Grandma Jennie’s Ginger Loaf Cake

I’m making Grandma Jennie’s Ginger Cake this weekend because randomly out of the blue mum dropped me an email with the recipe.  I didn’t ask for it.  It was never discussed, it just popped up in my inbox last week.  I love my mum for this, it’s almost as if we’ve had entire conversations in her head and she’s simply responding with this email as though I had clearly asked her for it.

This recipe feels very old-fashioned and I think Grandma probably first started making it in the 50’s. It’s one of those cakes that packs such a punch in its relative simplicity.  It’s not a wet cake like a ginger Parkin (even though it is a very sloppy batter) but it a soft crumb and almost a hard crust, I think due to the golden syrup.  It’s also one of those foods that has the incredible power of a flavour-memory that reminds me of my childhood.

Grandma would have served each slice thickly lathered with salted butter and a cup of tea.  That may sound odd but I can tell you now, if you like your salted caramel, you haven’t tasted anything until you taste salted ginger cake!

• 2 large free-range eggs (I used 3 small hens eggs from my lovely neighbour Ann – well, from her hens!)
• 200g caster sugar
• 245g self-raising flour
• 4 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate soda in half a cup of warm water
• 3 quarters cup corn oil (I used sunflower oil)
• 3 tablespoons golden syrup
• 4 or 5 chunks of glace ginger – cut into small pieces

Grease and line a 2lb loaf tin and pre-heat the oven to 170C