Sticky Stem-Ginger Cake with Lemon Icing & Ginger-Syrup Infused Greek Yoghurt

Emma Freeman made this as her signature baked product on the first episode of New Zealand’s Hottest Home Baker. It was drop-dead gorgeous — I adore ginger cake anyway, but this was a real winner.

Makes 1x20cm round cake.

Ingredients

• 225g self-raising flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon mixed spice
• 115g butter
• 115g dark muscovado sugar
• 115g treacle
• 115g golden syrup
• 250ml milk
• 85g stem ginger in syrup, drained,
• grated and syrup reserved
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

Method

Sift the flour, baking soda and spices into a food processor and add the butter. Pulse to form fine crumbs and transfer to a large mixing bowl until required.

Heat the muscovado sugar, treacle, golden syrup and milk together, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Turn up the heat and bring mixture to just below boiling then remove from the heat. Add the stem ginger and warm sugar and milk mixture to the dry ingredients and stir together until almost combined. Add the egg and beat the mixture until well combined. Pour into a 20cm round cake tin lined with non-stick baking paper and bake for 50 minutes–1 hour in a preheated oven set at 180°C until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin.

When cool, drizzle with lemon icing and serve with Greek yoghurt flavoured with the syrup from the stem ginger syrup.

John Hawkesby’s wine recommendation

Dessert Wine
Hawkes Ridge Late Harvest Viognier 2009