This sticky Ginger Loaf Cake is the cake that I remember from my childhood ( Jamaican Ginger Cake) and I have been searching for it forever. I rather came upon it by accident which made it taste, I'm sure, even better!
This recipe is dense, dark and wonderfully sticky.
The ginger spice brings such a nostalgic flavour to the whole thing that I could practically be back in my mother's kitchen, sticky fingered and helping myself secretly to yet another slice.
Your kitchen smells incredible too. It make me feel like Mary Poppins has popped round for tea.
I always bake it at Christmas time along with my Christmas Cake and Cinnamon Bundt Cake.
It is also genius for Christmas Cake Sales baking. You're welcome.
I make them in paper loaf liners so really easy to transport and sell individually. The same goes for my Chocolate Loaf Cake.
Anyway put this gloriously sticky ginger beauty in your cake hole and rejoice. Christmas or not.
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Sticky Ginger Loaf Cake
It is adapted from Nigella. I found Nigella's Sticky Gingerbread in her Christmas book and made it to suit what I had in my cupboard.
Made almost in one saucepan and poured into a lined loaf tin. Who actually knew baking could be this easy?????
What's more this loaf gets better for standing there quietly minding it's own ginger business.
*You Can Scroll Straight Down For The Printable Recipe Card But Below Are Step by Step Instructions.*
Ingredients
150 grams (5.3 oz) unsalted butter
300 grams (10.6 oz) golden syrup
100 grams ( 3.5 oz) black treacle
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda dissolved in 2 tbsp of water
250 mls full fat milk or semi skimmed
2 medium eggs (beaten)
300 grams (10.6 oz) self raising flour
125 grams dark brown sugar
Method
- Preheat the oven to 170 C/gas mark 3/325 F
Step 1 - Making the Syrup
- After melting the butter, syrup, treacle, sugars and spices in a saucepan allow to come to a gentle simmer.
Step 2 - Making the batter
- Add the milk and give a quick stir then add the beaten eggs and dissolved bicarb of soda and mix well. Adding the milk first makes sure the mixture is not too hot for the eggs.
- Put the flour into a mixing bowl and pour on the contents of the saucepan. It's better to do this than just add the flour to the saucepan as otherwise lumps will form in the batter.
- Mix until the batter is smooth with a whisk.. It is a very liquid batter and it is this that is responsible for it's fabulous gingery dampness.
Step 3 - Baking the Cake
- Pour into your lined tin (I use paper loaf liners) but if lining with baking paper see here for a how to guide and bake for about 45/60 minutes. If you still have flour lumps in your mixture run it through a sieve.
- It is a lot of batter so make sure your 2 lb loaf tin is not on the small side. Different ovens and baking tins can mean that it may take up to an hour to bake through.
- 2lb loaf tins come strangely in smaller and larger variations. I have one on the large size and that is perfect for this. On average a 2lb loaf tin is 21cm long, 11cm wide and 7cm deep. Mine is slightly larger than this.
- If you are unsure play safe and bake as a tray bake in a 30 cm x 20cm x 5 cm or don't use all the batter. Stop once the batter is 2 cm from the top of the liner and use the remainder for cup cakes.
- Cool in the tin.
- This cake gets damper and stickier if left for 12 hours. I leave it under my cake dome or in a air tight container to take it's time and think about just how fabulous it really is.
Storing and Freezing
This cake gets damper and stickier if left for 12 hours. I leave it under my cake dome or in a cake tin to think about how fabulous it is.
You can wrap in grease proof paper and keep in an airtight tin for two weeks or so. In fact it gets better for it. What a boon.
To freeze just wrap each slice or whatever amount of the cake that you are freezing really well in clingfilm and then repeat with silver foil. Freeze for up to 3 months and defrost, still wrapped for a couple of hours at room temperature.
More Loaf Cake Recipes
More Christmas Cakes
Ginger Cake
Ingredients
- 150 grams unsalted butter
- 300 grams golden syrup
- 100 grams black treacle
- 2 tsps ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda dissolved in 30 mls water
- 250 mls full fat milk
- 2 medium eggs beaten
- 300 grams self raising flour
- 125 grams dark muscovada sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170 C/gas mark 3/325 F
- Nigella suggests a tin foil baking tray of 30 x 20 x 5 cm. I used a 2 lb loaf tin with a paper liner. If not using a cake liner then line with Bake-O-Glide or baking parchment. Strangely you can get large and small 2lb tins. Mine is one of the larger ones. If yours is smaller and the cake mixture is looking as if it will reach the top of the liner as you are pouring it in then stop 2 cm before the top of the liner and make some muffins with the left over mixture.
- In a saucepan melt 150 grams/21 oz butter, 300 grams/10.5 oz golden syrup, 100 grams/3.5 oz treacle, 1 tsp cinnamon, 2 heaped tsp ground ginger and 125 grams/4.4 oz dark muscovado sugar and stir until well combined.
- Take off the heat and 250 mls milk, 2 eggs and 1 tsp bicarb of soda dissolved (in 30 mls water). By adding the milk first you make sure the mixture is cool enough not to cook the eggs. Mix well.
