SPICED AND ICED JAMAICAN GINGER CAKE

ingredients

• 75g butter, softened • 100g dark muscovado sugar • 125g black treacle • 125g golden syrup • 2 large essential Waitrose Free Range Eggs • 3 tbsp rum, eg Sailor Jerry Spiced Caribbean • 225g self raising flour • 2 tsp ground ginger • 50g stem ginger, finely chopped • 75g pitted medjool dates, chopped - For the icing topping • 100g icing sugar • 1–2 tbsp rum, eg Sailor Jerry Spiced Caribbean • 1 tbsp stem ginger syrup from the jar

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 180˚C, gas mark 4. Line the base and sides of a 1 litre loaf tin. Place the butter, sugar, treacle and golden syrup in a saucepan and heat gently until all melted. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for a while, then mix in the eggs and the rum.

Step 2

Mix together the flour and ground ginger then stir into the treacle and egg mixture. Finally, stir in the chopped ginger and dates, then pour into the loaf tin and bake in the middle of the oven for 50 minutes until risen and golden. To test if cooked through, insert a skewer into the centre of the cake and if it comes out clean, it is done. Otherwise, pop back into the oven for 5 more minutes.

Step 3

Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool for 10 minutes in the tin. Then remove and leave to cool completely on a wire rack. For the topping, mix the icing sugar with the rum and stem ginger syrup. Spoon over the icing and serve in slices with a proper cup of tea!