An old-fashioned moist, dark treacle gingerbread loaf. Just how grandma made it. A super easy recipe for ginger cake.
Grandma's Quick & Thrifty Cookbook
This moist, treacley gingerbread comes from Grandma's Quick & Thrifty Cookbook.
A great title for this day and age, especially with the state of the economy and all our purse strings pulling tighter.
I was excited to have a good read of this cookbook. I was expecting great things from it.
It starts off with some great tips on preserving fruit, vegetables and herbs.
There are also energy saving tips, ways to use leftovers and ideas to make meals go further. And ...... then come the recipes.
Oh the recipes. Readers beware ........
Keep reading!
I have to tell you I felt deflated and disappointed when I got to the recipes.
I don't know what I was expecting, as these are billed as Grandma's recipes, so there wasn't going to be any ground-breaking, stylish dishes, but still I was disappointed.
There might be some great family dishes if you're a meat eater, but none of the veggie or vegetable dishes inspired me at all.
Don't give up yet!
I might have given up at this point, but I carried on reading until I got to the jewel in the crown. First a chapter called Desserts and then on to Bread, Cakes, Biscuits and other Treats.
You just can't beat traditional cakes and biscuits. Especially if you need a spot of comfort food. You won't find anything nicer than one of Grandma's puddings.
Desserts, Bread, Biscuits & Other Treats
I would recommend buying this book for these chapters alone.
I still wasn't convinced after my first read, but I find myself picking it up again and again.
I've also had requests for the recipe from my mum and her friend Margaret. So I'm going to end on a high note and say this book is worth buying for the Tips, Desserts, Baking and the Basics at the end of the book.
And of course this gingerbread loaf.
My vegan readers may like to try my
pin it for later
Grandma's Quick & Thrifty Cookbook
Here are a few of the traditional sweet and baked recipes in this cookbook:
- Chocolate Pudding in Teacups
- Jam Roly Poly
- Plum Cobbler
- Baked Custard
- Apple Strudel
- Irish Soda Bread
- Big Fruity Tea Bun
- Date & Walnut Loaf
- Devil's Food Cake
- Grandma's Never-Fail Sponge
- Jam Drop Biscuits
- Gingersnap Biscuits
- Melting Moments
- Gingerbread Men
- Coconut Macaroons
Vegetarian Recipe Count:113 out of 200 recipes (with a change of stock in a couple of recipes)
Vegan Recipe Count: 22 out of 200 recipes
Grandma's Quick & Thrifty Cookbook
Format: Paperback
Pages: 384
Publisher: Reader's Digest
ISBN: 978-1780200019
Published: 4 Oct 2011
Size: 25.4 x 19.6 x 2.8 cm
For more Scottish recipes have a look at my recipe index ofScottish Recipes for Vegans and Vegetarians
gingerbread, old-fashion cake, old-fashioned baking, retro cake, grandma's cake recipes, treacle cake, treacle gingerbread, ginger bread, ginger cake, gingerbread cake, loaf cake
dessert
British
Yield: 8-10
Author: Jacqueline Meldrum (with kind permission)
Treacle Gingerbread Loaf
An old-fashioned moist, treacley gingerbread loaf. Just how grandma made it.
prep time: 10 Mcook time: 45 Mtotal time: 55 M
ingredients:
- 185g plain flour
- 110g self raising flour
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tbsp ground ginger
- 3 tsp mixed spice
- 140g soft brown sugar
- 250g black treacle
- 185ml milk
- 80ml olive oil
- 2 large eggs
instructions:
How to cook Treacle Gingerbread Loaf
- Preheat the oven to 180c/160c fan/gas mark 4.
- Grease a 10cm x 20cm x7cm (1lb) loaf tin and line with baking parchment or greaseproof paper, ensuring that the paper extends 3cm above tin. (I used a loaf tin insert, which didn't rise above the tin and it was fine)
- Sift the flours, bicarbonate of soda, ginger and mixed spice in a large bowl. Stir in the sugar until well combined.
- Whisk the treacle, milk, olive oil and eggs in a jug. Add to the flour and stir until just combined.
- Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a cake skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and leave in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and allow it to cool completely.
- Enjoy!
NOTES:
You may use golden syrup instead of treacle in this cake. The result is still spicy with a great flavour but a milder, paler cake.
Calories
312.59
Fat (grams)
11.17
Sat. Fat (grams)
2.01
Carbs (grams)
46.83
Fiber (grams)
1.09
Net carbs
45.74
Sugar (grams)
17.20
Protein (grams)
6.23
Sodium (milligrams)
199.98
Cholesterol (grams)
48.41
also try -gingerbread mug cake
Disclosure Statement: I received this book free from the publisher to review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
FAQs
Honey: Similar in color, taste, and texture to golden syrup, honey is a good substitute for treacle. Look for a thick amber honey, rather than a super-light honey. Use the same amount of honey as you would golden syrup in a recipe.
