Sticky Gingerbread

This recipe is based upon one of Mum’s. As kids, she used to make it as the dark nights drew in, winter around the corner and serve a piled-high plate to my brothers and I by the fire, accompanied by a glass of warm Ribena; sipped through curly straws! Brilliant memories aside, this is really simple to prepare, a very forgiving mix and totally ‘moreish’

What you need

Ingredients

175g butter

200g golden syrup

200g black treacle

125g dark muscovado sugar

20g finely grated ginger

15g Green Saffron’s Gingerbread Innovation (1 packet)

200g full-fat milk

2 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda, dissolved in 2 tablespoons warmish water

300g self-raising flour

175g Bramley apples, peeled, cored, chopped and stewed in a tablespoon of water

110g stem ginger, finely chopped or blitzed

How to make it

  1. First, preheat your oven to 180°C or gas mark 4.

 

  1. Take a high-sided baking tray or ovenproof dish measuring about 30cm x 20cm x 5cm, line with baking parchment and butter it well. Set aside.

 

NB Those foil containers you get from the Chinese takeaway work really well, this mix will fill about four of them. Alternatively, 4 x 500g, ½lb loaf tins

 

  1. Next, take a heavy-bottomed saucepan, place on a lowish heat, add the butter, muscovado sugar, syrup, treacle, fresh ginger, your Green Saffron’s Gingerbread Innovation spice mix and stir to combine

 

  1. Stirring occasionally, cook until everything’s melted and mixed together

 

  1. Then take the pan off the heat, add the milk, eggs and dissolved bicarbonate of soda water and stir to only just combine everything

 

  1. Next, sift the flour into a large mixing bowl, then gently pour in the contents of the pan, beating the mixture until it’s completely combined. Don’t worry if it looks a little runny…it’s all good!

 

  1. Fold in the apple puree and stem ginger. Pour the runny, gingery mix into your tray and bake for about 25–35 minutes until cooked.

 

NB The mix is cooked when firm to the touch on top with still a little wobble in its body…..If you stick a knitting needle into the centre of the ‘cake’, it should come out with some batter on it, not raw but just cooked.

 

  1. Pop the tin onto a wire rack and allow the gingerbread to cool in its tin before cutting or slicing, as you wish…..
  2. Serve with lightly whipped cream or Green Saffron’s Armagnac and Grand Marnier cream…..beautiful, indulgent, decadent and differently gorgeous!!

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