Chocolate-Honey Gingerbread

Chocolate-Honey Gingerbread
Makes about 12 slabs.
This recipe was inspired by the Chocolate Gingerbread recipe in Feast by Nigella Lawson. I'll admit the measurements are slightly different than the recipes I usually post therefore a kitchen scale makes this recipe a breeze, however if you don't have one I have put the conversions as well. The advantage to weighing ingredients in a recipe such as this one is that the recipe can be scaled up or down quite easily. I’ve used a mild honey, and a touch of freshly ground nutmeg to give this cake its distinct personality. The nutmeg ads an extra layer of spice very much familiar to the holiday season. The addition of honey to this cake lends a bold flavor that holds up well to the strongly flavored gingerbread and compliments the chocolate beautifully. Make sure to use a large sauce pan which will accommodate the entire cake batter and make clean up a snap. This is a very strongly flavored cake great with a cup of coffee on tea, its perhaps too richly flavored for the kids, but perfect for the rest of us !

For the Cake
175 g (3/4 cup) unsalted butter
125 g (5/8 cup or 147 ml) dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
200 g (3/5 cup or 135 ml) honey
200 g (3/5 cup or 135 ml) molasses
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/4 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
2 tablespoons warm water
2 large eggs
250 ml (1 cup) milk
275 g (2 3/4 cup)plain flour
40 g (1/3 cup) cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt
175 g (1 cup) chocolate chunks

For the Icing
250 g (1 1/2 cup) icing sugar
30 g (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
60 ml (1/4 cup) honey


For the Cake

Preheat the oven to 340° F and tear off a big piece of baking parchment to line the bottom and sides of a roasting tin of approximately 12 x 8 x 2.5 inches deep.

In a decent-sized saucepan, melt the butter along with the sugars, honey, treacle or molasses, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and ground ginger.

In a cup dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in the water. Take the saucepan off the heat and beat in the eggs, milk and bicarbonate in its water.

Stir in the flour and cocoa and beat with a wooden spoon to mix.

Fold in the chocolate chips, pour into the lined tin and bake for about 40 minutes until risen and firm. It will be slightly damp underneath the set top and that's the way you want it.

Remove to a wire rack and let cool in the tin. Once cool, get on with the icing.


For the Icing

Sieve the icing sugar.

In a heavy-based saucepan heat the butter, cocoa and honey. Once the butter's melted, whisk in the icing sugar.

Lift the chocolate gingerbread out of the tin and unwrap the paper. Pour over the icing just to cover the top and cut into fat slabs when set.