Treacle Gingerbread Loaf

Saturday 11 February 2012



One of the perks of having a food blog is that on occasion you get sent something really nice to try out. Sometimes, it's food . . . other times some new piece of equipment to play with . . . and best of all, sometimes it's a new cookery book!!



Now my husband would argue somewhat with that being the best . . . as he
is nuts mistakingly thinks I have far too many cookbooks already . . . but as any cooking aficionado knows. YOU CAN NEVER HAVE TOO MANY COOKBOOKS!! There . . . it just had to be said.



The people at FW Media recently sent me over a few to try out and I thought I would give the first one a go today. It's called Teashop Treats and is by the Reader's Digest.



I have a few Reader's Digest Cookery books that I've collected through the years. They've always been really good books, and I have to say that, despite it's lack of food photos, this has not disappointed me thus far. It's a small book, only about 8 by 6 inches in size, about the size of a pocket book novel, but don't let it's size fool you. It is chock full of lovely delights.



Tasty goodies such as Strawberry Shortcake or Bath Buns, Blueberry Muffins, Chocolate Cake, Scones . . . and little savouries such as Souffled Salmon Tartlettes. I really should be waiting a few weeks to let you know about this, but after baking this fabulous Ginger Loaf that I baked out of the book today, I just couldn't wait.



This may be the bestest and tastiest Gingerbread Loaf I have ever baked! It's rich, it's spicy . . . it's moist and best of all . . .it's absolutely delicious! I kid you not!! I have fallen in love with this recipe. That's why I couldn't wait to show you.



If this recipe is any indication of the quality of the other recipes in the book, I just know I won't be disappointed . . . because, food photos or not, I give this recipe a resounding 10+ stars with a few rosettes thrown in for good measure!



I do love the quaint little illustrations throughout, which are really very pretty, and I love the size. It has a wonderful combination of what look to be beautiful recipes covering just about anything you might want to serve at an afternoon tea . . . so break out the teapot and get baking . . . coz you are really going to enjoy this one!



I had mine warm . . . spread with cold butter a la Canadienne . . . with a hot cuppa. (Don't you just love that cup! I got it at Gordale Nurseries.)



*Treacle Gingerbread Loaf*
makes one large loaf
Printable Recipe

This has to be one of the tastiest gingerbread loaves I have ever made! Just be sure to use a large enough pan!

butter for greasing
185g plain flour (1 3/4 cup)
110g self raising flour (1 cup, plus 2 TBS)
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 TBS ground ginger
3 tsp ground mixed spice (see my recipe in the
side bar on the right hand side of the page)
140g soft light brown sugar (scant 3/4 cup)
260g black treacle (3/4 cup) (In North America, use molasses)
185ml milk (12 1/2 TBS)
80ml olive oil (5 1/2 TBS)
2 large free range eggs

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a 450g loaf tin with butter and line with baking parchment, ensuring that the paper extends 3 cm above the tin.

Sift the flours, soda, ginger and mixed spice into a large bowl. Stir in the sugar until well combines. Whisk together the treacle, milk, olive oil and eggs. Add the flour mixture and stir until combined.

Spoon into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow to stand in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Store tightly wrapped and it will stay lovely and moist for days and days.



Oh and in the spirit of always keeping it real . . . do be sure to use the proper sized pan for this. My pan was a bit on the small side and I kinda thought so when I poured the batter into the pan . . . but I ignored the niggling doubt in my mind and went with it anyways . . . now I have a bit of a mess to clean up in my oven . . . but I do have to say, those crunchy bits that were hanging over the sides . . . just as delicious as the rest of it. Yep!! Scrummy deliciousness with the added joy of crunch!

Many thanks to Crystal and the people at FW Media . . . and the Reader's Digest of course!



As you can see from the recipe, it calls for Olive Oil, which is really unsual in a loaf recipe, but which I think gives this tasty loaf all of it's rich moist texture. I was recently sent an assortment of oils to try out from Cooks & Co.uk. I am no stranger to their line of products, having used their real quality olives, roasted peppers and sundried tomatoes in the past. (I just love their roasted Red Peppers Stuffed with Feta Cheese. Beautiful.)

Anyways, they sent me a lovely assortment of oils to try out, including this beautiful bottle of Grapeseed Oil. I thought it was just perfect to use in this recipe and I was not wrong. The flavour is delicate and not at all overpowering, which makes it an excellent choice for using in baked goods, salad dressings and stir fries. It also has a higher burning temperature than most oils, which is a bonus as well. (I also have bottles of a few of their other oils to try out, so look for my opinions on them soon.) In the meantime, this one gets two thumbs up! (RSP: £3.99, 500ml) Many thanks to Simon and the people at cooks&CO!

And now to tackle the mess of spill over in my oven . . . sigh. There is no rest for the wicked.



Cooking in The Cottage today, a delicious Chicken Enchilada Casserole!

21 comments

  1. I can't type this comment quick enough Marie, so that I can get to baking this scrummy, yummy, delish loaf...and that's just looking at it!

