Fridge Friend Recipes
Gingerbread Traybake recipe
Sticky, warmly spiced gingerbread traybake with a soft crumb, ideal for an afternoon snack at Christmas.
50 min · Easy · British Jump to method
Ingredients
- 225 g plain flour
- 150 g dark brown sugar
- 100 g butter
- 150 g golden syrup
- 75 g black treacle
- 1 large egg
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground mixed spice
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 120 ml milk
| Nutrition | Per servingEstimated |
|---|---|
| Calories | 281 kcal |
| Protein | 3.5 g |
| Carbohydrates | 47.2 g |
| Fat | 8.6 g |
| Saturated fat | 5 g |
| Fibre | 0.9 g |
| Sugar | 25.4 g |
| Sodium | 164 mg |
Why this works
A sweet, energy-dense traybake with moderate fat and low fibre; best treated as an occasional treat rather than an everyday snack.
Iron and trace minerals. Black treacle contributes small amounts of iron, potassium and magnesium, though this is offset by the high sugar content.
Spices with beneficial compounds. Ginger, cinnamon and mixed spice provide flavour with very little sodium and may offer antioxidant compounds.
Low fibre, high free sugars. Refined flour plus syrupy sweeteners make this relatively low in fibre and high in sugar per serving.
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (Fan 160°C, 356°F, Gas Mark 4) and line a shallow square baking tin with baking parchment.
Set the oven in good time so it reaches a steady heat before the batter goes in, and use enough parchment to leave a little overhang for lifting the traybake out later.
- Melt the butter, dark brown sugar, golden syrup and black treacle together in a saucepan over a low heat.
Keep the heat low and stir until the mixture is glossy and fully combined, with no grainy sugar left at the base of the pan; do not let it boil or the gingerbread can turn dense.
- Take the pan off the heat and whisk in the milk and egg.
Let the mixture cool for a minute or two before adding the dairy and egg so they do not scramble, and whisk briskly until the mixture looks smooth and slightly lighter.
- Stir in the plain flour, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground mixed spice and bicarbonate of soda until you have a smooth batter.
Fold the dry ingredients in just until no streaks of flour remain, scraping the corners of the bowl so you do not leave pockets of unmixed raising agent or spice.
- Pour into the prepared tin and level the surface.
Tap the tin once or twice on the worktop to release any trapped air bubbles and help the batter settle evenly into the corners.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until firm to the touch and a skewer comes out clean.
Check from about 25 minutes by pressing the centre lightly; it should spring back and a skewer may have a few sticky crumbs, but no wet batter.
- Leave to cool in the tin before cutting into squares.
Leave it in the tin until the base feels just warm rather than hot, otherwise the crumb can tear when you cut it and the squares may collapse.
Other Gingerbread Recipes
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45 min · A light, airy chocolate sponge with a tender crumb and rich cocoa flavour. Canola oil keeps the cake moist and soft for serving as a simple dessert or celebration bake.
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