Sticky gingerbread

Fill your home with the warming scent of gingerbread with this fiery recipe.

15 minutes prep. time
1 hour cooking time
Serves 12
Cakes, bakes & desserts

Gingerbread with a sticky glaze and orange peel on the top — This sticky gingerbread recipe is light and fiery | © National Trust Images/William Shaw

450g wholemeal plain flour
20g ground ginger
2 tsp mixed spice
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
100g soft brown sugar
200g butter or margarine
350g black treacle
100g golden treacle
2 tsp caraway seeds
300ml milk
4 eggs, beaten
50g root ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1 lemon, juiced and zest cut into thin strips
1 orange, juiced and zest cut into thin strips
100g caster sugar

Top tip

Wrapped well, this cake will keep for up to 7 days.

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 160°C (140°C fan/gas mark 3).

Step 2

Place the flour, ginger, spice, bicarbonate of soda and brown sugar in a large bowl and mix well.

Step 3

Melt the margarine, treacle and syrup on a low heat, then add the caraway seeds and gradually beat in the milk. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.

Step 4

Add the eggs and mix well.

Step 5

Pour the liquid mix into the dry mix and use a balloon whisk to beat together.

Step 6

Pour the mixture into two 450g loaf tins and bake for about 45 minutes at 160°C (140°C fan/gas mark 3) or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Step 7

Place the lemon and orange juice in a pan, add the sugar and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and add the ginger, and the lemon and orange zests. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.