British Gingerbread Traybake- easy cake squares
Old-fashioned British gingerbread cake but in a simple form as a gingerbread traybake. These easy cake squares are simple to make, transport & share.
Equipment
- Scales or measuring cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Small measuring jug
- Small Cooking Pot
- Medium mixing bowl
- Hand Whisk
- Baking/parchment paper
- Spray oil, Cake release spray or butter (For this cake I used Frylight spray, or homemade lining paste/cake goop )
- 9″ (23 x 23 cm) square tin, depth 5cm (2″) (*see notes for other sizes)
- Sieve
- Medium bowl x 2
- Metal Spoon
- Timer or Phone Timer
- Cooling rack
- OVEN: 180°c/160°c Fan Oven/350°f/Gas Mark 4
Ingredients
- 155 grams Unsalted Butter (5½ oz, ⅔ cup - no need to soften)
- 200 grams Golden Syrup (7 oz or ½ cup + 2 tsp OR 9 tbsp)* see notes & before recipe for tips
- 100 grams Black Treacle (3½ oz, ⅓ cup or 5 tbsp, see notes)
- 155 grams Light Brown Sugar (5½ oz or ⅔ cup + 2 level tbsps*)
- 1¼ tsp Ground Ginger (rounded 1¼ tsp)
- ½ tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 260 ml Milk (8¾ fl oz or 1 cup + 1 tbsp)
- 3 Medium-Large Eggs (Large or Extra Large size US)
- ½ tsp Bicarbonate of Soda (Baking Soda)
- 300 grams Self-raising Flour (10½ oz) *see note above & below
- OR 2⅓ Cups Plain/All Purpose Flour plus 3½ tsp Baking Powder (be sure to also add the Bicarb/Baking Soda above too)
For Orange Icing/Glaze (optional)
- 95 grams Icing/Powdered Sugar (3⅓ oz or ¾ cup, sieved)
- 2 tbsp Orange Juice (or water)* see notes as more may be needed
- 2 tsp Orange Extract (or more to taste)
- ¾ tsp Lemon Extract (optional)
- Orange Zest (from 1 orange, optional for glaze &/or decoration)
- Crystallised Stem Ginger Pieces (chopped, optional)
Instructions
Prepare The Wet Ingredients:
- Cube the 155 grams Unsalted Butter & add to a small cooking pot with the 200 grams Golden Syrup, 100 grams Black Treacle, 155 grams Light Brown Sugar, 1¼ tsp Ground Ginger, ½ tsp Ground Cinnamon & the ½ tsp Bicarbonate of Soda. **Tip - to help with syrup & treacle, use a greased spoon.
- Mix together & warm on a low-medium heat until sugar is dissolved & the butter melted. Remove from the heat, decant into a bowl & leave to the side to cool a little.
Prepare The Icing/Glaze:
- Meanwhile sieve the 95 grams Icing/Powdered Sugar into a medium bowl. Add some of the 2 tbsp Orange Juice, 2 tsp Orange Extract & ¾ tsp Lemon Extract before mixing to a thick paste. Then very gradually add ½ to ¼ tsp at a time of more juice until a thick but pourable glaze is produced. Mix in the Orange Zest (optional) & leave with a plate or cling film/plastic wrap on top.
Mixing Wet & Dry Ingredients:
- Pre-heat the oven to:180°c/160°c Fan Oven/350°f/Gas Mark 4.
- Add the 3 Medium-Large Eggs to a mixing bowl or stand-mixer bowl & whisk before adding the 260 ml Milk (or yoghurt) & whisking together.
- After 10 minutes of cooling, add the warm mixture to the egg/milk mixture & mix till combined.
- Sieve over the 300 grams Self-raising Flour, (OR 2⅓ Cups Plain/All Purpose Flour plus 3½ tsp Baking Powder instead). Start to mix by hand before moving onto using a hand-mixer or stand-mixer to mix until combined. Alternatively you can just mix by hand, and a few lumps is fine for this relatively liquidy batter.
Baking The Cake:
- Grease & line the 9" (23cm) square tin. I use either homemade lining paste/cake goop or Frylight Onecal spray to grease but you could also use butter. See my lining cake pans theory lesson for how to cut a thick cross-shape with baking/parchment paper for a perfect fit. **Don't bake without any paper.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared tin, tap a few times on the counter/work top, before placing into the centre of the pre-heated oven or large air fryer.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes till risen, set & wooden cocktail stick inserted into the centre of the cake, comes out clean of crumbs. **Start checking after 30 minutes & rotate the tin after 20 minutes if your oven has hot spots.
- Leave to cool in the tin on a cooling rack for 15 minutes before lifting out of the tin using the paper. Place on a cooling rack till completely cooled & then place on top of a chopping board (with the paper in-between).
Decorating The Traybake:
- Spread or pour the glaze on top of the cooled cake & sprinkle on some coconut (optional) before adding small chopped Crystallised Stem Ginger Pieces (optional).
- Leave the glaze to set for at least 15 minutes, before cutting the cake into 16 squares.
