Winter has definitely arrived, it's certainly getting cold around here!
On the shortest day of the year (while waiting for the snow that never really arrived) I baked a gingerbread cake in honour of the winter solstice. It was nice to spend some time in the kitchen, it's one thing I've been missing.
If you'd like to give this cake a try, here's what you'll need:
Winter Solstice Gingerbread Cake
3/4 cup golden syrup
1 1/4 cups boiling water
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
85 grams butter, softened
1 large free range egg
Preheat the oven to 180C and line a 20cm cake tin with baking paper. Add the golden syrup and baking soda to the boiling water. Set aside and let cool to room temperature. Whisk together the flour, spices, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In an electric mixer cream together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat the egg with a fork, and then beat it into the creamed mixture a little bit at a time. On low speed add the cooled syrup mixture to the creamed mixture until just combined (don't worry if the mixture looks a bit curdled at this point). Stir in the dry ingredients only to blend. Pour into the prepared cake tin. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Serve hot or cold with a citrus sauce.
The original recipe can be found here.