"JAMAICAN ME CRAZY" CAKE

When I adapted this Jamie Oliver recipe for Jamaican Spiced cake I was overwhelmed by the response the pictures got on Facebook and Twitter. I do have to blow my own trumpet though and say this is one of the finest cakes I've  ever made so if your a fan of ginger and Amaretto, you need to run into the kitchen as quick as you can and make this pronto! Whats great about the recipe is that it's so so simple but the result is his phenomenally moist and fluffy cake. I promise you will not be disappointed!

As mentioned above this is an adapted recipe. My adaptations include the use of Amaretto in the the cake. It's my favourite liquor and the taste really compliments the ginger punch of the cake. You could try some other liquors you have in your cupboards if you don't have or like Amaretto (an orange flavoured one would work quite well I imagine). If you don't drink alcohol then you can always leave it out but I would add in the same volume of cold water to balance out the measurements in the recipe.

I also use chunky ginger conserve in my version too rather than stem ginger. Firstly, because its a lot cheaper and secondly because it's a lot easier to get your hands on in the smaller supermarkets. Try and get a good chunky conserve as the little glistening globules of gingery goodness (I turned into Nigella there for a moment, I do apologise!) not only give you little bursts of sharp gingeriness throughout the cake but they also look all sparkly and tempting resting on the top.

By popular demand, here is the recipe. Read it, get the ingredients in and bake yourself this
showstopper of a cake!

Jamaican Me Crazy Cake

100g Golden Syrup
115g Black Treacle
70ml Amaretto
125g Dark Soft Brown Sugar
150ml Whole Milk
3 Tbsp Ginger Conserve (Plus 1 Tbsp For A Glaze)
1 3cm Piece Grated Ginger
115g Butter
1 Tsp Bicarbonate Of Soda
225g Self Raising Flour
1 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
1 Tsp Ground Ginger
2 Small Eggs

100g Icing Sugar

Juice Of Half An Orange

1. Ovens on folks. 170 degrees (150 fan). Sorted!
2. In a pan on a medium heat, add the golden syrup, black treacle, Amaretto, dark brown sugar and milk and bring to the boil whilst stirring until the sugar dissolves. 
3. Once boiling, remove the pan from the hob and throw in the 3 Tbsp of conserve and grated ginger and give everything a good mix until the conserve has melted. Leave this to one side to cool.
4. Add the butter, bicarb, flour, cinnamon and ginger into a large bowl and once it's cooled, gradually pour in the mix from thesaucepan, whisking as you go. Continue whisking as you add in the whole eggs one at a time and keep whisking until you have a smooth runny batter.
5. Line a greased loaf tin with baking paper and pour in the batter. Place in the oven and bake for 50 minutes until risen and an inserted skewer comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave in the tin to cool for ten minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
6. Once cool, take the extra tbsp of the conserve and place in a pan on a low heat and mix until the conserve has loosened and brush the loose conserve over the top of the cake.
7. Take the icing sugar and add the orange juice in small amounts at a time until you have a thick icing to pour over the top of the cake.

The icing should still be thin enough to trickle down the sides and nice and shiny on top. Wait until the icing sets and cut yourself a huge slice. The moist cake is not only stunningly delicious but the sweet, sharp and sticky icing mixed with the ginger flavors of the conserve glaze is too die for. Serve with a huge dollop of cream or some warm custard for a fabulous pudding that will be "'Maican you crazy" for more, more, more!

Apologies for the pun in the title of this post! No apologies for the recipe!