Sticky stem ginger cake

I have often spent Chilli mornings at the start line of marathons.
I’m there to be supportive, not to run. I sit there watching my husband and hundred of others doing their warm up routines and wondering what does it take for people to pump themselves up like that in order to run. I like running, but in a temperature controlled environment, and only like max 5k. My brain does not feel the need to push by body to run non stop for 42k.
When it comes to pushing myself the equivalent of a marathon for me is baking cakes. I need to pump myself for it – watching piping videos on YouTube.

I tried sticky ginger cake for the first time last year, and since then I have sought for the perfect balance of ingredients to replicate it.

Sticky stem ginger cake

115g  flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
60g butter, cut into cubes, plus extra for greasing
60g dark muscovado sugar
60g black treacle
60g golden syrup
150ml strong chai tea
100ml double cream
70g drained stem ginger, finely grated
1 egg

1. Preheat the oven to fan 160C/180C no fan. Butter and line an 18cm round, 7cm deep cake tin with greaseproof or parchment paper.

2. Put the flour, bicarbonate of soda and all the spices into a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and rub it into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

3. Put the sugar, treacle, syrup, chai tea and double cream in a medium saucepan and heat, gently stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Turn up the heat and bring the mixture to just below boiling point.

4. Add the stem ginger to the flour mixture, then pour in the treacle mixture, stirring as you go with a wooden spoon. Break in the egg and beat until all the mixture is combined and it resembles a thick pancake batter. Pour this into prepared tin and bake for 50 minutes-1 hour, until a skewer pushed into the centre of the cake comes out fairly clean. Leave to cool completely in tin before turning cake out.