Imagine... a rich, sticky, Jamaican Ginger Cake, full of dark rum, juicy sultanas, chunks of ginger and deep spices and topped with a rum syrup.
Tempted? Then this is the recipe for you!
So my Jamaican Ginger Cake is a bit different from the norm because it contains lots of lovely dark rum. Yo ho ho (sorry, just felt the need). Jamaican Ginger Cake with Dark Rum. It can only end well.
This recipe also includes juicy sultanas, which are pre-soaked in rum beforehand and are therefore nicely rehydrated with swollen rum bellies. We also have chunks of stem ginger plus their syrup and a rich rum syrup is finally poured over the top of the cake giving it a squishy, moist top. Yum.
Sultanas are used because I was reminded how delish they are after my last post, Apple Crumble Tartlets. Quite honestly, they are my current fad (pun genuinely unintended!).
This recipe has gone down very well with the household. Son number one virtually lived on McVitie's Jamaican Ginger Cake as a child (we should've bought shares in the company), so it has always been a firm favourite of ours.
Even better though, of course, when home made instead of shop bought.
Hope you also enjoy lovely people xx
A gorgeous Sticky Toffee and Ginger Pudding recipe awaits you if you follow this link!
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Why Make This Jamiacan Ginger Cake?
Rich, sticky, dark ginger cake ✔️
Flavoured with dark rum ✔️
Dotted with juicy sultanas ✔️
Full of ginger flavours and chunks ✔️
Improves with age ✔️
Equipment
- 2lb loaf tin
- Greaseproof paper (baking parchment)
- Stand or hand mixer
- Wooden spoon
- 2 small saucepans
- Fine mesh sieve
- Spatula
- Cooling rack
Ingredients and Substitutions
Stem ginger: we use stem ginger in this cake as it adds a lovely genuine flavour. We also add some of the syrup. As noted below under "Variations", you can use fresh ginger if you prefer.
Plain (all-purpose) flour: to give our Jamaican Ginger Cake its structure.
Ground spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. What a fiery little mix! If you are baking this ginger loaf cake in the UK, you can replace the ground cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves with mixed spice.
Fine salt: brings out the flavours in our cake.
Unsalted butter: we don't add too much butter to this recipe because we want a dense cake.
Treacle (molasses): utterly essential for a rich and sticky proper Jamaican Ginger Cake! This mesmerising black tar-like substance is a vital ingredient in both this ginger cake and in my Sticky Toffee and Ginger Pudding. On that note...
STOP PRESS...I feel I owe it to you all to recommend this recipe of Nigella Lawson's for Sticky Toffee Pudding if you want to make the best sticky toffee pudding.
Golden syrup (light treacle): we use golden syrup rather than sugar because it easily melts down but it also gives a caramelised and buttery flavour to our cake.
Bicarbonate of soda (baking soda): often in baking the bicarb is sifted with the rest of the dry ingredients. For this ginger loaf cake, however, we add it to our milk and sour cream, which together then join forces as an enhanced leavening agent. Not too much baking soda is added because it is quite powerful stuff, add too much and your cake will inflate like a balloon in the oven and then sadly sink.
Egg and an egg yolk: to emulsify and bind our cake together.
Dark muscovado sugar: another must have for this cake because it has bags of flavour. You can use light muscovado sugar if you prefer, but your ginger cake won't have quite as much depth of flavour.
Milk: milk adds moisture to our Jamaican Ginger Cake. In this cake, milk works better than yoghurt because it is lighter. You can use semi-skimmed or whole full-fat milk.
Sour cream: this adds a gentle tang to our Jamaican Ginger Cake as well as keeping it soft and moist.
Demerara sugar (optional): just a little is sprinkled over the top of the cake for crunch and decoration.
Instructions
See end of post RECIPE CARD for precise quantities and instructions.
Totally SIMPLE cake to make, just a few steps...
First of all, melt your butter, sugar, syrups and treacle (molasses) over a low heat and leave to cool a little.
Sift your flour, spices and salt and set aside.
Mix together your milk, sour cream and bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) and set aside.
Add your egg and some flour mixture to your melted butter mixture and mix together.
Starting on a low setting, beat in the rest of your flour mixture.
Next, add your milk, cream and baking soda mixture and beat in starting on a low setting.
Beat on medium-high until combined, then fold in your presoaked sultanas and chopped stem ginger balls.
Transfer to your loaf tin and bake for approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes.
Whilst baking make your dark rum syrup by heating your water and sugar together and simmering shortly on a low setting until it becomes a thick, clear syrup.
Leave your syrup to cool and then mix in your dark rum.
Then spread your rum syrup over your hot Jamaican Ginger Cake as soon as it comes out of the oven.
Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes then invert onto a cooling rack.
Sprinkle over your Demerara sugar if using.
Top Tips
- Using loaf tin liners are always a good idea as they save faffing around lining the tin.
- In order to measure your treacle and syrup without it sticking like glue to the spoon, heat your spoon in hot water first or wipe it with a thin layer of oil.
