Something Sticky for the Weekend- Guinness Gingerbread

After trying this recipe from Nigella Lawson’s new book ‘Kitchen’ never again will I make gingerbread without Guinness. The addition of this glorious, dark drink deepens the spices of the gingerbread and somehow makes the ginger linger.

And it’s so so easy to make. Literally a case of melting the wet ingredients and folding in the flour. What you’re left with is a rather bright batter that pours so temptingly into the lined cake tin, and blah minutes later it comes out temptingly darkened. I always believe gingerbread gets better the longer you leave it. The flavours mature and the top of the cake just turns so sticky and delicious. A glass of milk becomes a necessity when enjoying this cake. Whether you can leave the cake for a few days is entirely up to your will power!

Guinness Gingerbread (I suggest you make two batches of this as it means you will use the full bottle of Guinness because really, who wants to drink Guinness? Perhaps you could freeze a batch ready for Christmas.)

150g butter, 300g golden syrup, 200g dark muscavado sugar, 250ml Guinness

2tsp grounder ginger, 2tsp ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves (like Christmas in a bowl)

300g plain flour, 2tsp bicarbonate of soda, 300ml sour cream, 2 large eggs

Baking tin/tray lined with parchment or greaseproof paper. Grease the tin a little so the paper will stick

• Preheat oven to 170c
• Put the butter, syrup, muscavado sugar, Guinness, ginger, cinnamon and ground cloves into a pam and melt gently over a low heat.
• Take off the heat and whisk in the flour and bicarb. You will need to be patient and whisk thoroughly to get rid of any lumps.
• Whisk the sour cream and eggs together in a measuring jug and then beat into the gingerbread mixture, whisking again to get a smooth batter.
• Pour tis into your lined square tin, or into a barbecue-type foil tray, and bake for about 45 minutes; when it’s ready it will be gleamingly risen at the centre, and coming away from the tin at the sides.
• Let the gingerbread cool before cutting into slices or squares.

I enjoyed this whilst it was still warm, with a cup of coffee in hand and I was in heaven. Hope you like it too. After the success of Nigella’s Chocolate Guinness Cake, it made sense to with the Guinness and find its successor. The Guinness somehow gives it some bounce, strengthens the spices and makes it all linger for that little bit longer.

This recipe was taken from Nigella Lawson’s ‘Kitchen’.

ISBN: 9780701184605, £26.,Published by Chatto and Windus.