Bonfire Feast: Sticky Stem Ginger Cake with Salted Caramel Frosting

This is the final recipe in my Bonfire Feast series and its quite the showstopper. The word I would use to describe this cake is wicked! Rich, dark and spicy ginger cake is topped with an indulgent, sweet/bitter salted caramel butter cream frosting making the perfect centerpiece for a Bonfire Feast!

Ingredients:

For the cake:

230g self raising flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tbsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground mixed spice

110g unsalted butter, diced

110g black treacle

110g golden syrup

110g light brown sugar

280ml milk

50g (abour 3 chunks) drained stem ginger, chopped into small pieces

1 large egg

For the frosting:

125g light brown sugar

75ml double cream

70g butter, softened

1tsp sea salt

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C, grease and line a 2lb loaf tin.

2. Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and all the spices into a large bowl, mix together and rub in the diced butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the chopped stem ginger

3. In a saucepan melt together the treacle and golden syrup, then leave to cool slightly. Meanwhile in another saucepan heat the sugar and the milk over a low heat, stirring occasionally. Once the sugar has dissolved, remove from the heat and leave to cool.

4. Using a balloon whisk, whisk the milk mixture into the flour mixture, then whisk in the treacle mixture, followed by the egg. Mix really well, and once everything is thoroughly blended you will have a very thin, almost liquid batter.

5. Pour the mixture into the tin and place in the middle of the oven. Bake for 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely in the tin - the cake will shrink slightly as it cools. 

6. While the cake is cooling make the salted caramel. Do this by heating the sugar, cream and salt over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Leave to bubble for a couple of minutes then remove from the heat and leave to cool completely. Once the cake is totally cool, beat the butter until smooth and fluffy, then beat in the salted caramel. You will have a very thick butter cream frosting. 

7. Smooth the frosting over the top of the cake and sprinkle with whatever you fancy to decorate. I've used ground macadamia nuts, but a further sprinkling of coarse sea salt, some ginger pieces or even grated chocolate would work well too.

You can eat this cake on the day of making, but it is so so much better if you wrap before you frost it in greaseproof paper and leave for a couple of days before spreading with frosting and tucking in.