Spiced Ginger Sponge

After being in Oz for so long, I’m looking forward to pottering around in my kitchen by the warmth of the oven and baking up a few treats.  Spiced ginger sponge is on the top of my ‘to bake list’ (yes, I do have one!), it’s a variation of my mum’s classic teacake.  Enjoy, Katie x

Spiced Ginger Sponge

Ingredients

Cake

160 g butter, room temperature

3 eggs, room temperature

80g brown caster sugar

80g white caster sugar

160g self-raising flour

1 tbsp. freshly grated ginger

1 ½ tsp. ground ginger

½ tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. ground nutmeg

¼ tsp. ground clove

A pinch of salt

2 tbsp. whole milk

 

Icing/filling

150ml whipping cream

1 tbsp. icing sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste

50g cream cheese

• Preheat the oven to 180°C
• Then grease and line 2 x 6 inch cake tins.
• Start your cake by creaming the butter until soft and then add both sugars and blend until light and fluffy.
• Add your eggs gradually. The easiest way to do this is to beat them in a small bowl, and add little by little.
• Next, add your spices and salt and continue to beat until mixed.
• Sift in your self-raising flour and gently fold in with a spatula or butter knife.
• Add the milk and fold in.
• Once smooth, pop half of the mix into each cake tin and leave to cook in the middle of the oven.
• Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown and spongy to touch. Leave to cool on wire cake rack.
• Whilst waiting for the cake to bake start on your filling. Place your cream, icing sugar and vanilla bean paste into a large mixing bowl and beat until soft peaks form.
• Then add the cream cheese and continue to beat until medium peaks form and then set aside in the refrigerator.
• When constructing your cake, be sure the cake is cold so as not to melt the cream.
• Pop the cream in between the 2 cakes and serve. If you’d like an icing layer, double the filling ingredients.
• Serve with a good cup of tea, or bubbles. Enjoy!