burnt honey & rye gingerbread loaf

with guinness butter

look at those ginger chunks!

it’s day six of my twelve days of christmas, and finally time for gingerbread!

still warm from the oven

ginger is probably my favourite ingredient and this loaf cake has it in spades. it uses dried ginger, crystallised ginger, and fresh grated ginger to really drive it home

this cake doesn’t need much more than a dusting of powdered sugar

there’s a lovely depth of flavour from the rye flour and guinness, and a touch of bitter from the burnt honey to round it all out

dramatic honey bubbles

the guinness butter is optional, but a fun way to use the rest of the can (other than drinking it!)

ingredients

gingerbread

170g honey

170g rye flour

4 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cinnamon

0.5 tsp ground cardamom

0.25 tsp ground nutmeg

0.75 tsp baking soda

pinch salt

85g olive oil (not extra virgin)

75g brown sugar

100mL guinness

1 egg

1 tbsp freshly grated ginger

75g uncrystallised ginger, chopped

guinness butter

rest of the can of guinness (approximately 300mL)

100g butter, room temperature

100g powdered sugar

method

gingerbread

preheat the oven to 180°C

line a loaf tin with baking paper

add the honey (170g) to a medium saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until it reaches 170°C (it will bubble up during this process, that’s expected. it will be dark brown and smell slightly bitter and smoked)

meanwhile, add the rye flour (170g), ground ginger (4 tsp), ground cinnamon (1 tsp), ground cardamom (0.5 tsp), ground nutmeg (0.25 tsp), baking soda (0.75 tsp) and a pinch of salt to a large bowl and whisk together

once the honey has reached 170°C, remove from the heat and let cool for 5-10 minutes

add the oil (85g) and brown sugar (75g) to the burnt honey and whisk to combine

once cooled slightly (enough to not cook the egg!), whisk in the egg (1)

whisk in the grated ginger (1 tbsp) and chopped uncrystallised ginger (75g)

pour the honey ginger mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined

moving quickly, pour the cake batter into the prepared loaf tin (the honey is acidic, and will activate the baking soda on contact, so if you wait too long to pour into the tin and get the cake into the oven, it won’t rise as well and will be flat and stodgy)

bake for 30-35 minutes or until a skewer comes out cleanly

serve in slices with coffee and a little dollop of guinness butter

guinness going in

guinness butter

while the cake is in the oven, pour the remaining guinness into a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until the guinness has reduced by two thirds (to about 0.5 cup)

remove from the heat and let cool

beat together the butter (100g) and powdered sugar (100g) until light and creamy

add the reduced guinness a spoonful at a time until your preferred flavour is reached (I ended up doing 4-5 tablespoons)

if the butter gets too soft during this process, just place in the fridge for 5-10 minutes to chill then continue

cover tightly and store in the fridge