Ingredients:
175 g butter
175 g soft brown sugar
175 g golden syrup
200 ml milk
2 eggs, whisked
325 g self-raising flour
2 tsp ground ginger
1½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
(you could also try adding stem ginger, or crystallized ginger for an added kick, or maybe some dried fruit)
Method:
1.Heat oven to Gas 2, 150°C, 300°F. Butter and line a 1kg (2lb) loaf tin with baking paper.
2.Melt butter, sugar and syrup in a pan on a low heat, mix so that the sugar has melted into the butter and syrup. remove from the heat, add the milk and blend until smooth, add the eggs and mix in. Finally fold in the flour, ginger and bicarbonate of soda, pour into the prepared loaf tin.
3.Bake for 1 hour, then cover with baking paper and bake for another 30 minutes. To check that the cake is cooked insert a knife into the middle and it should come out clean.
4.Remove cake from the oven and leave for 5 minutes, then turn out of the baking tin and cool. If possible, wrap cake in greaseproof paper and leave it in a tin to enrich for a week as it improves with age.
(Personally, I prefer the cake straight from the oven)
(points in italics are my additions)
I'm planning to make one and ice in instead of a Christmas cake this year.