Recipe: Ginger alternative Christmas Cake

I've got a bit of a different one in my Christmas crafts series today: an alternative Christmas cake with my ginger sponge recipe. As you'll know if you're a regular reader, I've been sharing some easy-to-make DIYs this season in my 12 Crafts of Christmas series - they're all easy projects you can complete in a couple of hours and for just a few pennies.  

Its always one of those things I hate to admit, but I'm not a big fan of Christmas cake. I usually make one every year for my family, but other than picking at the marzipan, its not something I usually eat myself. A couple of years ago I decided to have a go at making an alternative cake, and haven't looked back! So here's the recipe for my favourite alternative Christmas cake - a ginger sponge. 

Ingredients: 

300g self-raising flour

300g margarine

300g caster sugar

4 eggs

1.5tsp ground ginger 

2tbsp golden syrup 

Buttercream: 

100g margarine

200g icing sugar

Toppings: 

Star anise

Cinnamon sticks

Dried orange slices (DIY tutorial for drying fruit here)

Pine cones

Cranberries

Fresh rosemary 

How to make: 

Start by whisking the margarine and caster sugar together. The longer you whisk for, the fluffier your sponge will be - I usually leave the whisker running for five minutes or so.

Add four eggs, self-raising flour, ground ginger and golden syrup, whisking between each addition. 

Separate the mixture out into two greased cake tins and bake at 180 degrees for 40 minutes. Try to resist opening the oven before the 40 minutes are up (this will help your sponge to rise!) Once the sponge has shrunken away from the sides of the tin it should be done. 

Leave your sponge to cool whilst making the buttercream. I actually find this is the trickiest bit to get right if I'm honest, so I usually stick to my go-to recipe: 100g margarine to 200g of icing sugar, and whisk for at least five minutes. 

Now to assemble your cake by popping buttercream between your two sponges, and spreading the rest on the top. Finally the fun bit - adding your toppings! You can literally add anything you want here, the more the merrier! I've gone for seasonal things such as pine cones, star anise, rosemary and cranberries. You could even add gingerbread men to the top here - anything goes! 

And you're all done! Perfect to enjoy with a cuppa - and much tastier than fruit cake, in my opinion! 

Hope you enjoyed this quick and simple Christmas DIY - let me know if you make your own sponge, I'd love to see! And I'll be back tomorrow with another quick Christmas craft perfect for updating your decor on a budget.

Thanks for reading,

Sam Xx