Ultimate Treacle Gingerbread Loaf Cake Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why does my gingerbread loaf sink in the middle? ›

Too much: If you accidentally overmeasure your baking soda or powder it can also cause your cake or loaf to sink in the middle. High altitude: If you're baking at a higher altitude you'll need less leavening to achieve the same result as sea level. Without proper altitude adjustments, your products may sink.

Our answer

Molasses and treacle are similar and are both syrups that are made during the processing of cane sugar. In this cake it will be fine to use molasses as a substitute. There are varying grades of molasses and some molasses are very dark and bitter, such as blackstrap molasses.

This cake doesn't need to be stored in the fridge. It will keep for 3-5 days in an airtight tin or lidded polythene box. Or you can freeze it (or some of it) if you want to store it for longer.

As with maple syrup, honey will work as a 1:1 substitute for golden syrup. Again you'll get more complex flavour from honey which will mostly be a good thing.

Six common baking-fails, and how they can be prevented. Your cake is too dense A cake that is overly dense typically has too much liquid, too much sugar or too little leavening (not excess flour, as is commonly thought).

More commonly known as treacle or black treacle or, in the US as blackstrap molasses, molasses are essentially what is left over after cane sugar is boiled to produce sugar and most of the sugar has been extracted.

Both have a deep, aromatic flavour that adds a unique finish to food and drink recipes, but they are subtly different, with treacle tending to be a sweeter product that has less of a bitter profile than molasses. Compared to treacle, molasses is thicker in consistency and darker in colour.

Treacle (/ˈtriːkəl/) is any uncrystallised syrup made during the refining of sugar. The most common forms of treacle are golden syrup, a pale variety, and black treacle, a darker variety similar to molasses. Black treacle has a distinctively strong, slightly bitter flavor, and a richer color than golden syrup.

Taste and Texture: The most immediate issue with expired cake is that it might not taste or look as good as when it was fresh. The cake could become stale, dry, or develop an off-flavor. Mold and Spoilage: Over time, cakes can become a breeding ground for mold and harmful bacteria, particularly if they contain ingredie.

Tips & Notes: You can store gingerbread cake in the fridge in an airtight sealed container or tightly wrapped, and it will last up to a week. Keep in mind though, the longer it is in the fridge the faster it will dry out. Gingerbread cake actually freezes really well!

How long does gingerbread cake last in the fridge? ›

Make Ahead Instructions: The homemade vanilla cream sauce recipe can be made a few days in advance. Store in the fridge in an airtight container. Storage Instructions: The gingerbread cake keeps well at room temperature for 2 days, or in the fridge for about a week.

Treacle has a richer colour and a stronger flavour to Golden Syrup and is not quite so sweet. You can use it to replace Golden Syrup in many recipes but it is often used alongside Golden Syrup in recipes such as in our Old English Gingerbread.

In the U.S., golden syrup is usually sold under the name of light treacle, but it's not readily available in many grocery stores. In cooking recipes, molasses and light treacle are often used interchangeably because their textures and flavor profiles are similar.

Bicarbonate of soda, or baking soda, is an alkali which is used to raise soda breads and full-flavoured cakes such as gingerbread, fruit cake, chocolate cake and carrot cake. It needs an acid (as well as moisture) to activate it so is often combined with cream of tartar, yogurt, buttermilk or milk.

To keep our gingerbread recipe from sinking in the middle, we incorporated the baking soda with the wet ingredients and roughed up some of the batter to strengthen the flour, giving our gingerbread a more sturdy texture while maintaining its moistness.

Rotating pans: Some recipes instruct you to rotate the cake pan(s) halfway through baking. Wait until the cake has set to minimize the chance of collapsing as you rotate. Utilize your oven's light to avoid opening the door when checking on your cake. Be super careful not to slam the oven door!

Well, TikTok user @tastyentertaining has the answer to all of our gingerbread house problems. She recommends using granulated sugar instead of royal icing to hold the walls together.