- Put 300 grams/10.5 oz self raising flour in a mixing bowl and pour the warm liquid into the bowl. Mix well until smooth.
- Pour into your tin and bake for about 45 - 50 mins until risen and firm and a cocktail stick comes out clean. The top will be sticky. Wrap up when cool and leave for 24-48 hours to get stickier.
Notes
Nutrition
All nutritional information is approximate and intended only as a guide.
Do let me know how you got on in the comments below or why not come on over and follow me on my social media pages. I would love to connect with you.
Lisa Alford
Delicious ?
Kate Harvey
Sounds and looks amazing x
Rebecca Beesley
I love using nigella recipes as a starting point too - i often end up reducing the amounts of sugar or butter a bit as they are often rather indulgent but definitely a great place to start. Your ginger loaf looks great. #gbbobloggers2018 #gbbobakeoftheweek
Jenny Paulin
I love that we both adapted the same recipe for sticky gingerbread. it is so lush and never lasts long in out house ! I love that you made it into a loaf cake - I have not tried that with the recipe.
thank you for sharing with the GBBOBloggers2018 / GBBObakeoftheweek x
Shell Louise
I want a slice right now, it looks lovely and I'm sure I can smell it through the screen. I can't even get rid of my craving by having some of Ant's ginger cake because it's all gone!
applytofaceblog
You should definitely make some more then!!! I love a good ginger cake!
Louise Fairweather
I do love a nice ginger loaf - this looks lovely
applytofaceblog
It so is! I have looked for a sticky ginger cake of my childhood for years. I didn’t realise it was on my book shelf all along!!!
Jo Allison / Jo's Kitchen Larder
Oh I do love Nigella too and her recipes are brilliant! Your adaptation sounds divine and I could definitely apply nice and thick slice to my face at any time 🙂 Hope you have a fantastic holiday Jen! 🙂 xx
applytofaceblog
Thanks Jo! Facing the journey home tomorrow and dreading it!!! Want to stay here forever just getting fatter and fatter ????
Anca
The loaf does have a very nice rise to it. While I've seen Nigella's recipes, I don't think I ever made one of hers. 🙂
applytofaceblog
I can’t recommend her recipes enough. I have to say they always deliver! I love all her books.
Rachel
How do you dissolve the bicarbonate of soda? I've never used a recipe that does this.
applytofaceblog
OMG!Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I hadn't put how to dissolve it in the ingredients section. You dissolve in 30 mls of water.Sorry!
Kat (The Baking Explorer)
I love a ginger cake! This looks so good!
applytofaceblog
Thanks Kat!
Michelle Rolfe
Its definitely gingerbread time isn't it? Funny but I never get a chance to actually ice a gingerbread cake as it never lasts that long, its such a favourite! Thanks for sharing with #CookBlogShare. Michelle
applytofaceblog
Thanks michelle! I so love the kitchen smelling of ginger this time of year.
Amanda West
I love this recipe but would love to put icing on it(like what is on the squares that you buy in the shops) but I don’t know what kind of icing that is as I am a beginner. Can anyone help?
Andy
Made this cake. Absolutely bloody delicious. My wife ate about 3/4 of the cake. Won't be buying shop ones again.
Jenny
Oh wow! That is flipping good to hear! So glad you loved it and so glad you let me know.Brilliant. Thank you!
TBEE
Hi, currently waiting for my cake to come out of the oven. Thanks for the recipe - just wanted to bring your attention to either an error in the ingredients list or in the method test about the cinnamon - not sure if you mean teaspoon or tablespoon as it references both.
Jenny
Thank you so much and accept my sincerest apologies. What a wally I am. I'm hoping you went with the tsp of cinnamon?! It is a really lovely recipe. I hope you love it as much as we do x
Gina Richardson
lOOKS VERY EASY.
Sarah Mac
.The best ginger cake recipe I have found. Perfect every time. I swap the cinnamon for mixed spice which I think gives a rounder flavour.
Jenny
Brilliant! Thank you so much for letting me know! It's such a popular cake and brings back such nostalgic memories. I recently found the original recipe only last week! I love your spice substitution. Sounds delish.x
Georgina Morrison
This cake is just wonderfully delicious!!! I came across this recipe just 3 weeks ago and I’ve made it 5 times!! I made one for my granddaughter’s other granny and I was so hesitant at giving it as I really wanted to keep it for ourselves, but give it I did and other granny loved it too( I made another one for us) anyway this recipe is the best, I’ve tried others, but this is now my go to recipe for the best ginger cake. Thank you for sharing!
Jenny
Thank you soooo much Georgina. I can't tell you how that has made my day! It is a corker isn't it? So glad you love it as much as we do and thank you for taking the time to let me know x
Georgina
This is the best recipe for Ginger Cake, a family favourite and make it at least once a month. Can make more than that as we’ll eat it, as it is this cake only lasts 2 days at the most. I don’t cut into it until the second day as it gets stickier!
Jenny
oh wow!!! Thank you for letting me know. I'm so pleased it's a hit with you all. Absolutely love it too! Love a sticky cake above all others.x