Gingercake

   I started my seasonal baking yesterday with a perennial favourite - gingercake. The plum pudding is already stored and maturing in a dark cupboard but I have little in the freezer for impromptu nibbling. The gingercake is quite plain but tasty; I prefer it buttered, and it is so easy to make. I mix the whole thing in a pan on the stove. Here's the recipe:

4 oz. preserved ginger                                         1/2 tsp. baking soda
4 oz. butter                                                          4 tbspn. milk
3 oz. syrup                                                           8 oz. flour
1 oz. treacle or molasses                                    1 tsp. ground ginger
4 oz. brown sugar                                                1 egg; pinch of salt

Melt butter, syrup, sugar and treacle in a saucepan. Add chopped ginger and, when cool, 3 tbspn. of milk and the egg. Mix flour, salt and ginger and slowly add to saucepan, beating well until a smooth batter. Dissolve baking soda in 1 tbspn. milk and add. Bake in a small, greased loaf pan at 350 degrees F for 1 hour or until skewer inserted in middle comes out clean. Let cool before removing from pan.