Ingredients

200g butter
plus extra for the tin
200g dark muscovado sugar
100g black treacle
100g golden syrup
2 large eggs
beaten
300ml milk
350g plain flour
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
few chunks crystallised ginger
chopped
For the frosting
85g butter
175ml double or whipping cream
175g caster sugar
(we used white – use golden for a darker icing)

Method
step 1
Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Butter and line a 23cm round cake tin. Put the butter, sugar, treacle and syrup in a large pan and gently heat, stirring until the butter has melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat and cool for 10 mins.

step 2
Stir in the eggs and milk, then sift in the flour, ginger and bicarbonate of soda. Mix well, then pour into the prepared tin. Bake for 50 mins-1 hr until the cake is firm to the touch and springs back when pressed in the centre. Cool in the tin for 15 mins, then turn out, peel off the paper and cool on a wire rack.

step 3
Put the frosting ingredients in a small pan over a medium heat and stir until the butter has melted and the mixture is smooth. Increase the heat and boil hard for 3-4 mins, stirring occasionally; at this stage the frosting should look like runny custard. Pour into a bowl and leave to cool for 30 mins. Beat with an electric whisk until thick and spreadable. Spread over the cooled cake and decorate with crystallised ginger.