Sticky Ginger Cake With Lime Buttercream. New Music From Rams’ Pocket Radio.

Fancy a trip to a remote island? Not possible? Bake this Sticky Ginger Cake instead. It’s a moist, spicy cake that is really special due to its unexpected pairing with a refreshing lime buttercream icing.

Sticky Ginger Cake

Ingredients:

120g unsalted butter, plus more for the tin
125g black treacle (molasses can be substituted)
100g golden syrup
150ml milk
120g/1/2 cup light muscovado (light brown) sugar
225g/1.5 cups plain flour
1 Tbs ground ginger
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 ginger snaps, lightly crushed
Lime Buttercream (recipe follows)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas. Butter a 20cm/8 inch round or square tin and line with baking parchment.

2. Place the treacle, syrup, milk, sugar and butter into a sauce pan and gently melt together. Do not allow to boil or mixture will curdle. Remove from the heat and cool slightly.

3. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, ginger and bicarbonate of soda. Add the treacle mixture and fold together. Add the eggs, mix well and pour the batter into the prepared tin. Knock a few times against counter to release any bubbles.

4. Bake for 40 minutes until firm to the touch and a tester comes out clean.

5. Cool in the tin for about 15 minutes, then turn out on to a rack.

6. When the cake is completely cool, wrap in parchment paper and then in foil. Set aside for a few days. (The original recipe states that this will make the cake moist. I thought it was already moist enough to use right away. I still waited a few days, but did not think there was any real difference.)

7. When ready to serve, spread the buttercream over the cake. Scatter with the ginger snaps.

Serves 10

Lime Buttercream

Ingredients:

150g/1 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
100g unsalted butter, softened
finely grated zest and juice of ½ large lime

Directions:

1. Place the confectioners’ sugar and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat for 5 minutes.

2. Add lime zest and slowly pour in the juice, still beating, until fully incorporated.

Recipes from Bake & Decorate by Fiona Cairns

“Love is a Bitter Thing” is the first single to be released from ‘Béton’, Northern Ireland-based Rams’ Pocket Radio’s debut album.

It’s a quiet, sad, piano ballad that has a tingling build-up just before the 3 minute mark.

Check out Ram’s Pocket Radio (aka Peter McCauley) on Facebook and his Website, where you can learn of upcoming shows in NYC, at SXSW, and Ireland. You can buy the music there, too.

Cheers!