Lemon & Gingerbread Cake ©

Ingredients

Cake mix
  • 8.8oz-250g baking margarine
  • 11.2oz-320g self-raising flour (sifted)
  • 3 medium eggs (free-range)
  • 5.6oz-160g dark muscovado sugar
  • ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
  • 2 tablespoons ground ginger
  • 2 teaspoons mixed spice
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 5.6oz-160g black treacle
  • 5.6oz-160g maple syrup
  • 6.7 fl oz-200ml whole milk
  • 3.5oz-100g stemmed ginger in syrup (finely chopped)
Lemon Curd
  • 3.5oz-100g caster sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cornflour
  • Zest and juice of 2 lemons
  • 2 medium eggs (free-range)
  • 2.1oz-60g unsalted butter (cubed)
Ginger Cream
  • 6.7 fl oz-200ml double cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
  • 3.5oz-100g full fat soft cheese
  • 4 tablespoons icing sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
Lemon Icing (topping)
  • 7oz-200g icing sugar
  • 2 fl oz-60ml lemon juice
  • Zest of 1 lemon (decoration)

Method

  1. Pre-heat oven to 320˚F/160˚C regular oven or 284˚F /140˚C fan assisted oven with a baking tray inside to pre-heat and grease two 20cm/8" round cake tins-set to one side
  2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the margarine and sugar. Next, add an egg and mix again. Follow with the second egg, repeat, and finally the third egg
  3. Add the ground ginger, cinnamon and mixed spice and combine again
  4. Mix in the maple syrup, black treacle and stemmed ginger. Combine again.
  5. Finally, sieve in the flour and bicarbonate of soda. Combine one last time until the flour is completely incorporated
  6. Split the mixture evenly between the two pre-prepared tins and pop onto the middle shelf of the oven, on top of the pre-heated baking tray and bake for 45-50 minutes and check with a skewer in the centre of the cake, if it comes out clean- they are ready. Remove the cakes from oven. Set to one side and allow to cool in the tins completely
  7. Whilst the cakes are cooling, make the lemon curd. In a small saucepan, whisk the eggs lightly. Add the rest of the curd ingredients and increase to a medium heat whilst stirring continuously for 6 minutes until the curd has thickened. Reduce the heat to its lowest setting and continue to stir for 2-4 minutes before removing from the heat. Pour curd into a mixing jug and pop into the fridge to cool completely
  8. Whilst the curd is cooling, you can prepare the ginger cream. Add the cream, vanilla essence, ground, ginger, icing sugar and soft cream cheese into a large mixing bowl and whisk until the mixture can hold its own shape (do not over mix). Pop it into a fridge until you are ready to assemble the cake
  9. Using the lemon curd, cover the bottom-side up of one of the cakes and then spread out the ginger cream evenly on top (reserve a little ginger cream to spread around the sides of the cake if you like). Sandwich the other cake on top of the curd and cream layers
  10. To make the icing, sift the icing sugar into a large mixing bowl and add the lemon juice. Stir with a tablespoon until well combined and pour on top of the cake so it covers it all (don't worry about it dripping down the sides
  11. Scatter the lemon zest on top, pop back into the fridge until ready to serve and the icing has set

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