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Jamaican ginger cake
Dark, sticky molasses loaf with fresh ginger and allspice
Jamaica grows some of the world's most pungent ginger in the hills of Clarendon and St Mary, and island ginger cake shows it off: a dark, sticky loaf made with molasses, a big knob of freshly grated root, and allspice (pimento), another Jamaican crop. Corner shops sell it in wrapped slabs for school lunches and road trips, and at home it comes out with afternoon tea or a cup of hot cocoa. The heat is real but warm, not harsh. Overbaking is the easy mistake: a few minutes too long and it loses its stickiness, so take it out once a skewer comes out clean even if the top still feels slightly tacky. Chef's tip: wrap the cooled cake and leave it a day before slicing; the top turns properly sticky and the ginger mellows.
- Total time
- 70 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
- 4 oz butterplus a little for the tin
- 3 ½ oz dark brown sugar
- 7 oz molasses
- 1 ⅜ oz fresh gingerpeeled and finely grated
- ¾ cup milk
- 2 eggsbeaten
- 8 oz plain flour
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground allspice
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 350°F (300°F fan). Butter a 900 g loaf tin and line it with baking paper.
Step 2: Melt 4 oz butter, 3 ½ oz dark brown sugar and 7 oz molasses together in a pan over a low heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Do not let it boil.
5 minStep 3: Take off the heat, stir in 1 ⅜ oz fresh ginger and ¾ cup milk, and leave to cool for 5 minutes until warm rather than hot.
5 minStep 4: Beat in 2 eggs.
Step 5: Sift 8 oz plain flour, 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda, 2 tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp ground allspice, ½ tsp ground cinnamon and ¼ tsp salt into a bowl. Pour in the molasses mixture and whisk just until smooth; the batter will be thin.
Step 6: Pour into the tin and bake for 50–55 minutes, until risen and dark, and a skewer comes out clean.
52 minStep 7: Cool in the tin, then wrap in paper and foil. Slice after a day; it keeps for a week.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 290 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 46 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does jamaican ginger cake take?
- About 70 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 55 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of dark brown sugar?
- White sugar + 1 tbsp molasses or treacle per 200g.
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