    I love both treacle and ginger so wow this is going to hit the spot.
    The cookery book looks a treat in itself...and what do men know about how many cookery books are enough? Diddleysqot I say!

    How fantastic being able to test and review all those great products. Maybe one day someone will ask me :(
    Enough nattering I need to get baking...toodleloo for now xoxo

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  2. I completely concur, you can NEVER have too many cook books.

    This recipe looks sensational. I almost tried to pull a slice of the loaf out of my computer to gobble up at once.

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  3. Hi! I have chosen you to receive a versatile blogger award because I really love your blog... :) Please visit my blog to collect it and the award rules.

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  4. Yum, Marie... that gingerbread loaf sounds and looks so delicious as I'm sitting here with my hot cup of tea at 5 a.m.! I'm nursing a headache, you see, and my jaw and neck hurt as well (possible sinus infection). Been fighting off some kind of cold virus. I think a slice of your gingerbread loaf, even the crunchy bits hanging over the side, would help ease my discomfort this cold early morn! Good morning to you!!

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  5. Love gingerbread. This recipe might even get me to turn on my oven and bake.

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  6. Marie, this looks
    simply fantastic and
    so yummy for winter!
    I love to serve lemon
    curd and whipped
    cream with gingerbread.
    Now I'm hungry!

    BTW, I made your Veg-
    Beef and Barley soup
    last week and it got
    rave reviews, especially
    from my growing 13
    year old boy, which is
    high praise, indeed!

    Happy Valentine's Day,
    xx Suzanne

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  7. Thank you thank you for this wonderful recipe! I know I sound ott but treacle gingerbread is a HUGE favorite and I don't know how to make it - well now I do!
    Mary
    ps - of course you can't ever have too many cookbooks!

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  8. I always love your "genuine English" recipes and appreciate the time you put into this blog! lovely...

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  9. So simple but so amazing. It looks delicious. I've bookmarked it and it'll be made next weekend. Cheers for the post

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  10. Thanks Marie for referring me to this new gingerbread recipe. Yes, we have Benacol here in Switzerland but it's the spreadable kind and I read that we shouldn't use that as replacement for butter. In any case, great, I will try it with the Olive Oil...then I ran into another obstacle...no treacle/molasses here. What do you think? Brown sugar, golden syrup or honey to keep the strong gingerbread taste.

    Thanks in advance!

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  11. Sharon why not use Golden syrup and DARK brown sugar, or you could use Maple Syrup instead of the golden syrup. Let me know how you make out!

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  12. Hi Marie,
    I am back with how the cake went. I ended up with Golden Syrup and Dark soft brown sugar as you suggested. It was fab except a bit too sweet. I think the Golden Syrup is quite a lot sweeter than molasses (not sure about treacle). Otherwise, I am so super happy with your recipe. Couldn't get enough positive comments from it. I wrapped it up and ate it on day 3 to get the flavours really going. Superb!

    Thanks and looking forward to trying your other recipes.

    Sharon

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  13. Sharon, thanks so much for coming back to let me know how you made out! Golden syrup is quite a bit sweeter than molasses. Treacle is a bit bitter as well, but I am glad that it was enjoyed and you are so right, it tastes better and better with each day that passes!

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  14. Marie! Can i use instead of treacle blackstrap molassess?

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  15. Elena, I think that would work just fine! Enjoy!

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  16. Wishing you well during this difficult time.

    Love this ginger cake recipe. Wrote a short blog post on it here: http://tipsandshizzles.tumblr.com/post/51577254773/ginger-cake-recipe-via-the-english-kitchen-blog

    x Ruthie

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  17. Ruthie! Welcome. So happy you enjoyed this! Loved your little blog post! You made me smile. On my way home to UK tomorrow. Hate to leave my mama, but it has to be done. Xxoo

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  18. I am going to try your gingerbread recipe, but need to make a lot of it for our group "tea party" tomorrow. Can I double the recipe and bake in a 9x13" pan?
    Thank you so much.

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  19. Hi Kathy, I have never done this so cannot say with a surety it will work out fine. If you are talking about the "Gingerbread" versus the "Gingerbread Loaf," then I think that would be fine although it will take longer to bake. xx

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  20. I found this recipe searching for a good gingerbread cake that uses treacle! So glad to have found it. A question though: Why use plain flour, and self rising flour AND baking soda? Would there be any difference in using all plain flour and adding the baking soda that is in the self rising flour into the baking soda amount? Seem repetitive to me. I guess I am fighting it as I never use self-rising flour. Perhaps it just isn't commonly used on the West Coast of Canada? Or maybe I am missing a difference in the two. I don't know if I have even seen it in the stores. Anyway...I am off to give it a try! Thanks again for the recipe!

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    Replies
    1. HI Ashley, sometimes a bit of extra soda or baking powder is added along with sr flour to give it the extra oomph it needs, or if there is an ingredient in the bake that is acidic such as sour cream, etc. which is not the case today. It is very easy to make your own self rising flour. I tell you how near the bottom of my side bar on the right hand side! You will love this cake! xo

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