-
1
Heat the Oven and Prepare the Pan
5 Mins
175°C (350°F)
Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Grease a 23 cm loaf pan with butter and line the base and long sides with a strip of baking parchment, leaving the ends overhanging so you can lift the cake out later.
A lined pan is worth the minute it takes — syrup cakes stick hard to an unlined tin.
Done when: A greased, lined loaf pan ready beside the oven.
-
2
Cream the Butter, Sugar and Syrup
5 Mins
20°C (68°F)
Put the 115g of soft butter and the 150g of brown sugar in a large bowl and beat with a wooden spoon or electric mixer for 3 minutes, until pale, soft and fluffy. Pour in the 120g of cane syrup and beat for 1 more minute until the mixture is smooth and glossy.
Scrape the bowl down halfway through — unmixed butter at the bottom makes a greasy streak in the finished cake.
Done when: A pale, fluffy butter-sugar mixture turned smooth and glossy by the syrup.
-
3
Add the Eggs and Milk
5 Mins
20°C (68°F)
Beat in the 2 eggs one at a time, beating well after each one, then stir in the 120ml of milk, the vanilla extract, the lime zest and the 40g of grated fresh ginger. The mixture may look slightly curdled at this point — that is normal and the flour will bring it back together.
Add the eggs one at a time; both at once can split the mixture and give a coarse crumb.
Done when: A loose, speckled batter with the ginger evenly mixed through.
-
4
Fold in the Flour and Spices
5 Mins
20°C (68°F)
Sift the 300g of flour with the baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt into the bowl. Fold everything together gently with a large spoon, just until no dry flour shows — about 15 folds. Do not beat or over-mix, or the cake will turn tough.
Stop folding the moment the flour disappears; every extra stir tightens the crumb.
Done when: A thick, dark, even batter with no streaks of dry flour.
-
5
Bake Until Set
50 Mins
175°C (350°F)
Scrape the batter into the lined pan and smooth the top. Bake in the centre of the oven for 45–50 minutes, until the top is dark brown and firm, and a skewer pushed into the centre comes out clean with no wet batter on it. The cake will have risen and the top may crack slightly — that is normal for a syrup cake.
If the top is browning too fast after 30 minutes, lay a sheet of foil loosely over the pan and finish baking under it.
Done when: A dark brown, firm-topped loaf that passes the skewer test cleanly.
-
6
Cool Before Slicing
10 Mins
20°C (68°F)
Leave the cake in the pan for 10 minutes so it firms up, then lift it out by the parchment and cool on a wire rack until just warm. Slice thickly with a serrated knife — the cake is moist and a thin blade can squash it.
Wait until it is just warm, not hot, before slicing — a hot syrup cake crumbles under the knife.
Done when: A cool, firm loaf that slices cleanly into thick, moist pieces.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve the bonbon sirop in thick slices, just warm or at room temperature, with coffee or hot chocolate. It tastes even better the next day, once the spices have settled into the crumb.
Haiti
2h 10m
