This cozy Hairy Bikers Ginger Cake Recipe is the perfect sticky and spicy teatime treat, packed with warming flavours like ground ginger, dark treacle, and golden syrup. This recipe creates a wonderfully dark, moist, and fiery cake that fills the kitchen with an irresistible aroma as it bakes. It’s the ideal cake for a chilly afternoon or a Bonfire Night celebration, yielding one large loaf that provides about 10 generous slices.
Hairy Bikers Ginger Cake Recipe Ingredients
- 225g (8oz) self-raising flour
- 1 level teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground mixed spice
- 100g (3.5oz) butter or baking spread, cubed
- 100g (3.5oz) dark muscovado sugar
- 100g (3.5oz) black treacle
- 100g (3.5oz) golden syrup
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 150ml (5fl oz) whole milk
- 4 balls of stem ginger in syrup, finely chopped, plus 1 tbsp of the syrup
How To Make Hairy Bikers Ginger Cake
- Prepare the tin and oven: Preheat your oven to 160∘C (140∘C Fan / Gas Mark 3). Grease a 900g (2lb) loaf tin and line it completely with a single piece of baking parchment, leaving some overhang to act as handles.
- Melt the wet ingredients: Place the butter, dark muscovado sugar, black treacle, and golden syrup into a medium saucepan. Heat gently over a low heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Do not allow the mixture to boil.
- Sift the dry ingredients: While the syrups are melting, sift the self-raising flour, bicarbonate of soda, ground ginger, and mixed spice into a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre.
- Combine the liquids: In a separate jug, whisk the beaten eggs and milk together. Once the melted syrup mixture has cooled slightly, stir in the chopped stem ginger and the tablespoon of ginger syrup.
- Mix the final batter: Pour the melted treacle mixture and the egg and milk mixture into the well of the dry ingredients. Using a whisk or a wooden spoon, beat everything together until you have a smooth and relatively runny batter.
- Bake the ginger cake: Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin. Bake in the center of the preheated oven for 50–60 minutes. The cake is ready when it is dark, risen, and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Cool the cake: Let the cake cool in the tin for about 10 minutes before carefully using the paper handles to lift it onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Recipe Tips
- Don’t Boil the Syrups: When melting the butter, sugar, and syrups, use a very gentle, low heat. If the mixture gets too hot and boils, the sugar can take on a slightly burnt or bitter taste which will affect the final flavour of the cake.
- Let It Age for a Day: Ginger cake is famous for improving with age. If you can resist the temptation, wrap the completely cooled cake in a layer of baking parchment and then foil. Leaving it for 24 hours before slicing allows the flavours to deepen and the texture to become even more moist and sticky.
- Embrace Stem Ginger: While the ground ginger provides a lovely background warmth, the addition of finely chopped stem ginger in syrup is a game-changer. It provides little pockets of fiery, sweet heat and a wonderful chewy texture that takes this cake to the next level.
- Sift Your Dry Ingredients: Sifting the flour and spices is a quick step that makes a big difference. It removes any lumps and ensures the ground ginger and mixed spice are distributed evenly throughout the batter, guaranteeing a perfectly spiced cake from end to end.
What To Serve Ginger Cake
This wonderfully sticky ginger cake is absolutely delicious on its own, served in thick slices with a hot cup of tea or coffee. For a truly indulgent dessert, try serving a slice slightly warmed with a generous dollop of thick crème fraîche, a smear of good-quality salted butter that melts into the dark sponge, or a scoop of classic vanilla ice cream.
How To Store Ginger Cake Leftovers
- Store at Room Temperature: Store the ginger cake in an airtight container at room temperature. It will keep beautifully for up to a week, and its flavour and sticky texture will only improve over the first few days.
- Freeze: Ginger cake freezes exceptionally well. You can freeze the loaf whole or in individual slices. Wrap it tightly in a layer of plastic wrap and a second layer of aluminum foil. It can be frozen for up to 3 months and simply thawed at room temperature when you’re ready for a treat.
Hairy Bikers Ginger Cake Recipe Nutrition Facts
- Serving Size: 1 slice (recipe makes 10)
- Calories: 360 kcal
- Total Fat: 12g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Cholesterol: 55mg
- Sodium: 280mg
- Total Carbohydrate: 58g
- Dietary Fiber: 1.5g
- Sugars: 38g
- Protein: 4.5g
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the difference between ginger cake and gingerbread? While the terms are often used interchangeably in the UK, “gingerbread” can refer to a hard biscuit or a very dense cake. “Ginger cake” typically refers to a slightly lighter, more cake-like bake, which is still very moist and sticky, with ginger as the star flavour.
- What is black treacle and can I use a substitute? Black treacle is a dark, thick, and slightly bitter syrup that is a by-product of sugar refining. It’s a classic ingredient in British baking. The best and closest substitute is blackstrap molasses. If you only use golden syrup, the cake will be much lighter in colour and will lack the deep, rich flavour.
- My cake sank in the middle after baking. Why? Sinking in the middle is often caused by opening the oven door too early, which lets in cold air and causes the rising cake to collapse. It can also be a sign of underbaking, so always check with a skewer to ensure the centre is fully cooked.
- Can I leave out the stem ginger? Yes, if you don’t have stem ginger or are not a fan of its intense heat, you can leave it out. The cake will still be wonderfully flavourful and warming from the ground ginger and mixed spice.
Try More Recipes:
- Hairy Bikers Rhubarb Crumble Recipe
- Hairy Bikers Gingerbread Recipe
- Hairy Bikers Plum Crumble Recipe
Hairy Bikers Ginger Cake Recipe
Description
Based on the classic Hairy Bikers recipe, this Sticky Ginger Cake is the ultimate comforting bake. It’s dark, moist, and packed with a fiery warmth from both ground and stem ginger, dark treacle, and golden syrup. Perfect for enjoying with a cup of tea.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat oven to 160∘C (140∘C Fan). Grease and line a 900g (2lb) loaf tin.
- Melt: Gently melt the butter, sugar, treacle, and golden syrup in a saucepan over a low heat. Do not boil. Stir in the chopped stem ginger.
- Combine: Sift the dry ingredients (flour, bicarb, spices) into a large bowl. In a jug, whisk the eggs and milk.
- Mix Batter: Pour the melted syrup mixture and the egg mixture into the dry ingredients. Whisk until you have a smooth, runny batter.
- Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 50–60 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Cool: Let the cake cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
