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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

Ingredients

  • 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

Method

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.

Step 8

Remove the cakes from the oven and drizzle over the lemon and orange mixture from the pan, then scatter over the ginger and peel.

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