- Ensure your eggs, sour cream and milk are at room temperature for a better rise.
Variations
Fresh ginger also works very well in this Jamaican Ginger Cake, I have made it with both stem and fresh ginger. Grate your fresh ginger very finely (I use a zester to get it extra fine) and then substitute your stem ginger balls with 3 teaspoons of grated ginger. Replace the stem ginger syrup with golden syrup.
This cake works exceptionally well with a sharp lemon icing as well, which you may want to use instead of the dark rum syrup. Simply take 50 grams of icing sugar (confectioners sugar), sift it and then mix in the zest of 1 lemon and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and pour over the cake once it has totally cooled.
You can use honey instead of golden syrup if you want to. It will give your ginger cake a lovely flavour and also be a little healthier! If so, beat your honey in with your egg when you add it, rather than melting it with your butter and sugars.
Storage
The beauty of this Jamaican Ginger Cake is that it keeps extraordinary well.
In fact, ideally, wrap your cake in greaseproof (baking) parchment for a couple of days before consuming, as it definitely improves with age and becomes even more mouth-wateringly stickier and denser.
If you want to freeze this cake it will keep for 2-3 months if stored correctly.
Did you try this recipe?
Please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the Recipe Card below.
FAQ
Why is bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) mixed into milk and sour cream?
Linked Recipes
Similar recipes on Ella's Better Bakes which you might like to try:
Sticky Toffee and Ginger Pudding
Sunken Chocolate Cake with Amaretti Cream
📖 Recipe
Jamaican Ginger Cake
Here's what you'll need...
- Wooden spoon
- 2 small saucepans
- Cooling rack
Ingredients you'll need...
Jamaican Ginger Cake
- 1 tablespoon dark rum
- 60 g sultanas (US = ⅓ Cup)
- 90 g unsalted butter (US = ¼ Cup)
- 90 g dark muscavardo sugar (US = ½ Cup packed)
- 80 g golden syrup (4 tablespoons)
- 90 g treacle (mollasses) (4 tablespoons)
- 2 tablespoon stem ginger syrup
- 225 g plain flour (all purpose flour) (US = 1 Cup and 9½ tablespoons)
- 3 teaspoon ground ginger (level)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (level)
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves (level)
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt (level)
- 1 large egg at room temperature (US = extra large)
- ¾ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) (level)
- 100 ml milk (full fat or semi skimmed) (US = ¼ Cup)
- 2 tablespoon sour cream or natural yoghurt at room temperature
- 3 balls of stem ginger chopped into small pieces
- 1 tablespoon demerera sugar (optional)
Dark Rum Syrup
- 3 tablespoon water
- 1½ tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp dark rum
Here's what we do...
Jamaican Ginger Cake
- Soak your sultanas in your tablespoon of rum for 30 minutes to an hour before you begin baking.
- Set your over to 140°C Fan/160°C/320°F/Gas mark 3.
- Grease your loaf tin and then line it with a piece of your greaseproof (parchment) paper but cutting one piece that will sit across the long sides and base. The shorter ends of the tin will be not covered, but as the tin is greased they will be fine as long as your tin is ok.
- Add your butter, sugar, golden syrup, stem ginger syrup and treacle to your small saucepan and melt slowly on a low heat. Leave to cool for a few minutes and then add to your mixer bowl.
- Mix your bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), milk, and sour cream together and set aside for a few minutes so that it curdles a little.
- Sift your flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and salt and set aside.
- Add your egg to the cooled mixture in your mixer bowl along with a heaped desert spoonful of flour mixture.
- Beat on a low setting until just combined.
- Add the rest of your flour and beat on a medium setting for about 10 seconds until combined.
- Add your milk mixture and beat on a low setting until combined, stop and scrape the sides and base of your bowl down with your spatula to ensure all of your mixture is incorporated
- Beat on medium-high for 10-15 seconds, the cake batter will be quite runny.
- Fold in your soaked sultanas and chopped stem ginger.
- Pour your batter into your prepared tin and bake in the centre of your oven for 1 hour and 10-15 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
- 10 minutes before your cake is due to come out of your oven make your dark rum syrup.
Dark Rum Syrup
- Place your water and sugar into your small saucepan and heat over a low heat.
- When your sugar has dissolved, turn up the heat to medium and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Simmer for 3-5 minutes until the syrup thickens and is reduced to just a tablespoon. It should still be clear, but just a lot thicker.
- Leave to cool and then mix in your dark rum.
- As soon as it comes out of the oven prick holes all over your cake with a skewer and pour your rum syrup, letting it soak into the top and trickle down the sides.
- Leave your cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before inverting it onto your cooling rack.
- Sprinkle over your demerera sugar if using.
Supporting Notes
- Using loaf tin liners is always a good idea as it saves faffing around lining the tin.
- In order to measure your treacle and syrup without it sticking like glue to the spoon, heat your spoon in hot water first or wipe it with a thin layer of oil.
- Ensure your eggs, sour cream and milk are room temperature for a better rise.
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