Ingredients

225g (8oz) butter, plus extra to grease 30x20cm roasting tin

225g (8oz) soft dark brown sugar

70g (2 3/4oz) black treacle

165g (5 3/4oz) golden syrup

300ml (1/2 pt) milk

350g (12oz) plain flour – sieved

Pinch of salt

1–1½ tbsp ground ginger

2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

2 eggs

Dust of icing sugar to finish

1. Preheat the oven to 190 /Fan170°C/Gas Mark.
2. Check the shelf is in the middle of the oven. Lightly grease a 30 x 20cm roasting tin with butter/oil and then line the tin.
3. Put the butter, sugar, treacle and golden syrup in a saucepan and melt over a low to medium heat – make sure it does not boil. Remove from the heat, stir in the milk and leave to cool.
4. Add the flour, salt, ginger, cinnamon and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl and mix.
5. Make a well in the centre and break in the eggs. Using a wooden spoon, start to stir the eggs, but without forcing flour into the eggs (which can cause lumps); it will be slowly drawn into the mixture as you stir the eggs.
6. As this mixture becomes thicker, add a little of the cooled butter and sugar mix to loosen it, continue stirring. Continue until all the flour has been incorporated and all the liquid ingredients added. This should take about 5 minutes.
7. Pour the batter into the lined tin. Bake in the middle of the oven for about 50–60 minutes. Don’t be tempted to open the oven door before 45 minutes or the cake may sink.

To test: Inserting a skewer into the centre; it should come out clean or with only a few moist crumbs clinging to it. If there is uncooked mixture on the skewer, return the cake to the oven.

6. Once cooked, turn the gingerbread onto a cooling rack and allow to cool before cutting into squares. Kept in an airtight tin it will last for a few weeks