Ginger cake with caramel frosting

• butter↗200g g

  plus extra for the tin

• dark muscovado sugar↗200g g
• black treacle↗100g g
• golden syrup↗100g g
• large eggs↗2

  beaten

• milk↗300ml ml
• plain flour↗350g g
• ground ginger↗2 tsp tsp
• bicarbonate of soda↗2 tsp tsp
• few chunks crystallised ginger

  chopped

• butter↗85g g
• double or whipping cream↗175ml ml
• caster sugar↗175g g

  (we used white - use golden for a darker icing)

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Butter and line a 23cm round cake tin. Put the butter, sugar, treacle and syrup in a large pan and gently heat, stirring until the butter has melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat and cool for 10 mins.

2. 2

   Stir in the eggs and milk, then sift in the flour, ginger and bicarbonate of soda. Mix well, then pour into the prepared tin. Bake for 50 mins-1 hr until the cake is firm to the touch and springs back when pressed in the centre. Cool in the tin for 15 mins, then turn out, peel off the paper and cool on a wire rack.

3. 3

   Put the frosting ingredients in a small pan over a medium heat and stir until the butter has melted and the mixture is smooth. Increase the heat and boil hard for 3-4 mins, stirring occasionally; at this stage the frosting should look like runny custard. Pour into a bowl and leave to cool for 30 mins. Beat with an electric whisk until thick and spreadable. Spread over the cooled cake and decorate with crystallised ginger.