Mountain Sounds Ginger Boulders Recipe
First the practical details
Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4 or 180 C or 350 F
Prepare a 9 inch square baking tin, this should be at least an inch deep)
(In case you aren't aware of how to do this - place a 9 in square piece of greaseproof paper in the bottom of the tin, then smear a little butter or margerine, on the insides to thinly coat each side of the tin. This will prevent the cake sticking to the pan and make is nice and easy to get out).
Ingredients
8 oz - Plain Flour
1 teaspoon - Baking Powder
2 teaspoon - Ground Ginger
1 teaspoon - Ground Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon - Mixed Spice
4 oz - Butter or Cooking Margerine
12 oz - Light Brown Sugar
2 large Eggs
4 table spoons Golden Syrup
Pinch of Salt
Icing
2oz icing sugar
Few teaspoons of water
1/4 teaspoon of Ground Cinnamon
Instructions
It is best to soften the butter/margerine before you start to make any cake. I measure out the required amount, put it in a microwavable dish and then zap it in the microwave for 10 -15 seconds. This will usually soften it enough to mix easily.
(Don't zap it so long that the butter/margerin melts, if you do this accidententally, just set it aside and it will reset as it cools. You need it to be soft but not too runny.)
In a large bowl mix together the butter/margerine and the soft brown sugar. You can do this by hand but it is so much easier to use a hand mixer. Keep mixing until you notice that the mixture is looking lighter - this should be good enough.
Add the eggs to mixture ( do I need to say that you don't add the shells!!!), and mix together, don't worry if the mixure curdles a little, it will all come good when you add the dry ingredients. Then add the four tablespoons of golden syrup.
(Top tip - put the table spoon in a cup of boiling water before you use it to measure the golden syrup - the heat of the spoon will ensure the sticky syrup slips straight off into the bowl).
Mix everything together - you are looking for an even coloured mixture - without any lumps...
Add the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, ginger, cinnamon, mixed spice and don't forget the pinch of salt.
Mix everything together - again you are aiming for an even coloured mixture. Then pour the mixture into the baking tin, spread the mixture out so that it is level within the tin. (What you do with any leftover mixture in the bowl or on the whisk is up to you!)
Make sure the oven is up to temperature and then place the tin in the middle of the middle shelf and allow this to cook for 35 minutes. As the cooking time approaches check to see how things are going. If the top doesn't look set, leave for another 5-10 minutes and check again. If it does look set on top - I use a thin bladed knife, which I insert into the cake, if the blade is clean when I pull it out, the cake is cooked through, but if it covered with cake mixture when I pull it out, I know to leave it to cook for a little longer.
Take the cake tin out of the oven and leave to cool for 30 mins to an hour.
Now to the icing - this is where personal preference comes in - this is a simple cinnamon icing but you cover with melted chocolate or use a plain icing, it's up to you.
Mix the icing sugar, cinnamon together then add a few teaspoons of water. Mix together so that the icing will drip off the spoon, you want to be able to drizzle it over the cake but not to run off down the side. It can be a bit tricky to get the consistency just right, but remember there is no right or wrong way and it will taste just a good whatever it looks like.