Ginger cake with caramel frosting

Ingredients

• 200 g butter for the tin
• 200 g muscovado sugar dark
• 100 g treacle black
• 100 g golden syrup 
• 2 large eggs beaten
• 300 ml milk 
• 350 g flour plain
• 2 tsp ground ginger 
• 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda 
• 3 chunks crystallised ginger chopped
• 85 g butter 
• 175 ml whipping cream 
• 175 g caster sugar white for a darker icing (we used - use golden )

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• oven
• whisk
• wire rack
• cake form

Directions

1. Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas
2. Butter and line a 23cm round cake tin.
3. Put the butter, sugar, treacle and syrup in a large pan and gently heat, stirring until the butter has melted and the mixture is smooth.
4. Remove from the heat and cool for 10 mins.
5. Stir in the eggs and milk, then sift in the flour, ginger and bicarbonate of soda.
6. Mix well, then pour into the prepared tin.
7. Bake for 50 mins-1 hr until the cake is firm to the touch and springs back when pressed in the centre. Cool in the tin for 15 mins, then turn out, peel off the paper and cool on a wire rack.
8. Put the frosting ingredients in a small pan over a medium heat and stir until the butter has melted and the mixture is smooth. Increase the heat and boil hard for 3-4 mins, stirring occasionally; at this stage the frosting should look like runny custard.
9. Pour into a bowl and leave to cool for 30 mins. Beat with an electric whisk until thick and spreadable.
10. Spread over the cooled cake and decorate with crystallised ginger.