BAKING
Surrey’s Premier Lifestyle Magazine
Jolly gingerbread cake with Amaretto crumb
Nothing says Christmas like the subtle spiced scents of ginger and cinnamon. This ginger cake is a great alternative to the traditional Christmas cake and offers moist sponge with a filling of ginger cream cheese and the added crunch of Amaretto biscuits. Top with whatever festive frills take the fancy. We baked some little gingerbread men, then added candy canes, chocolate coins and some glitter. Happy Christmas from Jen’s Cupcakery!
Ingredients
For the cakes:
175g butter
175g soft brown sugar
175g golden syrup
200ml milk
Two eggs
325g self raising flour
Two teaspoons ground ginger
One teaspoon cinnamon
One and a half teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
For the cream cheese frosting:
175g cream cheese
450g icing sugar, sifted
125g unsalted butter, at room temperature
Half teaspoon ginger
Six to seven small Amaretto biscuits
Method
• Preheat the oven to 160°C/320°F. Grease and line two six inch cake tins.
• Melt the butter, sugar and syrup in a saucepan over a low heat. When the three ingredients are melted, remove the pan from the heat.
• Add the milk to the mix of melted ingredients and blend until smooth. Add the eggs and mix in. Finally, fold in the flour, ginger and bicarbonate of soda and mix well before pouring in to the tins: it’s quite a fluid mixture.
• Bake for about 35 minutes, then check every ten minutes until a skewer comes out clean
• Remove the cakes from the oven and leave for five minutes before turning out on to a wire rack.
• Whilst waiting for the cakes to cool, make up the cream cheese frosting by creaming the butter, then adding the icing sugar until a crumb-like texture is achieved, at which point add the cream cheese and ginger. Mix until smooth.
• Sandwich the cakes with cream cheese and some of the Amaretto biscuits – just break with your fingers into a crumb, you want a bit of texture. Swirl some icing on top and then decorate.
• Enjoy with a nice cup of tea, but the cake will keep for a good few days in an airtight tin.
For the cakes:
175g butter
175g soft brown sugar
175g golden syrup
200ml milk
Two eggs
325g self raising flour
Two teaspoons ground ginger
One teaspoon cinnamon
One and a half teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
For the cream cheese frosting:
175g cream cheese
450g icing sugar, sifted
125g unsalted butter, at room temperature
Half teaspoon ginger
Six to seven small Amaretto biscuits
Method
• Preheat the oven to 160°C/320°F. Grease and line two six inch cake tins.
• Melt the butter, sugar and syrup in a saucepan over a low heat. When the three ingredients are melted, remove the pan from the heat.
• Add the milk to the mix of melted ingredients and blend until smooth. Add the eggs and mix in. Finally, fold in the flour, ginger and bicarbonate of soda and mix well before pouring in to the tins: it’s quite a fluid mixture.
• Bake for about 35 minutes, then check every ten minutes until a skewer comes out clean
• Remove the cakes from the oven and leave for five minutes before turning out on to a wire rack.
• Whilst waiting for the cakes to cool, make up the cream cheese frosting by creaming the butter, then adding the icing sugar until a crumb-like texture is achieved, at which point add the cream cheese and ginger. Mix until smooth.
• Sandwich the cakes with cream cheese and some of the Amaretto biscuits – just break with your fingers into a crumb, you want a bit of texture. Swirl some icing on top and then decorate.
• Enjoy with a nice cup of tea, but the cake will keep for a good few days in an airtight tin.
Top tip:
For more of a showstopper, slice each cake in half to make a four layer cake and drizzle with toffee icing.essence info
Jens CupcakeryWebsite: www.jenscupcakery.com
Telephone: 07751 553106
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jenscupcakery
Twitter: @Jenscupcakery
Blog: ilovejenscupcakery.wordpress.com