Name: Sticky Ginger Cake with Lemon Curd
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 140 g Butter or baking spread; 140 g Black treacle; 140 g Golden syrup; 300 g Self raising flour; 1 tsp Bicarbonate of soda; 3 tsp Ground ginger; 2 tsp Mixed spice; 1 tsp Ground cinnamon; 140 g Dark brown sugar; 300 ml Milk (any kind); 1 Egg (large); 160 g Lemon curd (good quality shop bought or homemade); 2 bulbs Stem ginger (diced); 125 g Butter (softened, unsalted); 125 g Icing sugar; 250 g Full fat cream cheese; 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract; 1 tbsp Icing sugar

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This Sticky Ginger Cake with Lemon Curd is made up of a moist ginger sponge, filled with lemon curd, stem ginger and a cream cheese frosting. It's such a comforting Autumn/Winter recipe that's packed with flavour. The sponge is rich and packed with flavour, and the ginger and lemon flavours are such a punchy mixture, they make your taste buds tingle in all the right ways!

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Ingredient Tips & Equipment Information

Make sure all your ingredients (particularly the butter, milk and eggs) are at room temperature before you start baking.
I used unsalted butter for the buttercream, for the cake I used a baking spread (I like Stork).
Mixed spice is a British spice blend containing cinnamon, coriander seed, nutmeg, clove, pimento and ginger. If you can't get hold of it, use a Pumpkin Spice mix instead or a combination of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves.
I really recommend using dark brown soft sugar if you can, as it gives the cake a lovely caramel flavour. But if you can't get hold of it, you can use golden caster sugar or regular caster sugar (superfine sugar) instead.
Golden syrup is sold all over the world, so check the international section in your supermarket if you're not based in the UK. You can also buy it online from Amazon (see link below). If you can't get hold of it, light corn syrup is the closest thing to it. However, I've not tested this recipe with light corn syrup.
If you would like to make your own lemon curd for this cake, check out my Homemade Lemon Curd recipe.
Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.

For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.

How to make Sticky Ginger Cake with Lemon Curd

In a pan on a low heat, melt the butter or baking spread, black treacle and golden syrup together. In a large mixing bowl, stir together self raising flour, bicarbonate of soda, ground ginger, mixed spice, cinnamon and dark brown sugar. Add the melted butter mixture to the flour mixture and whisk together.

Add the egg and milk to the mixture and whisk in. Divide the mixture between two 8" cake tins and bake for 30 minutes. Leave the cake to cool fully.

For the fillings, chop up the stem ginger and mix it with lemon curd. To make the cream cheese frosting, mix together butter and icing sugar, then add cream cheese and vanilla extract and mix until smooth. Pipe the frosting onto the bottom cake layer, then spoon over the lemon curd. Add the top cake layer and dust the whole cake with icing sugar.

For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.

What lemon curd should you use?

If you are using a shop bought lemon curd, make sure to get a good quality one. They are worth the extra pennies for that delicious lemon zing! If you fancy giving Homemade Lemon Curd a try, check out my recipe. It's easy and quick to make with only a few ingredients, it's also creamy and silky smooth, and the flavour is incredible!

How long does the cake last for and can you freeze it?

The cake will keep in an airtight container for 2-3 days in the fridge. You can freeze the sponges alone, or decorated. Once the sponges are fully cool, wrap them well with cling film or put them in an airtight container with some baking paper between them. You can freeze the frosting on it’s own in a tub, or you can decorate the cake and freeze it fully assembled. To do this and avoid damage to the decoration, freeze it either in an airtight container. Or let it freeze solid on a cake board or plate, then wrap in cling film. Remove the cling film when you take it out to defrost it, if you don’t it could damage the decoration as it defrosts and softens. You can also freeze slices of the cake, again well wrapped in cling film or in airtight containers.

Can this cake be made in different size cake tins?

If you would like to make this cake in different size tins, please check my Conversion Guide to find out how to adjust the recipe.

Can you make the cake with plain/all purpose flour?

Self raising flour, which is very commonly used in the UK where I am based, already contains a raising agent and a little salt too. Therefore if you want to swap it for plain or all purpose flour, you will need to add some additional baking powder and also a little salt if you like. Some people like to add salt to cake recipes and some don't, so I'll leave that up to you as it won't affect the bake. The general advice is to add 2 teaspoons baking powder (a measuring teaspoon, not the kind you stir your coffee with) per every 200g plain or all purpose flour. So for this recipe you'd need to add 2 ½ additional teaspoons baking powder. Please note, I have not tested this recipe using plain or all purpose flour.

Can this cake be made gluten free?

Yes! For gluten free you can replace the self raising flour with a gluten free self raising flour blend. If you only have a gluten free plain flour blend, you will need to add additional baking powder. The general advice is to add 2 tsp baking powder per 200g flour, so for this recipe you'd need to add 2 ½ additional teaspoons baking powder. You may also like to add ½ tsp xanthan gum for better texture. Please do check the labels for everything you use to make the cake if you are serving it to someone with an allergy or intolerance.

Can this cake be made dairy free?

For a dairy free version, use a dairy free baking spread and dairy free milk for the cake For the filling, replace the cream cheese and butter with dairy free alternatives. You will also need to use a dairy free lemon curd. Please do check the labels for everything you use to make the cake if you are serving it to someone with an allergy or intolerance.

More tips for making the Sticky Ginger Cake with Lemon Cird:

Make sure to store the cake in the fridge once it's been frosted.
I used a Ateco 828 piping nozzle to pipe on the frosting.
I don’t recommend baking this cake in one deep tin, as it may not cook evenly. It is best to bake it in two sandwich tins (make sure the sides are at least 2" deep).

Troubleshooting

My number one tip for getting the best results is to read through this whole page of tips and recommendations before starting, and follow the recipe exactly. If you have any questions about this recipe, or if something went wrong and you need help, please use the comment form below and I will get back to you. You can also get in touch with me on my Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. I'd love to hear from you!

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