Autumn Spice Cake

There is nothing we like more after our dinner in the evening than a slice of homemade cake and this recipe is one of those that always goes down well!!

You can literally put it together in a few minutes as it is all made in the one bowl.  The flavours suit this time of year perfectly… it is verging on a Ginger Cake but with the zesty lemon in the icing adding that little bit of sharpness.  The first time I baked it, Feargal said it reminded him of a carrot cake but without the carrot!!  The use of the dark brown sugar adds a treacly-caramel flavour which goes so well with the autumnal spices.  The inclusion of buttermilk also gives it a beautiful moist texture and helps to keep if fresher for longer.

I hope you get a chance to give it a go…

Ingredients:
150g Dark Brown Sugar
115g Plain Flour
115g Self-Raising Flour
¼ Teasp Bicarbonate of Soda
½ Tablspn Ground Ginger
1 Teasp Ground Cinnamon
½ Teasp Ground Nutmeg
125g Butter, Softened
1 Egg
125ml Buttermilk
85g Golden Syrup

Lemon Icing:
40g Butter, Softened
2 Teasps Finely Grated Lemon Zest
2 – 3 Tablspns Lemon Juice
200g Icing Sugar

Tin:
1 x 2lb Loaf Tin

Method:

1. Preheat Oven to 180ºC (160ºC Fan), 350ºF or Gas Mark 4
2. Line your baking tin with greaseproof paper (I use the loaf tin greaseproof liners)
3. Sift dry ingredients into the bowl of your food mixer, add remaining ingredients.
4. Beat mixture on low speed until ingredients are combined, then beat on medium speed until mixture is smooth and has changed to a paler colour.  Pour mixture into prepared tin and bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
5. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes and then remove from the tin, take off baking paper and allow to cool fully on a baking rack.
6. Meanwhile, make the icing – beat butter and 1 teaspoon of the lemon zest in a bowl, using a wooden spoon until soft.  Gradually beat in the juice and icing sugar – you may only need 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice so don’t add it all in together so as to avoid making your icing too runny
7. Spread over cake and sprinkle with the remaining lemon zest
8. Enjoy with a cuppa as we do!!!