Click image for larger version

Makes: 24 pieces
Prep time: 15 minutes

This is the first baking recipe I nailed. I was a pretty hopeless baker for some time, but you honestly cannot balls this one up! Let it mature for a day or two and it becomes tooth suckingly fabulous. Also I've eaten it hot from the oven covered with sticky toffee sauce and vanilla ice cream, making a spicy cake alternative to sticky toffee pudding.

225g butter, plus extra for greasing
225g dark brown sugar
225g black treacle
340g plain flour
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
a small grating nutmeg
2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
2 eggs, beaten
290ml milk

Preheat the oven to 160°C. Grease a 30cm x 20cm roasting tin and line the base with baking parchment. In a medium sized saucepan melt together the butter, sugar and treacle until the grains of sugar have dispersed and the butter has emulsified with the sugars. Leave to cool for 10 minutes or until it’s cool to touch.

Sift the flour, ginger, cinnamon and bicarbonate of soda together in a large mixing bowl. Stir the eggs and milk into the butter mixture so all the liquids are combined then fold the liquid quickly into the flour mixture with a large metal spoon or whisk.

Pour the batter into the roasting tin and bake in the oven for 45 minutes or until the cake is risen and is firm and when a skewer is inserted into the centre of it, it draws off clean. Leave to cool on a wire rack.