Ingredients

Ginger Cake

• 250g self raising flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate soda
• 1 tbsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground mixed spice
• 125g brown sugar
• 250g golden syrup
• 125g butter
• 1 egg beaten
• 250ml milk

Method

1. Grease and line an 18-20cm round or square cake tin with greaseproofor baking paper. Preheat an oven to 180C.
2. Sieve the flour, bicarbonate soda, ginger, cinnamon, mixed spice and brown sugar into a large bowl. Mix well with a wooden spoon to evenly distribute ingredients.
3. Melt the butter with the golden syrup over a medium heat. Mix with a wooden spoon until the butter is melted and golden syrup is well distributed. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
4. Beat the egg in with the milk until well combined.
5. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until you have a smooth batter.
6. Pour the batter into the lined baking tin and place on teh centre shelf of the preheated oven. Leave to cook for 50-60 minutes until firm and a skewer comes out dry when pierced into the centre of the cake. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before removing from the tin.

Ingredients

Pimm's Jelly

• 600ml water
• 400g caster sugar
• 3cm piece of ginger, sliced
• 1 lemon, juice and peelings
• 10 leaves of gelatine
• 250ml Pimm's
• 50ml vodka
• 3 tbsp, small diced, peeled and deseeded cucumber

Method

1. Place water and caster sugar into a saucepan over a high heat. Stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar has dissolved. Leave to come to the boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the ginger, lemon juice and peelings. Leave to steep, when cooled pour into a bowl and place in the fridge for 2-3 hours.
2. Strain the cooled syrup stock into a bowl.
3. Soak the gelatine leaves in water for 10 minutes. Bring 100ml of the syrup to a simmer, remove from the heat and add the softened gelatine and mix until dissolved.
4. Stir the Pimm’s and Vodka into the cold syrup stock. Then mix in the gelatine syrup and diced cucumber so that all the ingredients are well distributed. Pour the mix into a container and refrigerate until set.

Ingredients

Custard

• 300ml double cream (pure cream)
• 300ml milk
• 1 vanilla pod, split lenghtwise
• 4 egg yolks
• 75g caster sugar
• 2 tbsp cornflour

Method

1. Place the cream, milk and vanilla pod in a heavy based saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat.
2. Whisk the egg yolks, caster sugar and cornflour together until pale and creamy. Remove the vanilla pod from the hot milk and cream, pour while whisking into the egg mix until well combined.
3. Pour the mixture into a clean heavy based saucepan and place over a low heat, mix continuously with a wooden spoon for about 10-15 minutes until it thickens to a custard. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature for 10 minutes, stirring regularly to avoid skin forming. Cover with cling film so it touches custard directly. Refrigerate until cooled and ready to use.

Ingredients

Trifle

• Ginger cake, cut into 3.5cm rough cubes
• 3-6 tbsp Cointreau (dependant on taste)
• Custard
• 500g Strawberries, hulled and sliced in half
• Pimm’s Jelly, removed from the mould and roughly diced into 3 cm cubes/pieces.
• mint leaves to garnish

Method

1. In a 1.5 litre glass serving bowl place a layer of ginger cake (one-third), drizzle over 1-2 tbsp of cointreau. Spread over one-third of the custard. Evenly place a layer of strawberries on the custard and top with an even layer of the roughly diced Pimm’s jelly. Repeat this.
2. Finish with a final layer of ginger cake drizzled with 1-2 tbsp cointreau and topped with the custard. Garnish with the last of the strawberries and mint leaves scattered over the top.