Ginger and Lemon Loaf

This cake smells wonderful whilst baking! I make it for lunch boxes and it's ideal for a picnic. Freezes well too.

• Ready In: 1 hr 20 mins
• Yields: 1 Loaf

Ingredients

• 360  g cake flour
• 275  g caster sugar
• 10  ml baking powder
• 10  ml ground ginger
• 3  ml salt
• 2  lemons, rind and juice
• 75  ml butter
• 200  ml skim milk
• 1  egg, whisked
• 10  ml vanilla essence
• 175  ml applesauce
• 1  lemon, thinly sliced (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC and spray a medium-sized loaf pan with non-stick spray.
2. Sift the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, ginger and salt together in a large bowl.
3. Stir in the rind.
4. Dice the butter and rub into the flour mixture until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
5. Beat the milk, egg, vanilla essence, lemon juice and apple sauce together and add to the flour mixture.
6. Mix until smooth and turn the batter into the loaf pan.
7. Arrange the lemon slices on top and bake for about 1 1/4 hours or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
8. (Cover the loaf with aluminium foil after an hour to prevent the top and lemon slices from burning.) Cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before turning out.