I will apologise in advance that today’s post has nothing to do with children’s books… but it is cake-related, which is a core part of our mission here at Nosy Crow, so please indulge me.
Like a lot of people, I have foolhardily given up alcohol for January (only four more days to go!)… and as a sort of displacement activity, have found myself doing a lot more baking. This handily also means that I have enjoyed precisely no health benefits from the alcohol abstinence, as all of the wine-related calories I am avoiding are being replaced with cake ones.
Last night I made gingerbread for the office, and it has gone down quite well here, so I thought I’d share the recipe (which is a fairly old one, as evidenced by the units of measurement). It’s incredibly easy to make, and perfect for cold, winter-y days. This quantity makes enough for one office of gluttons – though it keeps very well if you wrap it in paper, and its flavour will improve for a couple of days after being baked.
Quantities:
4oz butter
4oz soft brown sugar
4oz golden syrup
4oz black treacle
1/4 pint milk
1 egg, large
8oz plain flour
4 heaped teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
Method:
Beat together the butter and sugar, and then add the egg, flour, and milk separately, before adding all the remaining ingredients. Mix thoroughly.
Prepare whatever tray you’d like to bake the gingerbread in with greaseproof paper. I usually make this in quite a wide, shallow tray so that the mixture sits about 2cm deep uncooked, but you could make it in a loaf tin if you’d like slices rather than squares of gingerbread.
Bake for an hour (leave an extra 15 – 30 minutes if you’re using a loaf tin) on a low shelf at gas mark two/ 150C/ 300F. Leave to cool before removing from the tin and slicing.
And that’s it. Do let us know how you get on if you make some yourself – and if you have your own gingerbread recipes, or a different favourite winter treat, please share them below!
