This very delicious and sticky ginger cake is one of the recipes that originally inspired me to publish my ‘Whats4teaMum?’ recipe book because I only had it scribbled on an old scrap of paper that was stained with butter spots and the imprint of a treacle tin lid. It’s one of my Mum and Dad’s favourites and I usually bake it to take when I go up to Lincolnshire to visit them. In fact, I’m just about to go this weekend and they could do with cheering up so I hope this #TheFridayRecipe hits the spot all round. I make mine cut into squares like a brownie although you could make it in a loaf tin. Serve it as a pudding with cream or ice cream, or as a welcome morning or afternoon tea treat.

• 115g unsalted butter
• 225g plain flour
• 115g golden caster sugar
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 227g warmed black treacle (this is equal to half a tin of Lyles treacle- stand the tin in a small bowl of warm water and it will be easier to pour the right quantity out of the tin)
• 55g finely chopped sultanas
• 85g finely chopped preserved ginger and 1 dessertspoon of the ginger syrup it comes in (I have been known to use half a leftover jar of ginger preserve with equally good results)
• 2 teaspoons of ground ginger
• 2 tablespoon of double cream
• ½ teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda

 To make…

• Takes 15 minutes to prep and cooks in around an hour depending on your oven.
• Preheat the oven to 160°C.
• Grease the baking tin with butter and line the bottom with baking parchment. I use a 20cm x 27cm shallow baking tin (about 5cm deep).
• Measure out and prep all the ingredients ready for mixing.
• Roughly chop the sultanas and the preserved ginger.
• Cream the butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl.
• Gradually mix in the beaten egg.
• Add the warmed treacle, chopped sultanas, cream, preserved ginger and ginger syrup.
• Sift in the flour, bicarb and ground ginger.
• Spoon evenly into the lined baking tin.
• Place in the oven on the middle shelf and leave for about 45 minutes until cooked through. Test by piercing it carefully with a piece of spaghetti or a fine skewer – if it comes out clean it’s ready. If not, leave for another few minutes.
• Once cooked, remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack. Carefully turn the cake out of the tin and then cut into squares like you would cut a brownie tray bake.
• Store in a cake tin or wrap in baking parchment and foil. It tastes wonderful now but it will become more fragrant, delicious and sticky if you leave it for a day or so.
• If you serve this as a dessert with ice cream or whipped cream, you could top each piece with a little chopped stem ginger and dust with icing sugar to make it look extra-special.

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