300g(1 1/3 cups minus 1 tsp) pumpkin puree If you don’t want to use pumpkin in this recipe simply leave it out and add an extra 120ml (1/2 cup) milk to the mixture.
360g(3 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
1 ½tspbaking soda
2tspsground ginger
1tspground cinnamon
½tspground cloves
2tbspfinely chopped stem gingeroptional
For the glaze:
5tbspmilk
5tbspwhisky if you want to make this cake alcohol-free, replace the whisky with half water, half ginger cordial, or water mixed with 1 tsp of your favourite extract – such as vanilla, cocoa, toffee, or alcohol-free rum extract
Preheat the oven to 170C/325F (fan). Line a 24cmx30cm (9 1/2 x 11 1/2-inch) baking tin with baking parchment (enough so that a little hangs over the sides).
In a bowl, mix the melted butter with the treacle, honey, and brown sugar until the sugar dissolves, then add in the eggs, milk, and pumpkin puree. Whisk together until combined.
225 g (1 cup minus 1 tbsp) melted unsalted butter, 170 g (1/2 cup) black treacle, 170 g (1/2 cup) honey, 175 g (3/4 cup + 2 tbsp) dark brown muscovado sugar, 3 large eggs, 60 ml (1/4 cup) milk, 300 g (1 1/3 cups minus 1 tsp) pumpkin puree
Add in the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and stem ginger. Fold together with a spoon until combined.
Pour the mixture into the baking dish, then place in the oven and cook for 45-55 minutes, until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Take out of the oven.
Whisk together the milk, whisky, and confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl and spoon it all over the hot cake. If you find parts of the glaze start to pool, use a spoon to try to spread it out a bit until it sinks into the cake. If you find you have a few dots of unmixed confectioners’ sugar on top, just spread with the back of a spoon and they should disperse.
The glaze will sink in and get stickier on top as the cake cools. Once cool, remove the cake from the baking dish and peel back the baking parchment. Slice off the very edges of the cake (they’ll probably be soaked in the glaze mixture, and may look a little ugly), then slice the cake, using a sharp knife, into 30 squares.
Serve right away, or cover and keep at room temperature for up to two days.
Notes
Nutritional Information is per serving, using pumpkin puree and whiskey.