Chocolate gingerbread

One thing you have to give Nigella credit for – she really knows her gingerbread cakes like no one else. This chocolate gingerbread tastes like a dream. Moist from the chocolate, beautifully soft and delicate. Nigella says it’s exceptionally aromatic and probably not one for children… mine loved it ;). I’m adding it permanently to my Christmas baking repertoire.

Ingredients for the chocolate gingerbread:

• 175 g butter
• 125 g dark muscovado sugar
• 200 g golden syrup
• 150 g black treacle
• ¼ tsp ground cloves
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2 tbsp warm water
• 2 eggs
• 250 ml milk
• 275 g plain flour
• 40 g cocoa powder
• 175 g dark chocolate chips or finely chopped dark chocolate

All the ingredients should be at room temperature.

Melt the butter with the sugars, golden syrup, black treacle, cloves, cinnamon and ginger in a large saucepan. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly. Dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in 2 tbsp warm water.

Add the eggs to the cooled or slightly warm mixture and whisk thoroughly until combined. Add the milk and the dissolved bicarbonate of soda, then sift the flour and cocoa powder directly into the mixture. Mix only until combined, no longer. Add the chocolate chips or chopped chocolate and stir through.

Pour the batter into a 32 x 23 cm baking tin lined with baking paper. Bake at 170°C for approximately 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

Ingredients for the cocoa icing:

• 200 g icing sugar, sifted
• 30 g butter
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 60 ml ginger ale or regular beer

Heat the butter, cocoa powder and beer in a small saucepan and stir together. Add the previously sifted icing sugar and mix thoroughly. Remove from the heat and leave until the icing thickens.

Pour the icing over the chocolate gingerbread. Cut into squares.

Enjoy!