Cake recipe

At today's book sale Janet and Mary's homemade cakes have been available in aid of the hospital's Happy Hearts appeal. We hope to be able to give them a sizeable donation.

Inevitably there have been enquiries about recipes. Here is the one for my ginger and prune cake. It's extremely easy to make and leaves minimal washing up. It's a cake that tastes better after a day or two, becoming even more moist and sticky, and I find it's rather nice with butter, or could even be used as a pudding with custard. Mmmm!

Ingredients:

6 oz ready to eat prunes, chopped (stoneless weight)
9fl oz hot water
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
4 oz unsalted butter
4 oz dark muscovado sugar (I find normal dark soft brown sugar works fine too)
4 oz golden syrup
9 oz self raising flour
1 tbsp ground ginger
2 large eggs
2 tbsp maple syrup

1. Preheat oven to 180C, 350F or gas mark 4. Grease and line a 9" square, deep cake tin.


2. Put prunes, bicarb and water in a large saucepan and heat until boiling.


3. Remove from heat and add the butter, sugar and golden syrup, stirring until melted.


4. Add the beaten eggs, flour and ginger and mix thoroughly.


5. Pour the batter into the cake tin and bake for 35-40 mins until firm to the touch.


6. Cool in the tin for 10 mins, then turn out and finish cooling on a wire rack. Brush with maple syrup and cut into squares.

I use a 2lb loaf tin rather than a square tin. This works equally well, although if you've got a fan oven I'd advise cooking the cake at a slightly lower temperature to ensure that it cooks evenly.