250g butter
250g dark muscovado sugar
250g black treacle
375g plain flour
5tsp ground ginger
2tsp ground cinnamon
2 eggs, beaten
(3 or 4 pieces of chopped drained stem ginger - the kind that comes in syrup I don't bother with this if for kids, do if for grown up pudding)
300ml milk
2tsp bicarb
Grease and line 23 x 30 cm tin (size not critical - use whatever you have that's closest and keep an eye on it towards end of cooking.
Mix butter, sugar and treacle in pan over lowish heat until smooth. Cool a bit.
Sift flour and spices into mix, stir well. Beat in eggs (and stem ginger if using).
Warm milk and add bicarb. Pour into mix and stir gently till thoroughly mixed.
Pour into tin and bake in 160 deg C oven for about 1 hour until risen and springy when you press in the middle.
Cool it in the tin for a few mins then turn out and peel off paper.
Great hot with treacle sauce for pudding.
This is quite a dark moist gingerbread. Recipe from my mum. Can't remember which book she said it came from. Watch out for the timings - mine usually takes a bit less or it gets too dry (but that's in a fan oven).
Mum ices hers sometimes, which is teeth-achingly fab comfort food for v. low days!