Dense Gingerbread
Ingredients
- Ingredients are in Metric/Imperial and (American)
- 175g butter, lard or cooking fat (3/4 cup)
- 110g moist brown sugar (2/3 cup)
- 225g black treacle (2/3 cup)
- 110g golden syrup (1/3 cup)
- 350g plain flour (3 cups)
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (1 tsp)
- 1/2 to 1 tsp allspice, or to taste (1/2 to 1 tsp)
- 2 teaspoon ground ginger, or to taste (2 tsps)
- 2 large eggs (2)
- 2 tbsp milk (3 tbsp)
- 150 milliliter water (2/3 cup)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 150C / 300F / Gas mark 2. Line a 20 cm / 8 inch square or 23 cm / 9 inch round cake tin with greaseproof paper or baking parchment. Put the fat, sugar, treacle and syrup into a large saucepan, stir over a moderate heat until melted. Sift the flower with the bicarbonate of soda, allspice and ginger. Pour the melted ingredients over the flour then stir in the beaten eggs and milk and mix together. Heat the water in the saucepan in which the fat was melted, stir to absorb any of the mixture left in the pan, then add to the other ingredients. Beat briskly to a smooth, soft consistency. Spoon into the cake tin and bake for 1 1/4 hours or until firm to the touch. A fine wooden skewer inserted into the cake should come away quite clean. Cool in the tin; remove the paper or parchment. Store for several days before cutting. Fruit and Almond Gingerbread Use only 2 tablespoons (3 tablespoons) water in the recipe above and add 7g (3/4 cup) blanched almonds and 75g (1/2 cup) raisins. Bake as the timing given above.