Thursday 13 September 2012

Ginger and almond slices



Ah, ginger and almond – two of my all time baking faves, but (and I’m willing to be corrected!) I don’t think I’ve ever baked something using them both.  I know!  Shock or what?




These slices use crystallised ginger – not stem ginger.  I point that out because I have in the past tried substituting stem for crystallised and it doesn’t work because the stem ginger is hard and doesn’t get soft on baking.  Crystallised ginger is soft and almost melts in your mouth.  Use crystallised only for this recipe as you want the soft ginger to complement the squidgy almonds.




This sort of bake holds a special place in my heart; I have an immense fondness for anything that is a perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea.  I love tea nearly as much as I love cake and biscuits.




The recipe takes a moment of minutes to complete and put in the oven and there’s no additional work required – no toppings or fillings.  Just cut into slices, make a cup of tea (or a pot if you’re a purist), put your feet up and enjoy!   (NB. It keeps really well too – I had a slice with my tea on subsequent days and it stays beautifully crumbly and flavoursome)




Apologies for the very early update this week - Mr CC and I are heading off for a well deserved holiday! 
 



Ingredients

175g unsalted butter, at room temperature
220g caster sugar
1 egg
225g plain flour
2 tablespoons milk
100g ground almonds
1-2 teaspoons ground ginger – depending how much you like your ginger!
125g crystallised ginger – chopped into small nuggets
70g flaked almonds

Method

Preheat the oven to 190°C/fan oven 170°C/375°F/gas mark 5

Grease a 30cm x 20cm tin.  I used a disposable foil traybake tin from Lakeland.

Beat together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.

Beat in the egg.

Beat in half the flour, followed by a tablespoon of milk.

Beat in the remaining flour, followed by the second tablespoon of milk.

Stir in the ground almonds, ground ginger and chopped ginger.

Spoon into the traybake tin and spread out into an even layer.

Sprinkle the flaked almonds over the top.

Bake for approximately 35 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Leave to cool in the tin then cut into fingers.

Bask in the glory of the wonderful thing you have created.

Eat.

14 comments:

Kezia said...

That looks both delicate and substantial, if you know what I mean! I love how generous your slices of cake are too:) Have a lovely holiday!

The Middle Ages said...

This looks like a dependable sort of cake! I didn't know that about stem and crystalised ginger either. Enjoy your hol :)

Jo said...

I don't think I've ever tasted almond and ginger together, I'm intrigued. Anything almondy is a winner in my book. And tea is just the best! Enjoy your holiday CC!

Anonymous said...

Looks devine! I heart ginger.

Cakelaw
http://www.kitchenlaw.blogspot.com

sensibilia said...

Have a great holiday! Hope you will post some local recipes as you have done before. I agree about tea entirely.

Susie @ Fold in the Flour said...

Looks lovely and just the right thing with a cup of tea! Have a lovely holiday. :)

Kit @ i-lostinausten said...

I've never tried ginger & almond combo but this sounds & looks amazing! Would love to try this recipe! :)

Katie said...

Don't think I've done ginger and almond together either, not for distinct flavours anyway. Maybe a bit of dried spice. Looks delicious and perfect for afternoon munching. A cross between cake and shortbread

Lucy said...

I've never tried ginger and almond together, but as I love both flavours I can only imagine it would be delicious! These look like a perfect Sunday afternoon treat.

Laura loves cakes said...

It seems almond is having a bit of a moment...it seems to be in a lot of current bakes, including one I've just made! Love the combination of ginger and almond...and it would be perfect with tea! :-)

Doris said...

ffThis sounds fab, definitely one to try. I too love tea and something nice to have with a cuppa, this would be bliss.

Choclette said...

You are so right, I don't think I've had this combination before either - why ever not? Hope you have a great holiday and come back feeling refreshed and rested.

Catherine said...

Anything with ginger I love! These sound wonderful and they look wonderful too. Blessings, Catherine

morri said...

Your last few recipes immediately made it to the top of my baking list (I absolutely must try out anything almond, anything ginger and anything spice).

The thing about this cake dough? It was incredibly sticky. Spreading it into "an even layer" was a chore; it stuck to my spoon like its life depended on it. The layer wasn't too thick, so I was sort of anxious. Will it grow without a leavening agent? Won't it be too dense? The answers are "no" and "no, it won't", respectively. After I took it out of the oven, the cake was practically coral-sponge soft, and after cooling, it developed a decadent, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth texture. Mmm, gorgeous. The only thing I would modify, though, is the amount of powdered ginger - I added about 2,5 tsp, and still the almonds stole the show. So if you really like your ginger, bring it on :)