Sticky Ginger Lemon Drizzle Cake

 

Its Bon Fire Night here in the UK.  The night when all over the country people light bonfires and shoot off fireworks to commemorate Guy Fawkes  failed attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament in the year 1605.  You can read more about that here.  Its also a night when people like to enjoy bonfire types of foods, like sausages (bangers), hot soups, and hearty cakes like parkin and gingerbread.  

I thought I would make us a tasty Sticky Ginger Lemon Drizzle Cake to commemorate the night.  Its not actually one of my favourite nights to be out and about.  Mitzie gets really bothered with the fireworks and is afraid, and so we prefer to stay in and keep her company.  We do watch the fireworks from the window and its always nice to enjoy a treat while we are doing it. 

This is a lovely and moist dark gingerbread type of cake, filled with lots of fiery ginger flavours   . . . there is a full 4 tsp of powdered ginger in the cake itself and it is filled with  a lemon and ginger curd filling, along with a ginger flavoured buttercream and is topped off with a sticky lemon drizzle.  I added some chopped preserved ginger on the top to add even more gingery goodness.

Oh boy but this is some good.   Sticky and moist.   Dare I say scrummy?   Who needs a bonfire and fireworks when you can get stuck into a tasty treat like this.  Its well worth staying home and cuddling the dog instead.   AND its one of those cakes that improves upon sitting.  *Nom *Nom!

Not that it will be sitting around for very long!

 

*Sticky Ginger Lemon Drizzle Cake*

Makes 12 slices 

Printable Recipe 

A deliciously sticky ginger cake, filled with lemon curd and creamy icing and drizzled with a sweet/tart lemon drizzle.  Perfect for Bon Fire Night.  Adapted from a BBC Good Food Recipe from several years back. 

140g butter, cut into cubes, plus extra for buttering the cake tin (2/3 cup or 10 TBS)

300g self raising flour (2 1/4 cup)

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

4 tsp ground ginger

2 tsp mixed spice (see my side bar on the blog)

1 tsp ground cinnamon

140g soft dark brown sugar (2/3 cup packed)

140g black treacle (5 fluid ounces)

140g golden syrup (5 fluid ounces

(Instead of the dark and golden syrups you can use 1 1/4 cups mild molasses)

300ml whole milk (1 1/4 cups)

1 large free range egg

For the Lemon Drizzle:

the zest and juice of one lemon

50g granulated sugar (1/4 cup)

50g preserving sugar or crushed sugar cubes (1/4 cup)

For the Lemon Curd filling:

about 1/2 jar of good lemon curd

2 balls stem ginger, diced

For the Creamy Filling:

4 TBS syrup from the stem ginger jar

100g (4 ounces) cream cheese

200ml double cream (7 fluid ounces)

3 TBS icing sugar sieved 

Preheat the oven to 160*C/325*F/ gas mark 3.  Butter well and line a 8 inch round, deep cake tin with baking paper.  set aside.

Put the flour, soda, ginger, mixed spice, and cinnamon in a food processer.  Blitz quickly to combine, then drop in the butter and blitz until the butter has disappeared.  (Alternately you can rub the butter in with your finger tips.)  Put the sugar, treacle, golden syrup and milk into a saucepan.  Heat over low heat to melt the sugar, stirring slowly.  Bring just to the boil.  Drizzle the mixture into the food processor slowly with the engine on.  Add the egg and blitz quickly just to combine.  Give it a few stirs with a wooden spoon to make sure it is well mixed.  It should be like a thick pancake bater.  Pour into the prepared baking tin.  Bake for 50 minutes to one hour until a toohpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.  Allow to cool completely in the tin.  (I like to leave it overnight.)

When you are ready to proceed, split the cake horizontally through the middle.   Make the drizzle by whisking the lemon zest and juice into the sugars.   Immediately spoon over the top half of the cake and set aside to set.  To make the filling ix the lemon curd with the diced ginger.   To make the icing, beat together the ginger syrup, cream cheese, cream and icing sugar, until thick enough to hold its shape.

Place the bottom cake on a plate.  Spread with the lemon curd mixture.  Dollop the creamy icing on top and then finally sandwich with the other half of the cake, drizzle side up.  Serve cut into slices.

Note - the unfilled cake will mature well for up to 3 to 4 days if wrapped well in baking parchment and then foil.

Happy Bonfire Night!  Stay safe!!  Bon Appetit!