Sticky Ginger Spiced Cake (Printable)

A moist spiced cake with rich ginger and warm spices, featuring a glossy sticky top.

# What You'll Need:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 2 teaspoons ground ginger
03 - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
04 - 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
05 - 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
06 - 1/4 teaspoon salt

→ Wet Ingredients

07 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter
08 - 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
09 - 2/3 cup golden syrup
10 - 1/2 cup black treacle or molasses
11 - 2 large eggs
12 - 3/4 cup whole milk

→ Additional

13 - 1/3 cup stem ginger in syrup, finely chopped
14 - 2 tablespoons syrup from stem ginger jar

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 320°F. Grease and line an 8-inch square cake pan with parchment paper.
02 - In a large bowl, sift together flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
03 - In a saucepan over low heat, gently melt butter, brown sugar, golden syrup, and black treacle, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
04 - Whisk eggs and whole milk together in a separate bowl until combined.
05 - Pour melted syrup mixture into dry ingredients and stir to combine. Add the egg and milk mixture, stirring until smooth and free of lumps.
06 - Fold in the finely chopped stem ginger and 2 tablespoons of its syrup.
07 - Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth the surface. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
08 - Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

# Cooking Tips:

01 -
  • The cake gets better after a day or two, soaking up all that sticky syrup and turning impossibly moist.
  • It fills your home with the kind of warmth no radiator can match, all spice and caramel.
  • One bowl, one pan, no fuss, and it looks after itself in the oven.
  • That glossy, sticky top is pure magic, especially when you brush on extra ginger syrup while it's still hot.
02 -
  • Don't rush cooling the syrup mixture or the eggs will curdle and you'll end up with sweet scrambled bits in your batter.
  • Line the tin properly, this cake is impossibly sticky and will cling to bare metal like it's got a grudge.
  • The cake tastes better the next day, wrap it in foil and let the flavors settle and deepen overnight.
03 -
  • Weigh your syrup and treacle instead of spooning them out, it's the only way to get the texture right every time.
  • Chop the stem ginger fine or it'll sink to the bottom in heavy, chewy clumps.
  • Brush the top with ginger syrup twice, once when it comes out of the oven and again after it's cooled, for a finish so glossy it catches the light.

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