Jamaica Ginger Cake
This moist Jamaica Ginger Cake is full of cosy, warming spices. The perfect easy baking recipe when you want a comforting teatime treat.
Servings: 10 servings
Ingredients
For the Jamaican ginger cake:
- 150 g unsalted butter diced
- 150 g soft light brown sugar
- 180 g treacle
- 250 ml full-fat milk
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 200 g self-raising flour
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 heaped tbsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- Pinch ground cloves or allspice
For the ginger icing:
- 200 g icing sugar
- Pinch ground ginger
- Splash of cold water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160C Fan. Grease and line a 900g (2lb) loaf tin with non-stick baking paper.
- In a medium-sized saucepan, add the butter, sugar and treacle. Place over a low heat and melt gently. Keep stirring until the butter has melted, the sugar has dissolved and the ingredients have combined. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for 10 minutes.
- Pour the butter-sugar mix into a large bowl and beat in the eggs to combine. Add the milk and stir. Sift in the flour, bicarbonate of soda, sea salt, ginger, cinnamon and ground cloves (or allspice). Mix until just combined and no floury lumps remain - don’t overmix as this will cause the cake to be dense.
- Pour the batter into the prepared tin. Bake in the centre of the oven for about 40 minutes - or until a skewer comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 30 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
- Once the cake has cooled, make the ginger icing: sieve the icing sugar and a pinch of ginger into a large mixing bowl. Gradually add splashes of water, mixing until you have a smooth, thick icing.
- Set the loaf onto a flat plate and spoon over the icing. Leave to set before cutting into slices and serving. Enjoy!
Notes
Scroll up for a helpful step-by-step guide with images to help with this cake.
To serve: I like to cut into thick slices. You can warm them slightly in the microwave to soften it a bit further. Alternatively, a slice of sticky ginger cake with warm custard makes a very delicious pudding.
To store: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for around 5-6 days - up to a week even! This cake lasts longer than other bakes, it actually gets more sticky the longer it sits.
To freeze: Freeze before the icing. Wrap tightly in clingfilm and a layer of foil once cool. Place in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature until totally thawed. Then ice it before serving (or skip the icing, it's still delicious without!
Make ahead: try to make your sticky ginger cake a day or so in advance. It will improve in flavour and texture over time. It should last up to a week.
Texture of cake batter: the batter looks very unusual in this cake - but you just have to trust the process! It's not a creamed thick batter, it should kind of be the consistency of batter, like an American pancake batter. I've tried it with more flour and the consistency just wasn't right as you need a lot of liquid to get it nice and sticky. Trust me, this works, it just does look a bit strange when it goes in the oven!
Decoration: sprinkle with chopped crystallised ginger for a final flourish, if desired. You can also serve this cake plain if you prefer.