Can you use black treacle instead of golden syrup? ›
Treacle has a richer colour and a stronger flavour to Golden Syrup and is not quite so sweet. You can use it to replace Golden Syrup in many recipes but it is often used alongside Golden Syrup in recipes such as in our Old English Gingerbread.
Why does my gingerbread loaf sink in the middle? ›
Most likely too much bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) was added. Bicarbonate of soda is an extremely active raising agent and if you add too much then the gingerbread will rise up a lot during baking, then sink back fairly dramatically.
What is a substitute for black treacle in Christmas cake? ›
If you don't have treacle then you can use molasses as an alternative. We would not use extra sugar instead of the treacle as treacle is an invert sugar, which particularly helps to keep the cake moist.
Are molasses and treacle the same thing? ›
Both have a deep, aromatic flavour that adds a unique finish to food and drink recipes, but they are subtly different, with treacle tending to be a sweeter product that has less of a bitter profile than molasses.
What is black treacle in America? ›
More commonly known as treacle or black treacle or, in the US as blackstrap molasses, molasses are essentially what is left over after cane sugar is boiled to produce sugar and most of the sugar has been extracted.
Why put treacle in Christmas cake? ›
Talking treacle
It has a robust flavour similar to Cane Treacle, with a more rounded, smoother flavour than molasses. Black treacle is a thick, dark, sugar syrup which is used in rich bakery products, Christmas puddings, rich fruit cakes, toffees, savoury sauces and marinades for cooking.
Can I use black treacle instead of molasses in gingerbread? ›
For that deep colour and warming flavour to your Gingerbread, treacle is a must! For those outside the UK struggling to get treacle, molasses can be used as a substitute, although you may need to experiment with the quantities to get the perfect flavour.
What does black treacle do in cakes? ›
To most, black treacle is known as a slightly smoother version of molasses that some refer to as having a caramelised toffee taste. In industrial applications, black treacle is used as a liquid sweetener, natural colourant and flavouring for sauces, baked products, confectionery and desserts.
Why is my gingerbread cake too dry? ›
Here are five tips for how to moisten a dry cake once it's already been baked.
- Brush with simple syrup glaze. Velez recommends adding a simple syrup glaze to your cake layers if they end up coming out too dry. ...
- Soak your cake in milk. ...
- Fill the cake with mousse or jam. ...
- Frost the cake. ...
- Stick it in the fridge.
Keep in mind that the longer the cookies bake, the harder and crunchier they'll be. For soft gingerbread cookies, follow my suggested bake times. Allow cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet.
Why is my Victoria sponge not light and fluffy? ›
Make sure that the baking powder is within its best before date and has been stored in a cool, dry place, as if it is stored somewhere humid it can expire more quickly. Make sure that all of the ingredients are at room temperature so that they combine easily. Cold ingredients can lead to a dense and heavy cake.
Is molasses just black treacle? ›
Find out how to buy, store and cook with molasses. More commonly known as treacle or black treacle or, in the US as blackstrap molasses, molasses are essentially what is left over after cane sugar is boiled to produce sugar and most of the sugar has been extracted.
What is the difference between treacle and black treacle? ›
Treacle (/ˈtriːkəl/) is any uncrystallised syrup made during the refining of sugar. The most common forms of treacle are golden syrup, a pale variety, and black treacle, a darker variety similar to molasses.
Can I use blackstrap molasses instead of black treacle? ›
Regular molasses can be used as a substitute for treacle, but blackstrap molasses can be very bitter and is not always a good substitute.
What is a substitute for molasses in ginger cake? ›
The Best Molasses Substitutes
Honey, dark corn syrup, and maple syrup can also be used to replace molasses in recipes.
What is the same as treacle? ›
Treacle and molasses are two very similar byproducts of sugar-making with slightly different uses in the kitchen: 1. Production: Treacle and molasses are types of sweet syrup that form during the sugar-refining process.
What does treacle do in baking? ›
To most, black treacle is known as a slightly smoother version of molasses that some refer to as having a caramelised toffee taste. In industrial applications, black treacle is used as a liquid sweetener, natural colourant and flavouring for sauces, baked products, confectionery and desserts.
What can I use instead of dark molasses in gingerbread? ›
Dark Molasses Gingerbread Cake
This is a good place to explore a mix-and-match substitute, so you don't put too much pressure on any one ingredient. In place of the 1 ½ cups molasses, you can swap in ½ cup dark brown sugar, mixed with 1 cup honey, sorghum, or golden syrup.
