A classic ginger cake

SERVES 10–12

2 cups (300g) plain flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon mixed spice

1 teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg ½ teaspoon salt

60g glacé ginger, very finely sliced, plus extra, finely sliced, to decorate

160g unsalted butter, at room temperature ¾ cup (175g) packed brown sugar

¾ cup (270g) golden syrup

¼ cup (80g) treacle

¼ cup (50g) finely grated fresh ginger

2 × 70g eggs

¾ cup (180g) sour cream, at room temperature

1½ teaspoons vanilla extract finely grated zest of 1 lime (or lemon) icing sugar, for dusting, optional softly whipped cream, to serve, optional

1 Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Butter a 22cm-square cake tin and line the base and sides with buttered baking paper. Set it aside.

2 Tip the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, mixed spice, ginger, nutmeg and salt into a bowl and whisk together for 1 minute with a balloon whisk so they’re thoroughly aerated and combined. Add the ginger slices and toss them about so they’re well coated in the flour mixture. Set the bowl aside. 3 Put the butter, brown sugar, golden syrup and treacle in the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment and beat them together on medium speed for about 4 minutes or until the mixture is very light and fluffy. Add the fresh ginger and mix until just combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Now mix in the sour cream, vanilla and lime zest. If the batter starts to look curdled, add a few spoonfuls of the flour mixture. Finally, tip in the remaining flour mixture and combine it on low speed, but don’t overdo this or the cake will be tough.

4 Scrape the batter into the prepared tin, spread it out evenly and decorate the top with the extra finely sliced glacé ginger. Pop the cake in the oven for 55 minutes–1 hour or until the centre springs back gently when pressed and a fine skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.

5 Transfer the cake to a wire rack and leave it to cool in the tin for 15 minutes. After this time, sit another rack (or a plate) on top of the cake and quickly invert it onto this. Then sit the original wire rack on top and invert the cake again, so it’s right-side up. Leave the cake to cool completely.

6 Carefully transfer the cake to a serving plate and dust with icing sugar, if using. Serve as is or with a dollop of cream. It keeps well in an airtight container (in fact, I find the flavour and texture improve) for at least 1 week.

I love that this cake uses three different forms of ginger – powdered, glacé, and fresh. Each adds its own distinctive flavour and makes the overall taste

more complex and rounded.