Gingerbread loaf

Gingerbread is the perfect choice for a coffee break, especially in the winter months. It is flavoured with warming spices such as ginger and clove, whilst treacle adds a bitter depth. It is not overly sweet but it can be glazed with icing sugar for an extra treat!

Gingerbread loaf

A soft sponge loaf flavoured with ginger and warming spices.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Servings: 10 servings

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Scottish

Calories: 320

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 100g dark brown sugar
• 110g butter
• 2 1/2 tbsp treacle
• 1 tbsp golden syrup*
• 150ml milk
• 225g all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp mixed spice
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 1/2 tsp ginger powder

Method

 

1. Preheat the oven to 170C (fan) and line a loaf tin with baking paper.
2. Cream butter and sugar together until it is light and fluffy. If not using a mixer and the butter is cold, then grating the butter will make it much easier.
3. Whisk in the egg.
4. Add treacle and syrup, stir to combine.
5. In another bowl, sift the flour together with baking powder, the spices and a pinch of salt.
6. Add half the syrup mixture to the flour and stir before adding half the milk. Repeat this with the remaining syrup and milk until the flour is fully incorporated.
7. Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and bake for 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and carefully lift the loaf out of the tin on the baking paper. Leave to cool to allow the sponge to firm up before slicing.

Notes

• If you do not have golden syrup then maple syrup can be used instead.

• If you want to add icing then wait for the loaf to fully cool before topping.
• Margarine can be used instead of butter as a substitute.

This recipe comes from my grandad who worked as a professional baker. He would always bring a freshly baked gingerbread loaf whenever he came to visit and it has been a favourite tea loaf in our family for decades. Although none of the loaves that we have made since are as special, our family have tried to make the loaf with varying success! The original recipe was for his oven so I have had to make some tweaks to timing as well as update the recipe from ounces and fluid ounces into metric. It is close to the recipe he gave to me but it has been adjusted to my own personal tastes on the spice levels and some experimentation of the amount of syrup and treacle as it was originally measured with a specific silver spoon in his kitchen.

Feel free to make your own adjustments to the spices depending on how intense you want the ginger flavour and if you want a lighter crumb then use margarine instead of butter.

The loaf keeps well if wrapped up in foil, for around 2-3 days until it starts to get stale. If it does, I recommend warming slices up in the microwave or oven and topping with a layer of butter. It also freezes well.