Ginger and Spice Cake

Ok so this cake... it is there to satisfy my desire for a nice ginger cake that does nto come from the packet or from a bakers at an exhorbitant price... so here it is below and rest assured its tastes great ;)

Ingredients:

125gm butter

125gm dark muscovado sugar

125gm treacle

150ml milk

1 egg

75gm chopped ginger in syrup

190gm self raising flour

½ tspn mixed spice

1 ½ tspn ground ginger

For Icing:

1 lemon juiced,

1 tbspn syrup from ginger

Cooking:

1. Butter and line a bread baking tin. Heat oven to 160C/fan 150C/gas 3. Put the butter, sugar and treacle into a saucepan and heat gently for about 5 min until the butter and sugar have melted. Stir in the milk. The mix should be just warm to the touch; if not, leave to cool a little longer, then beat in the eggs.

2. Mix the chopped ginger and dry ingredients together in a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Pour the melted mix into the well, and then gradually draw the dry ingredients into the wet with a wooden spoon, until you have a thick, smooth batter.

3. Pour the batter into the prepared tin, and then bake for 1 hr until risen and firm to the touch. Resist taking a peek beforehand; the cake will sink if the oven temperature drops too quickly before it's cooked through. Poke a skewer into the centre to check that it's cooked - it should come out clean. If not, give it 10 min more and check again. Leave the cake to cool in the tin. Once completely cool, turn out of the tin ready for icing, or wrap well in cling film and keep in a cool, dry place for up to a week.

4. To make the icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl add lemon juice and the gingery syrup. Beat well until you have a smooth, runny icing. Once the cake has cooled, cover the top with icing and cut into slices. If you're planning to let the cake mature for a while, make the icing on the day you want to cut it.