Ingredients

  • 1 cup (250ml) mild-flavored molasses
  • 1 cup (200g) sugar
  • 1 cup (250ml) vegetable oil
  • 2 1/2 cups (350g) flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 cup (250ml) water
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  •  115g fresh ginger, peeled and minced (you can use a food processor)
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 100gm sweet stem ginger or ‘naked ginger’ or glace ginger
  • Good quality  dark chocolate for icing – 250 gm

Preparation

  1. Preheat the oven to  (180ºC). Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch (22-23cm) cake pan. (If using a springform pan, wrap the bottom well with foil, in case of leaks.) In a large bowl, whisk together the molasses, sugar, and oil. In another bowl, whisk together the flour and spices. Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in the baking soda, then whisk it into the molasses mixture along with the chopped ginger. Gradually sift the flour mixture over the wet ingredients, whisking to combine. Whisk in the eggs thoroughly and stir in the chopped stem ginger. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean
  2. For the icing. melt the chocolate and pour over the top of the cake. A quick hack is to chop or grate the chocolate and put it on top of the cake  straight out of the oven, when it has melted, spread evenly with a spatula.