Serving, Storing & Freezing:
- Serve the gingerbread cakes as they are, or alongside cream/ice-cream, (a drizzle of golden syrup is great) & enjoy with your favourite hot drink.
- Store the cake squares in a metal cake or cookie tin, at room temperature, with the paper and these will be good for a week. **Note Gingerbread cake will improve with taste after the first day or 2 and become stickier.
- Freeze gingerbread, preferably without the icing & store as a whole or in squares. Wrap in baking/parchment paper, then cling film/plastic wrap or foil, before placing in a labelled food bag or air-tight container. Place at the back of the freezer, for up to 3 months1.
- Defrost in the fridge overnight & then leave out to come to room temperature before serving. Alternatively, warm slightly when wrapped in paper & foil, in the oven or air fryer, @180°c/160°c Fan Oven/350°f for about 5 - 10 minutes.
Notes
**Toggle the photos or notes, on or off, when opting to print this recipe card. And select the 'Cook Mode' to stop the screen going blank if following along while baking.
Black Treacle, Golden Syrup & Corn Syrup Debate - Read more about Black Treacle & Golden Syrup, before this recipe card. As well as an experiment & why it does not taste as good with substitutes like light & dark corn syrup. Also included is where you can buy these British products if you are in the US/Canada.
Any milk is fine & dark brown sugar or coconut sugar would also work. Artificial sweeteners are not recommended. When using Plain (All Purpose) flour in replace of UK Self-raising, make sure to add the baking powder, as well as the bicarbonate of soda (baking soda).
Glazing Day After -You can wait to glaze the cake, a day later, if stored in the tin. Leave out at room temperature to cool completely, before closing in a tin. Don't put in the fridge, as condensation will occur & wet the cake.
Variations On The Recipe -See my original Gingerbread loaf cake, or mini gingerbread bundt cakes or latest - Butterscotch glazed pumpkin gingerbread bundt cake..
For more information of process photos, please see before this recipe card.
More cakes on my Cake Recipes Page, or try my Christmas Recipes Page
Get some ideas & recipes for Food Gifting your homemade treats.
Fan of GBBO (Great British Baking Show)? Learn more about differences in UK & US baking ingredients, or view, save & print my common baking ingredients conversion table. Includes gram, ounce & cup measurements. (Note all are hand measured by myself during recipe development & testing).
Occasionally I accept new members to Facebook group 'Great British Bake Off Fans'. Or join my Facebook group 'Easy Online Baking Lessons' to accompany this lesson website.
Reference - Freezing old fashioned gingerbread cake information, taken from Delia Smith @ deliaonline/freezing-gingerbread/
***I am not a qualified nutritionist, and all nutritional values are approximate & based on a serving of 1 cake square, from a yield of 16 slices & assumes all of the above ingredients are used. Bigger or smaller cake squares and these values will change. All values calculated via website MyFitnessPal,com.
Black Treacle, Golden Syrup & Corn Syrup Debate - Read more about Black Treacle & Golden Syrup, before this recipe card. As well as an experiment & why it does not taste as good with substitutes like light & dark corn syrup. Also included is where you can buy these British products if you are in the US/Canada.
Any milk is fine & dark brown sugar or coconut sugar would also work. Artificial sweeteners are not recommended. When using Plain (All Purpose) flour in replace of UK Self-raising, make sure to add the baking powder, as well as the bicarbonate of soda (baking soda).
Glazing Day After -You can wait to glaze the cake, a day later, if stored in the tin. Leave out at room temperature to cool completely, before closing in a tin. Don't put in the fridge, as condensation will occur & wet the cake.
Variations On The Recipe -See my original Gingerbread loaf cake, or mini gingerbread bundt cakes or latest - Butterscotch glazed pumpkin gingerbread bundt cake..
For more information of process photos, please see before this recipe card.
More cakes on my Cake Recipes Page, or try my Christmas Recipes Page
Get some ideas & recipes for Food Gifting your homemade treats.
Fan of GBBO (Great British Baking Show)? Learn more about differences in UK & US baking ingredients, or view, save & print my common baking ingredients conversion table. Includes gram, ounce & cup measurements. (Note all are hand measured by myself during recipe development & testing).
Occasionally I accept new members to Facebook group 'Great British Bake Off Fans'. Or join my Facebook group 'Easy Online Baking Lessons' to accompany this lesson website.
________________________________________________________________
***I am not a qualified nutritionist, and all nutritional values are approximate & based on a serving of 1 cake square, from a yield of 16 slices & assumes all of the above ingredients are used. Bigger or smaller cake squares and these values will change. All values calculated via website MyFitnessPal,com.
Nutrition Facts
British Gingerbread Traybake- easy cake squares
Serving Size
1 slice
Amount per Serving
Calories
294
% Daily Value*
Fat
9
g
14
%
Saturated Fat
5
g
31
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
1
g
Monounsaturated Fat
3
g
Cholesterol
56
mg
19
%
Sodium
688
mg
30
%
Potassium
179
mg
5
%
Carbohydrates
48
g
16
%
Fiber
1
g
4
%
Sugar
24
g
27
%
Protein
4
g
8
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.