Chocolate Chip Ginger Cake

I love ginger cake. I love ginger in general, but ginger cake really is gorgeous, and dark chocolate accompanies it really well. The slightly bitter chocolate taste complements all that sticky golden syrup and sugar, add some chocolate buttercream and mmmmm, you've got yourself a winner!

A little while back I made a chocolate chip ginger sandwich cake, for one of my husband's colleagues who was leaving. It went down very well, lasted about 5 seconds according to my husband, but I never remembered to take any photos. I had some time spare this weekend, so I decided to have a bit of a baking/cooking day and make it again.

This chocolate chip ginger cake recipe makes a pretty foolproof sandwich cake. The ginger sponge is feather light and just slightly sticky. The only thing you need to watch out for is when you come to turn the cake out. It will stick and crack at any opportunity, so make sure that the tin is well greased and let the cake cool for several minutes before trying to turn it out!

Chocolate Chip Ginger Cake

If you need a printable version of the recipe, click here: Chocolate Chip Ginger Cake

Ingredients

(serves 8)

240g butter
240g caster sugar
2 egg
300g golden syrup
400g plain flour
11/2 tsp bicarb of soda
1 tsp ginger (or 1 tsp ginger paste)
1 tsp cinammon
250ml boiling water

100g dark chocolate chips

For the icing

100g butter, softened
175g icing sugar
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp milk 

Method

1. Cream the butter and sugar until they are smooth.
2. Add the egg and the golden syrup and continue to mix until thoroughly combined.
3. Sieve the flour and bicarbonate soda into the mixture and add the ginger and cinnamon. Mix together, until you have a smooth, thick mixture.
4. Pour a little of the boiling water into the mixture at a time, and keep mixing until you have quite thin runny mixture. Mix through the chocolate chips.
5. Grease or line your cake tins.

6. Pour your mixture evenly between the two tins. The mixture will get a good rise, so make sure there's room for it to grow.
7. Pop in the oven at 180 (170 fan, Gas mark 4) for 25-30 minutes.

8. For the icing-  Using an electric whisk, cream the butter, cocoa powder and icing sugar together until smooth. 

9. Add a teaspoon of milk to loosen it  and beat it again.

10. When the cakes are ready, remove from the oven. Allow to cool in the tins for 3-4 minutes.

11.  Place a plate over each tin and turn the cakes onto the plates. Then transfer to a cooling rack (bottom side down).

12. When completely cooled, use a spatula to spread the buttercream across one cake and lay the second cake on top.

It will last several days in a tin.