From the Heirlooms divider · Handed down
Sticky Gingerbread Loaf
Dark, damp and treacly, and it gets better every day it sits in the tin.
- Prep15 mins
- Cook50 mins
- Serves10
- DifficultyEasy
Photo: amandabhslater, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Photo: ralph and jenny, CC BY 2.0
From the tin
Dark, sticky ginger cakes have been baked in northern England for hundreds of years. Parkin, the Yorkshire version with oats, is eaten on Bonfire Night. Black treacle gives this loaf its colour and keeps it moist for a week, if it lasts that long. Wrap it and leave it a day before cutting.
Sticky Gingerbread LoafServes 10 · Heirlooms
You'll need
Method
- Heat the oven to 160°C / 140°C fan / gas 3. Line a 900g loaf tin.
- Melt the butter, treacle, syrup and sugar together in a pan over a low heat. Cool for 5 minutes.
- Sift the flour, spices and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl. Pour in the melted mixture, then the milk and egg, and beat to a smooth, runny batter.
- Pour into the tin and bake for 45 to 50 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.
- Cool in the tin, then wrap in foil and leave for a day before cutting if you can bear to.
