Easy Old Fashioned English Sticky Gingerbread Loaf

French Tart's Note:

Just the smell of this gingerbread loaf whilst it's baking is redolent of when I was a little girl and staying at my grandparent's old cottage..........and, it is so easy to make. Plus, there are not many ingredients to it and yet, it is the recipe I always turn to when I feel like real old-fashioned sticky gingerbread! My grandmother used to serve it in thick slices with butter; it nearly always appeared on the tea table at least once a week! This is also wonderful served up as a Pudding type cake, warm with custard or cream, delicious! Oh yes, this gingerbread only contains 2 ounces of fat in it, making it low fat as well as very tasty!

• Total Time: 55 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 6

Yield: 12.0 slices

• 8 ounces self raising flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 pinch salt
• 3 teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 ounces butter or 2 ounces margarine
• 2 ounces soft brown sugar
• 8 tablespoons black treacle
• 2 eggs, beaten and mixed with milk to make 1/2 pint
• 4 ounces raisins (optional)

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 180C/350F/Gas mark 4.
2. Grease and line a 2 lb loaf tin.
3. Mix the flour with the salt, baking powder, ground ginger & raisins if using.
4. Melt the butter or margarine and add the sugar, black treacle - mixing them together very well.
5. Add the butter mixture to the flour mixture - and mix with a wooden spoon.
6. Gradually beat in the egg and milk mixture to make a smooth, thick batter.
7. Pour into the greased and lined 2 lb loaf tin and bake for about 45 minutes, or until a skewer when inserted comes out clean.
8. The gingerbread loaf should be well risen and slightly sticky to the touch, although it gets stickier the longer it is kept.
9. Slice and eat warm with butter, or leave to go cold and store in an airtight container.
10. Also wonderful served warm with custard or cream.
11. Keeps very well for a week or more.

Reviews

[msjenjenp]

I originally gae this four stars because it did taste very good warm out of the overn with whipped cream, but as the days went on, I found that I practically had to force myself to eat it and then I just threw out the rest, so I am changing my reiew. I think the self-rising flour plus the additional baking powder made it to salty tasting or gave it kind of an off-taste. Everyone else seems to love it, so it's probably my kitchen skills to blame.

[Brutus]

Delicious. Just finished cooking this up as a midnight treat for myself and it came out great! I sprinkled some powdered sugar on top for a nice finish. Plan to make it again in the future.

[Mikekey]

I think I used a pan that was too large. Wasn't sure what a 1 lb. loaf tin was. My loaf was quite flat, but it sure had a good flavor. I will try it again in a smaller pan.