Emma's Ginger Cake

Emma, my niece, is brilliant at lots of things and her Ginger Cake certainly is one of them.  Here is here recipe, verbatim.  I have tried to do it as well as she does and have nearly got there but not quite.  Suggestions at the bottom.

• 175g / 6oz unsalted butter
• 1 large cooking apple (about 230g / 8oz)
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 125g / 4oz black treacle
• 125g / 4 oz golden syrup
• 175g / 6 oz dark muscovado sugar
• 350g / 12 oz plain flour
• 1 teaspoon ground mixed spice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
• 2 medium eggs
• 150g / 5oz preserved stem ginger in syrup (thinly sliced)
• 3 tablespoons of ginger syrup from the jar above
• 2 teaspoons of ground ginger

1. Preheat the oven to 170C (150C fan).
2. Grease and line the tin (I'd say a 2lb loaf tin or an 8" round tin).
3. Peel and core the apple and put it into a bowl of cold water with the lemon juice.
4. Put the treacle, golden syrup, butter and sugar into a pan and heat gently until the butter melts. Allow to cool slightly.
5. Sift the flour, spices and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl (sifting twice is always a good idea).
6. Grate 3/4 of the apple into the bowl.
7. Beat the eggs well and add with the melted butter / syrup / sugar / treacle mixture and 3/4 of the ginger pieces to the bowl.  Mix well.
8. Pour the mixture into the tin.
9. Thinly slice the remainder of the apple and scatter it with the rest of the ginger pieces over the mixture.
10. Bake for 1 hour 20 minutes to one hour 40 minutes.
11. Remove from tin and drizzle over the ginger syrup

Comments.  

a)   Slicing stem ginger is a messy business.  I use Sainsbury/Waitrose chopped ginger and only do enough stem ginger for the top.  Whenever I have made this cake the topping always sinks so recently I have taken to making the slices very thin indeed and putting them on after the cake is cooked.

b)   I would put the syrup on whilst the cake is still in the tin and turn it out later, once it has soaked in.

c)   I find the apple is tricky and that two or three tinned pear halves pureed in a food mixer is as good.  If you want to use fresh pears, then they need to be hard before they are grated or they will go to mush.

d)   If you have some, substitute 1 oz of the flour for 1 oz oatmeal, which adds another texture.

e)   This cake keeps well. Try feeding it with a tablespoon or two of dark rum daily and or some ginger wine if you have some.