less than 30 mins
30 mins to 1 hour
Serves 8
Hairy Bikers recipes
From Hairy Bikers' Best of British
Ingredients
- 125g/4½oz butter, plus extra for greasing
- 125g/4½oz soft dark brown sugar
- 125g/4½oz black treacle
- 125g/4½oz golden syrup
- 275g/9¾oz self-raising flour
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 4 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground allspice
- 4 stem ginger balls in syrup (roughly 75g/2½oz), drained and coarsely grated
- 1½ long red chillies, seeds removed, finely chopped
- 200ml/7fl oz semi-skimmed milk
- 2 large free-range eggs, beaten
For the sauce
- 3 stem ginger balls in syrup (roughly 55g/2oz), drained
- 200ml/7fl oz double cream
- 100g/3½fl oz dark brown soft sugar
- 75g/2½oz butter
To serve
- well-chilled crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream
- finely grated or pared lime zest
Method
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Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Butter a 2½ litre/4½ pint shallow ovenproof dish – a lasagne dish is ideal. Put the butter, sugar, treacle and syrup in a medium saucepan. Melt together over a low heat, stirring regularly until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat a little and simmer gently for a minute, stirring. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for five minutes.
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While the butter mixture is cooling, put the flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices in a large heatproof mixing bowl. Add the grated ginger and chilli and toss lightly together. Make a well in the centre.
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Stir the milk gradually into the warm treacle mixture and then add the beaten eggs, stirring vigorously. Pour the treacle mixture slowly into the flour mixture, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to form a thick batter. (If there are a few floury lumps, give a good stir with the metal whisk.)
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Pour the batter into the prepared dish. Bake in the centre of the oven for 35-40 minutes, or until the cake is well risen and a skewer inserted into centre comes out clean.
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While the sponge is cooking, make the toffee sauce. Put the ginger balls on a board and slice thinly. Pile the slices from each ball up and cut through them to make thin matchstick strips. Scrape off the board into a medium non-stick saucepan.
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Add the cream, sugar and butter to the stem ginger matchsticks and place the pan over a low heat. Cook together, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Bring the sauce to a very gentle simmer and cook for 30 seconds more, stirring constantly.
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Take the pudding out of the oven and pour the hot sauce over the top, spreading the ginger pieces over the surface with a spoon. Serve topped with well-chilled crème fraîche or scoops of ice cream and a sprinkling of finely grated lime zest.