Fresh Gingerbread With Lemon Icing
by Nigella. Featured in HOW TO BE A DOMESTIC GODDESSIntroduction
I’ve been making this gingerbread since the turn of the century — it was one of my go-to recipes for the countless bake sales at my children’s schools when they were little — and my love for it never fades. The lemon icing is hardly conventional, but its bright sourness is a wonderful foil for the deep, dark spiciness of the cake.
This is the gingerbread (minus said icing) I advise you to use for the Advocaat and Ginger Cake should you not want to go the shop-bought route, and when I use it in this capacity, I tend to use the 2 teaspoons of ground ginger rather than the teaspoon of freshly grated ginger-root, though you could certainly use either — or both, indeed. And while I cut it into slabs when serving it iced, if you’re using it to layer up in the cake, make 3 cuts down with the gingerbread in landscape, as it were, so that you have 4 equal sized little loaves, and then cut each loaf into 12 slices.
And please read the Additional Information section at the end of the recipe before proceeding.
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
I’ve been making this gingerbread since the turn of the century — it was one of my go-to recipes for the countless bake sales at my children’s schools when they were little — and my love for it never fades. The lemon icing is hardly conventional, but its bright sourness is a wonderful foil for the deep, dark spiciness of the cake.
This is the gingerbread (minus said icing) I advise you to use for the Advocaat and Ginger Cake should you not want to go the shop-bought route, and when I use it in this capacity, I tend to use the 2 teaspoons of ground ginger rather than the teaspoon of freshly grated ginger-root, though you could certainly use either — or both, indeed. And while I cut it into slabs when serving it iced, if you’re using it to layer up in the cake, make 3 cuts down with the gingerbread in landscape, as it were, so that you have 4 equal sized little loaves, and then cut each loaf into 12 slices.
And please read the Additional Information section at the end of the recipe before proceeding.
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
Ingredients
Makes: 20 squares
FOR THE GINGERBREAD
- 150 grams unsalted butter
- 125 grams dark muscovado sugar
- 200 grams golden syrup
- 200 grams black treacle
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger (finely grated)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 250 millilitres milk
- 2 large eggs (beaten to mix)
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (dissolved in 2 tablespoons warm water)
- 200 grams plain flour
FOR THE ICING
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 175 grams icing sugar (sieved)
- 1 tablespoon warm water
FOR THE GINGERBREAD
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ⅔ cup dark brown sugar
- ⅔ cup golden syrup or light corn syrup
- ⅔ cup black molasses
- 2 teaspoons fresh gingerroot (finely grated)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup milk
- 2 large eggs (beaten to mix)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda (dissolved in 2 tablespoons warm water)
- 2⅓ cups all-purpose flour
FOR THE ICING
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1¾ cups confectioners' sugar (sieved)
- 1 tablespoon warm water
Method
You will need a roasting tin, approx. 30 x 20 x 5cm / 12 x 8 x 2 inches, greased and lined with Bake-O-Glide, foil or parchment.
- Preheat the oven to 170°C/150°C Fan/325°F.
- In a saucepan, melt the butter along with the sugar, golden syrup, treacle, ginger and cinnamon. Off the heat, add the milk, eggs and bicarbonate of soda in its water.
- Measure the flour out into a bowl and pour in the liquid ingredients, beating until well mixed (it will be a very liquid batter). Pour it into the tin and bake for 45-55 minutes until risen and firm. Be careful not to overcook it, as it is nicer a little stickier, and anyway will carry on cooking as it cools. And do leave the gingerbread in its tin while it cools.
- And when it is cool, get on with icing. Whisk the lemon juice into the icing sugar first, then gradually add the water. You want a good, thick icing, so go cautiously and be prepared not to add all the water. Spread over the cooled gingerbread with a palette knife, and leave to set before cutting.
You will need a roasting tin, approx. 30 x 20 x 5cm / 12 x 8 x 2 inches, greased and lined with Bake-O-Glide, foil or parchment.
- Preheat the oven to 170°C/150°C Fan/325°F.
- In a saucepan, melt the butter along with the sugar, golden syrup or light corn syrup, treacle, ginger and cinnamon. Off the heat, add the milk, eggs and baking soda in its water.
- Measure the flour out into a bowl and pour in the liquid ingredients, beating until well mixed (it will be a very liquid batter). Pour it into the tin and bake for 45-55 minutes until risen and firm. Be careful not to overcook it, as it is nicer a little stickier, and anyway will carry on cooking as it cools. And do leave the gingerbread in its tin while it cools.
- And when it is cool, get on with icing. Whisk the lemon juice into the confectioners' sugar first, then gradually add the water. You want a good, thick icing, so go cautiously and be prepared not to add all the water. Spread over the cooled gingerbread with a palette knife, and leave to set before cutting.
Additional Information
If you are making this for the Advocaat and Ginger Cake: cut the cooked and cooled un-iced gingerbread into 4 slabs each measuring 7.5cm/3inches x 20cm/8inches. Proceed with each quarter (as if it were an individual cake) sliced as per the ginger cake recipe.
MAKE AHEAD:
Make the gingerbread up to a week ahead but store without icing by wrapping it in a layer of baking parchment and a layer of food wrap and putting the gingerbread in an airtight container. Unwrap and cover with the lemon icing 2-3 hours before serving. Leftovers will keep for 3-4 days in an airtight container but the icing will become more sticky as it stands.
FREEZE:
Wrap the un-iced gingerbread in a layer of baking parchment and a double layer of foil and freeze for up to 3 months. To defrost, unwrap the gingerbread and put on a wire rack at room temperature for 2-3 hours. Cover with the lemon icing as above.
If you are making this for the Advocaat and Ginger Cake: cut the cooked and cooled un-iced gingerbread into 4 slabs each measuring 7.5cm/3inches x 20cm/8inches. Proceed with each quarter (as if it were an individual cake) sliced as per the ginger cake recipe.
MAKE AHEAD:
Make the gingerbread up to a week ahead but store without icing by wrapping it in a layer of baking parchment and a layer of food wrap and putting the gingerbread in an airtight container. Unwrap and cover with the lemon icing 2-3 hours before serving. Leftovers will keep for 3-4 days in an airtight container but the icing will become more sticky as it stands.
FREEZE:
Wrap the un-iced gingerbread in a layer of baking parchment and a double layer of foil and freeze for up to 3 months. To defrost, unwrap the gingerbread and put on a wire rack at room temperature for 2-3 hours. Cover with the lemon icing as above.
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