\A wonderful alternative to the love-it-or-loath-it, fruit-filled Christmas cake. This cake is rich, full of flavour and makes a gorgeous pudding as well as a treat to enjoy in front of a Christmas movie. I like to dress mine up with lots of edible sprinkles, dried cranberries, gingerbread biscuits and sprigs of rosemary to make it super festive!
For the cake (makes one 22cm cake):
- 175g soft unsalted butter
- 175g golden caster sugar
- 3 medium eggs (beaten)
- 175g self-raising flour
- 1.5tsp baking powder
- 1tsp ground ginger
- 2tbs cocoa powder
- 2tbs hot water
- 1tbs black treacle
- 1tbs milk
- 20g chopped stem ginger in syrup
For the buttercream:
- 400g icing sugar
- 250g soft unsalted butter
- 2tbs ginger syrup from the stem ginger jar
Ideas for decorations: Sprinkles, dried cranberries, springs of rosemary, mini meringues, marshmallows, chocolate buttons, gingerbread biscuits, sparklers!
- Grease and line with baking paper a round 22cm cake tin and pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees
- Beat the butter and sugar in a stand mixer or with an electric hand whisk until pale and fluffy
- Gradually add the beaten eggs and keep whisking
- Then mix in the sifted flour, baking powder and ground ginger
- Mix the cocoa powder with hot water to make a paste and stir into the cake mix
- With a spoon, fold in the black treacle, milk and chopped stem ginger
- Pour the mix into the tin and bake for 30-40 minutes, until the cake is springy to the touch and you can insert a sharp knife into the centre and it comes out clean
- Wait five minutes, then turn the cake out of the tin onto a cooling rack
- When the cake is cool, beat the icing sugar and butter together until really pale and add the stem ginger syrup from the jar
- To decorate, turn the cake upside down, so the flat bottom is now the top! Spread the buttercream over the cake with a palette knife or back of a spoon. Or, if you’re feeling fancy, pipe the buttercream. Dress the cake with all your favourite festive treats!