Ingredients

• 125g/4½oz butter
• plus extra for greasing
• 125g/4½oz soft dark brown sugar
• 125g/4½oz black treacle
• 125g/4½oz golden syrup
• 275g/9¾oz self-raising flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 4 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground allspice
• 4 stem ginger balls in syrup (roughly 75g/2½oz)
• drained and coarsely grated
• 1½ long red chillies
• seeds removed
• finely chopped
• 200ml/7fl oz semi-skimmed milk
• 2 large free-range eggs
• beaten
• 3 stem ginger balls in syrup (roughly 55g/2oz)
• drained
• 200ml/7fl oz double cream
• 100g/3½fl oz dark brown soft sugar
• 75g/2½oz butter
• well-chilled crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream
• finely grated or pared lime zest

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Butter a 2½ litre/4½ pint shallow ovenproof dish – a lasagne dish is ideal. Put the butter
• sugar
• treacle and syrup in a medium saucepan. Melt together over a low heat
• stirring regularly until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat a little and simmer gently for a minute
• stirring. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for five minutes.
• While the butter mixture is cooling
• put the flour
• bicarbonate of soda and spices in a large heatproof mixing bowl. Add the grated ginger and chilli and toss lightly together. Make a well in the centre.
• Stir the milk gradually into the warm treacle mixture and then add the beaten eggs
• stirring vigorously. Pour the treacle mixture slowly into the flour mixture
• stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to form a thick batter. (If there are a few floury lumps
• give a good stir with the metal whisk.)
• Pour the batter into the prepared dish. Bake in the centre of the oven for 35-40 minutes
• or until the cake is well risen and a skewer inserted into centre comes out clean.
• While the sponge is cooking
• make the toffee sauce. Put the ginger balls on a board and slice thinly. Pile the slices from each ball up and cut through them to make thin matchstick strips. Scrape off the board into a medium non-stick saucepan.
• Add the cream
• sugar and butter to the stem ginger matchsticks and place the pan over a low heat. Cook together
• stirring until the sugar dissolves. Bring the sauce to a very gentle simmer and cook for 30 seconds more
• stirring constantly.
• Take the pudding out of the oven and pour the hot sauce over the top
• spreading the ginger pieces over the surface with a spoon. Serve topped with well-chilled crème fraîche or scoops of ice cream and a sprinkling of finely grated lime zest.