Mary Berry's Ginger Cake Recipe, or Gingerbread Cake, a delicious traybake dessert with a touch of earthy spices and treacle. It's moist and light, and so flavourful, a perfect sweet treat for Bonfire Night or the Christmas season.
Another fantastic dessert by the absolute legend, Mary Berry. This time, a dessert that goes down a treat in Autumn and throughout the festive season. Its delicious blend of ginger and mixed spices are well balanced by the sweetness of the black treacle and golden syrup.
The richness of the butter adds moisture and a depth of flavours, taking this gingerbread cake to the level of perfection. It's so simple to make, with ingredients that are easy to find, and, bonus point, it's ready in about 40 minutes.
Unlike the traditional Gingerbread Man Recipe, this dessert has a very cakey texture, but taste wise, it's the same spiced sweet treat that we all love at this time of the year. I love enjoying it just as it is, as there is little else that could be added to make it even better, but you can also decorate with icing or dried nuts.
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Ingredients used
- self-raising flour - it works better than the plain flour to achieve a fluffy texture
- butter - unsalted butter works best in baking
- dark brown sugar
- black treacle - or molasses
- golden syrup or honey
- egg - make sure it's at room temperature
- ground ginger
- mixed spices - pumpkin spice
- bicarbonate of soda - not baking powder
- milk - full fat milk works the best
Step-by-step photos and instructions
As promised, this recipe is simplicity in itself. As with the classic gingerbread men recipe, the wet ingredients are combined over a slow heat to make it smooth and lump free.
- in a sauce pan, add the cubed butter, sugar, black treacle and golden syrup - make sure the heat is low to prevent the mixture from burning
- use a spatula to mix well until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth - leave to cool slightly
- in a large bowl, sift the flour, add the bicarb of soda, spices, treacle mixture, beaten egg and milk
- mix well to get a smooth batter
- pour it it a baking tray of 32x20 cm, (12x8 inches) lined with non-stick paper
- bake in the preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius (350 Fahrenheit) for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean
- leave to cool completely, then slice
Expert tips
How beautifully simple this cake it! Granted, it uses quite an amount of sugar and sugar substitutes, but it's worth every single calorie, that's for sure. After all, it's such a lovely time of the year, when the first chilly breeze that slaps us in the face is a reminder that the cold is here to stay.
And there is nothing better on a cold day than a big cup of tea and a slice of spiced cake. Taking of spices, if you are outside of the UK and want to make this cake, the best replacement for the mixed spices would be pumpkin spice, so you could call this a pumpkin spice cake.
The golden syrup can be swapped for honey, and the black treacle for molasses, without compromising on the texture/taste. Baking is all about swapping the right ingredients, and as long as the consistency is not altered, then anything goes.
Other than that, enjoy this gingerbread traybake recipe, it's spiced and earthy, beautifully baked to perfection to gives us the best dessert for the cold days to come!
Recipe FAQs
Yes, and to defrost, just leave it in the fridge to thaw.
Yes, ginger cake or gingerbread cake use the same spices as gingerbread cookies, but it has a cakey texture, rather than crispy.
Other gingerbread recipes
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Mary Berry's Ginger Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 225 g self-raising flour
- 100 g butter
- 100 g dark brown sugar
- 100 g black treacle (or molasses)
- 100 g golden syrup (or honey)
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon mixed spices (pumpkin spice)
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 275 ml milk
Instructions
- In a sauce pan set over a low heat, add the butter cut into cubes, sugar, black treacle and golden syrup.
- Use a spatula to mix gently until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth.
- Remove from the heat and let it cool slightly.
- In a large bowl, sift the flour, add the bicarb of soda, ginger and mixed spices, treacle mixture, beaten egg and milk.
- Mix well to get a lump-free batter.
- Line a 32x20 cm (12x8 inches) baking tray with non-stick paper, and spread the batter evenly.
- Bake in the preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius (350 Fahrenheit) for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven, leave to cool completely, then slice.
Video
Notes
- If you'd like to see the ingredients listed in cups and ounces, please check the US Customary Link.
- Also, the amount of ingredients changes depending on the servings, so click on the number listed to change it to the number you prefer.
- If you are outside of the UK and want to make this cake, the best replacement for the mixed spices would be pumpkin spice, so you could call this a pumpkin spice cake. The golden syrup can be swapped for honey, and the black treacle for molasses, without compromising on the texture/taste.
Nutrition
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Monica Ward says
Beautifully moist and ver moorish mm
Plus it’s just so easy to make
Daniela Apostol says
Thank you for the feedback, it is such a nice cake, l am glad you like it!
Carolyn says
I'll certainly be making this cake we in NZ have all those spices here and from the comments it sounds delish. Thank you for sharing
Daniela Apostol says
I hope you enjoy it! It's really delicious!
Claire says
I have made gingerbread many times before but this recipe is the best ever! Light and airy but also moist and absolutely delicious. Thank you Mary!
Heather says
Just made this for my Mum and it was delicious! I halved the listed golden syrup amount and used more treacle in its place, just because she doesn't like things too sweet. I also added half a jar of diced stem ginger in syrup and it worked out perfect!
Morag says
When you say “ bicarbonate of soda, not baking soda” do you mean “not baking powder”? Baking soda and bicarbonate of soda are one and the same where I am.
Also, two tablespoons of ground ginger seems an awful lot? Do you mean teaspoons?
Thankyou.
Daniela Apostol says
Thank you for your feedback! Yes, it's bicarbonate of soda, not baking powder, I shall amend that. The cake is supposed to be quite gingery, 2 teaspoons are definitely not enough, I went for 2 tablespoons and the taste was amazing. However, if you are worried about the level of heat, perhaps start with one tablespoon and see how it goes.
AJ says
this recipe makes a beautiful moist cake that's not really sticky and sickly like the shop bought one. I was very impressed and will be making again for Christmas with a few added ingredients to liven it up for the special occasion.
Daniela Apostol says
I am glad you enjoyed it, I made it many times and it turned out great every single time.
Rosemary says
Absolutely gorgeous. Have made them several times
Daniela Apostol says
They are really delicious, l’m glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Carol Bradley says
Hi there,
Could you recommend an icing /frosting that would work well with this cake?
Thanks
Daniela Apostol says
Hi! You can go for a classic buttercream like in my Vanilla Buttercream Cake, or for a buttercscotch sauce like in my Sticky Toffee Pudding - I am sorry it can't seem to be able to insert links here, but if you search for these 2 recipes, you will find the buttercream and the sauce.
Nettie says
Absolutely awesome!
Daniela Apostol says
I am glad you liked them!
Louise Lane says
I have made this cake a few times, its amazing , everyone loves it , now my daughter/ son-in law want this as a tier for their wedding cake, do you know if this cake freezes well, thanks
Daniela Apostol says
It should freeze well since, I would definitely give it a try.
Louise L says
How long does the cake last for after baked , if i baked it on the Wednesday would it still be fine by the saturday?
Daniela Apostol says
It should still be fine, just store in into an air-tight container and the cake will last for up to a week.