• 225g (8 oz) plain flour
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 100g (4 oz) butter or margarine
  • 50g (2 oz) caster sugar
  • 100g (4 oz) stem ginger, chopped
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 150ml (1/4 pint) milk
  • 50g (2 oz) clear honey
  • 1 egg, beaten

In this recipe honey is used as part of the sugar content and this will keep the cake moist longer than the average plain cake.

Line the base of a 15 cm/6 inch cake tin. Sift the flour and ground ginger into a mixing bowl. Cut the fat into the flour and rub in to a breadcrumb consistency. Mix in the sugar and stem ginger.

Dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in half the milk and stir into the honey. Make a well in the dry ingredients and stir in the milk mixture and beaten egg. Mix to a soft dropping consistency adding more milk as required.

Turn into the prepared tin and level the top. Bake in the centre of a preheated moderate oven at 170°C / 325°F, Ga Mark 3 for about 1 hour, until set and golden. Allow to shrink slightly, remove from the tin and cool on a wire tray.