Charlecote Park's honey and ginger cake

This cake will keep for up to 3 days in an airtight tin so you can enjoy it with a cup of tea and friends and family.

Cakes and bakes
Bees and honeycomb at Charlecote Park, Warwickshire
  • Preparation time 15 minutes (prep. time)
  • Cooking time 1 hour (cooking time)
  • Serves 8

Ingredients

For the cake:

  • 1 jar Charlecote honey (340g or 12oz)
  • 125g (4.5oz) butter
  • 3 eggs
  • 3tbsp semi-skimmed milk
  • 6 balls stem ginger from a jar, chopped finely
  • 350g (12oz) plain flour
  • 1tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1tbsp ground ginger
  • 1tbsp ground mixed spice
 
 

For the icing:

  • 225g (8oz) icing sugar
  • syrup from the stem ginger jar
  • chopped crystalised ginger or chopped Charlecote honey fudge

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 170C, fan 150C, gas 3.
  2. Line the base of a 22cm round cake tin.
  3. Heat the honey and butter very gently together until the butter is melted.
  4. Whisk the eggs and milk together with the chopped stem ginger, then whisk into the honey mixture.
  5. Put all the dry ingredients into a large bowl, make a well in the centre, then gradually pour in the honey and egg mixture, beating as you go.
  6. Cook for 1 hour or until a skewer comes out clean.
  7. Cool in the tin for 15 minutes before removing from the tin to cool completely.
  8. Mix the icing sugar with enough syrup from the stem ginger jar to make a fairly stiff icing to spread over the cake.
  9. Decorate with chopped crystalised ginger or chopped Charlecote honey fudge.