... and what a cake! Rich and moist, aromatic like spiced gingerbread - yet with a distinct dark chocolate flavor. And let's not forget the exquisite ginger ale icing, which finishes off the cake perfectly. An ideal treat to have on a cold winter afternoon with a cup of strong black coffee (...while sitting in a comfortable armchair, enjoying the cheerful crackling of the fireplace and watching snowflakes cover the winter wonderland outside -- but let's not get too carried away).
I decided to add this chocolate gingerbread to this year's Christmas repertoire as an experiment. At first it was received with a bit of skepticism (also by myself), but turned out to be a favorite among the other holiday treats. I will definitely make it again next year.
The recipe is a slightly adapted version of Nigella's Chocolate Gingerbread.
CAKE
Ingredients:
- 175 g butter
- 175 g dark muscovado sugar
- 200 g golden syrup
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 2 tbsp warm water
- 2 eggs
- 250 ml milk
- 275 g plain flour
- 40 g cocoa
- 200 g chopped bitter chocolate
- Preheat the oven to 170ºC. Line the bottom of a round baking tin (23 cm in diameter) with baking parchment.
- Melt the butter, sugar, golden syrup and ground spices in a big pan. Take the pan off the heat.
- In a separate cup, dissolve the bicarbonate in warm water.
- Add the milk, eggs and dissolved bicarbonate to the butter/sugar mixture and whisk together. Add the cocoa and flour and stir thoroughly. Finally add the chopped chocolate and stir again.
- Pour the mixture to the baking tin. Bake for about 50 minutes, let cool.
ICING
Ingredients:
- 250 g icing sugar
- 30 g butter
- 2 tbsp cocoa
- 60 ml ginger ale
- 50 g of roughly chopped walnuts
- Melt the first four ingredients in a a small pan. Let cool and thicken a bit, and pour over cake.
- Sprinkle with chopped walnuts.
Bon appetit!
