Our gingerbread, two ways

This can be served on its own at room temperature with a cup of tea or warm, as a dessert, with crème fraîche and sautéed brandy apples (as pictured).

SERVES 8-12

220g unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly, plus extra for greasing 300g black treacle (or blackstrap molasses) 100g soft light brown sugar 120g caster sugar 3 large eggs finely grated zest of

1 orange (1½ tsp) 400g plain flour 1 tbsp bicarbonate of soda 1 tbsp ground ginger 2 tsp ground cinnamon ½ tsp salt 300ml just-boiled water 100g stem ginger, roughly chopped into 5mm pieces

This is best made in a high-sided (9cm-10cm high), 20cm square springform tin, but if you don’t have one then use a high-sided 20cm round springform tin instead. If you go for the round option, you’ll make 8 large slices or 12 regular slices. It also looks great made in a 23cm bundt tin, as in the photograph.

Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6. Grease a 20cm square (or round) springform tin and line with baking parchment, leaving an overhang at the sides to help you remove the cake from the tin later on.

Place the butter, treacle, brown sugar, caster sugar, eggs and orange zest in a medium bowl and whisk together by hand or using a handheld electric whisk until combined.

Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda, ginger, cinnamon and salt together into a separate, larger bowl, then pour over the treacle mixture. Stir to combine and add the just-boiled water, whisking immediately to combine. Stir through the stem ginger, then pour the mixture into the cake tin. Bake for 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and set aside on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes before transferring to a serving platter.

The cake can be made up to 3 days in advance and kept at room temperature in an airtight container.