Chinese Ginger Syrup Cake

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 170ºC. Grease a 20cm. non-stick cake tin.

First, prepare the ginger. In a medium saucepan place the ginger, water, brown sugar and honey and bring to the boil. Simmer for 10 minutes then cool; set aside.

Using an electric mixer, cream the brown sugar, white sugar and butter together until thick and creamy. Remove the bowl from the mixer and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well by hand after each addition.

Add the flour and milk and stir gently but thoroughly. Remove the ginger from the syrup and slice thinly, then add ¾ of the ginger to the cake, stirring to distribute the ginger.

Pour the cake batter into the prepared tin and bake for 1 hour, or until the cake appears firm and dry on top and yields gently to pressure when pressed in the centre with your finger.

When the cake has been removed from the oven, spoon over the ginger syrup and allow it to soak into the cake then turn out and cool thoroughly on a wire rack.

To serve, spoon some thick, pure cream on top of the cake and decorate with the remaining slices of ginger. Alternatively, serve the cream on the side of the cake, with the ginger slices folded through the cream or on top of the cake.

Author's Comments

The Chinese are well known for their love of ginger, and it is traditional on festive occasions to give a gift of preserved ginger. This recipe was given to me by a friend, living in Hong Kong, who finally found a way to use the glut of ginger she accumulated every Christmas.

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