Black Sticky Gingerbread

A simple crowd-pleasing cake from the Leiths Bible.

Everyone here at Leiths simply adores this moist gingerbread and it regularly makes an appearance in our staff room. Though we have never been able to test its longevity beyond a couple of days given its unanimous popularity, we are led to believe that this is a cake that improves with age!

butter for greasing
225g/8oz butter
225g/8oz soft dark brown sugar
225g/8oz black treacle
340g/12oz plain flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 eggs, beaten
290mls/ ½pint milk
2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda

1.  Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F/gas mark 2.

2.  Grease a 30x20cm/12x8inch roasting pan with butter and line the base and sides with greaseproof paper.

3.  Melt the butter, sugar and treacle in a saucepan. Cool to room temperature. 

4.  Sift the flour with the ginger and cinnamon, then stir in the melted mixture with the beaten eggs. Warm the milk to blood heat, pour it on to the soda, stir it in and add it to the mixture. Stir well and pour the mixture into the prepared tin.

5.  Bake in the preheated oven for about one hour. Cover the top with the greaseproof paper after 45 minutes. It is cooked when a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

6.  When the gingerbread is cold, cut into fingers and serve it spread with butter. This gingerbread keeps very well: in fact, it improves.