Ginger trifle - it is particularly luxurious when replacing plain sponge in this pear and ginger trifle for a festive treat Custard - warm up in the microwave and served with hot or custard, which is perfect in the colder months. Custard is particularly great if your cake is a little on the dry side

For a more even bake, you could dissolve your baking soda in 1 tablespoon (15 ml of water) before adding it to the batter so that it is evenly dispersed with the rest of the ingredients Gingerbread is typically made of flour, sugar, eggs, butter, ground ginger, cinnamon, baking soda and golden syrup. It is often decorated with icing, chocolate or sweets. You might think this delicious moist ginger cake is a traditional cake from Jamaica, But there's been an ongoing debate over many a hot cup of tea that it is actually a British recipe. I love the flavours of autumn; all the spices come out to play. McVities has brought out these Mini Gingerbread Men in portion-controlled bags. The design of the bag is rather cute, with gingerbread men with sunglasses, walking their dogs, and... what is the gingerbread man bottom right doing? Is that a lamp chop or a bag of swag? Oh well, perhaps it is best to focus on the contents. Dark brown sugar - or dark muscovado sugar, for a darker sweet cake. If using light brown sugar, it will result in a paler cakeThen test by inserting a skewer into the middle of the cake to see if it comes out clean. If not, repeat baking in 5-10 minute increments. While melting butter and sugar mix, scrape the bottom of the pan to test if you can feel grit at the bottom. If you can, then the sugar has not dissolved yet! Please see the printable recipe card with exact ingredient quantities and preparation instructions at the bottom of this post. Festive - try poking holes in the cake while cooling, then feed it with a few teaspoons of ginger wine, rum, brandy, etc Spices - I use a mix of ground ginger, mixed spice (or all spice), ground cinnamon, nutmeg and salt

Gingerbread takes many forms, but it’s rarely an actual bread or cake. Instead, at least in the UK, gingerbread commonly refers to a type of thin biscuit or cookie that’s flavoured with ginger. The texture of gingerbread should be firm, yet with a slight softness. To prevent your cake from turning too brown in the oven, place it on a lower oven shelf where the top meets the middle (although you may need to increase the cooking time) and cover the top of the cake with tinfoil once you're happy with its rich dark golden brown colour Stem ginger - to save money, swap for crystalised ginger, 2 tablespoon of fresh ginger, peeled and grated. Or a much cheaper way is to use mixed peel for citrus flavours with a similar texture Bicarbonate of soda - or baking soda, not baking powder, so that it reacts with the acids in the cake mixUnsalted Butter - for a delicious, moist crumb. If using salted butter, omit the extra salt in this recipe. Also note, this can be used straight out of the fridge Zesty - for an extra warming taste, you can stir citrus zests like lemon and orange zest as I do in my boil and simmer cake Ginger wine iced topping - mix 2 tablespoon of ginger wine with 180g of icing sugar, then pour onto the cake once cooled

Storing - we prefer eating homemade ginger cake after storing it for a couple of days in a cake tin at room temperature. But it can last up to 7 days in an airtight container.If you avoid a small pan to melt the sugars, syrups, and butter, you can use a larger pan as a mixing bowl too Here are just a handful of reasons why we think you and your guests will be happily content with this spiced stem ginger cake Jamaican recipe! A cup of tea - it's perfect to wash away the spicy sugars, especially a cup of spiced chai or a fragrant Earl Grey for an afternoon tea treat after an array of sandwiches