This moist dark treacle gingerbread took me back to my childhood, my gran and mum were quite good cooks, and they did make a good cake, there was always a cake in a special decorative tin in the larder, sorry I’m showing my age there.!!!!

This gingerbread was very quick to make. Gingerbreads are always a great favourite because they are moist and keep well. I really loved the sweet lemony buttercream on the top and it was a delightful combination with the ginger.

120g plain flour

40g self-raising flour

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

1tsp ground ginger

1tsp ground cinnamon

1tsp mixed spice

80g caster sugar

120ml semi – skimmed milk

1 egg, lightly beaten

150g black treacle

60g butter

Icing

150g icing sugar

60g butter

Zest of one large lemon, and enough juice to make the icing spreadable

Method

Preheat the oven to 180c, gas 4, 350f

Grease a 14cm x 21cm loaf tin and line the base and sides with greaseproof paper.

Sift the flours, soda and spices together, place in a large bowl, add the egg and milk.

Combine butter and black treacle in a small saucepan and melt over a low heat until melted.

Add the treacle to the flours and spices and pour into the prepared tin, bake on the lower shelf of the oven for 50 minutes until cooked through. Leave on a cooling rack for 5 minutes before turning out of the tin, leave on the wire rack to cool completely.

To make the icing, beat the butter and lemon rind in a small bowl with an electric mixer until creamy, gradually beat in the sifted icing sugar, and enough lemon juice to make the frosting spreadable.

Delicious.