A cross between an easy gingerbread recipe and an apple tray bake, this apple and ginger cake is deliciously sticky. It’s one of those quick and easy one bowl cake recipes that the whole family will love. You can even make it as a simpler alternative to a Christmas cake!
This recipe started out with a simple but delicious spiced apple cake recipe sent to me by a work colleague. This of course is one of the many perks of being a food blogger – people sometimes want to share their yummiest recipes with you!
I was very happy because I once followed a Christmas cake recipe that contained apple, dried fruit and ginger. After I lost it, I searched online until my eyes ached, but I never found it.
I adapted my colleague’s apple cake recipe and came up with this similar but a bit stickier and more ginger-y cake.
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Why you’ll love it
- It’s a one bowl cake recipe. Very quick and easy to throw together! (Melt the wet ingredients together in a saucepan, and then briefly stir in the dry ingredients.)
- It tastes something like a cross between gingerbread, a spiced apple cake, and a light fruit cake. It’s lighter and fluffier than gingerbread, but still moist, sticky, and ginger-y. In other words, delicious!
- You can make it for your family any day of the year, or drizzle white chocolate over the top and make it your favourite easy Christmas cake recipe! It’s got a warming quality that’s perfect for handing around with cups of tea (or sneaky glasses of mulled wine at Christmas).
- It’s a small batch recipe. There are pros and cons to this, of course. You may not have any cake leftovers to take into work, but you won’t be tempted to overindulge!
This ginger cake has got a warming quality that’s perfect for handing around with cups of tea (or sneaky glasses of mulled wine at Christmas)!
About the ingredients
Flour: Use self-raising flour. If you can’t get hold of this easily, just use plain flour with a teaspoon and a half of baking powder added. Don’t use self-rising flour instead. It isn’t the same!
Ginger: This cake contains both a teaspoon of ground ginger and some chopped candied ginger. You can either use crystallized ginger, or stem ginger in syrup – whichever you can find.
Butter: Melted! Yep, no creaming of butter and sugar necessary. Just melt it in a saucepan or bowl in the microwave with the syrup and sugar.
Brown sugar: For extra deep flavour and sticky-ness. Yum.
Golden syrup: Golden syrup is what you usually find in gingerbread and other traditional cakes and slices (try these gingerbread muffins or Anzac biscuits!). It’s very easy to find in the UK and Australia, but if you’re elsewhere and can’t find it easily, don’t worry – just use 1 part molasses to 3 parts corn syrup. Or even rice malt syrup or honey.
Dried fruit: Any type or a mixture works well.
Apple: Any type, grated. Rhubarb works well, too!
How to make this in just 4 easy steps
Step 1: Sift the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, ground ginger) together.
Step 2: Melt the ‘wet’ ingredients (so butter, syrup, sugar) in a saucepan. Stir through the ‘dry’ ingredients plus stem ginger, apple and other dried fruit, plus a whisked egg.
Step 3: Pour into a small baking tin and bake for just 30 minutes.
Step 4: If you like, drizzle over a little white chocolate to make it look fancy!
Try this recipe with rhubarb instead of apple. Sticky apple and rhubarb cake… Mmmm…
Expert tips and recipe FAQ
Don’t worry – if Golden Syrup is difficult to get hold of where you live, 1 part molasses to 3 parts dark corn syrup is a good alternative. Or just the corn syrup or even honey in a pinch.
Alternatively, you can find it in on Amazon (affiliate link).
Ever tried Australian Anzac biscuits? They’re made every year (or any time really!) to commemorate Anzac Day, the date of the Australian and New Zealand army’s first major military campaign during WWI. They’re quick and easy to make, and this recipe’s lower in sugar than average.
These gingerbread muffins with salted caramel icing also come highly recommended. They’re perfect for special occasions… and of course for Christmas!
This ginger cake keeps pretty well in an airtight container – for about 4 to 5 days. Like most cakes, it also freezes exceptionally well. Simply wrap well and freeze in sealed containers for up to 3 months.
More easy snack cake recipes
- Addictive peanut butter cheerio bars
- Lemon bakewell slices (a slice of English tradition!)
- No bowl chocolate pecan bars
- Banana sheet cake with peanut butter fudge frosting
- Rhubarb and ginger oat slices (healthy flapjacks!)
- Or see all of my cakes!
More apple recipes
- Easy apple cake (torta di mele) – for a SUPER quick and easy apple dessert!
- Healthy broccoli salad with apple and bacon (delicious!)
- Toffee apple chocolate bark (makes a perfect homemade gift!)
- Easy apple crumble pie (Dutch apple pie)
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Sticky Apple and Ginger Cake
Ingredients (UK/Australia? Click below for grams/ml)
- 1 cup self-raising flour
- 1 pinch baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¾ stick butter
- ¼ cup soft brown sugar
- ¼ cup golden syrup (dark corn syrup in USA)
- 1.5 ounces crystallized ginger chopped (either in syrup or crystallized is fine)
- ½ cup dried fruit e.g. prunes, apricots, cranberries, raisins (chopped)
- 1 apple peeled and diced
- 1 egg whisked
topping (optional)
- 2 ounces white chocolate
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 200C / 390F and line a 8 x 8 inch square baking pan with baking paper.
- Sift the flour, baking powder and ginger together in a medium bowl.
- Melt the butter, syrup and sugar together in a saucepan. Add to the flour together with the stem ginger, dried fruit, apple and egg. Stir it all together with a wooden spoon until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared tin, then bake for 30 minutes until risen and golden. Cover with foil half way through cooking to prevent over-browning.
- Optional: Melt the white chocolate in a jug in the microwave (in 30-second spurts – I find 3 times does it), then drizzle all over the cake.
- When cool (and the chocolate – if you’ve used it – is set), slice into 8 bars.
Celia McClements says
Why do people even buy cake? This was quick and easy and one of the best tasting gingerbreads I have ever eaten. Thank you for sharing this recipe
Helen says
Well, thank you too for taking the time to write a review! I agree that this is a pretty awesome cake – I’m so glad you enjoyed it too! 🙂
Jill Higgins says
Great result with this recipe! I wanted to make gluten free so followed the hints in the comments by Sandra. I didn’t have xanthan gum so added an extra egg instead. It turned out fine. One thing – the dried fruit (sultanas) sank to the bottom. Will definitely make again, thank you.
Helen says
Hello Jill! I’m so happy you enjoyed this cake! It’s super helpful to hear how it went making it gluten free. Interesting that you added an extra egg instead of xanthan gum! Not sure why the fruit sank to the bottom? But anyway, very happy. Thank you for the great feedback.
Sandra Amos says
What a lovely cake. Wasn’t sure at first as usually don’t make cakes that just have the one egg and I wanted a deeper cake rather than tray bake style. I decided to make just as is and baked in a small 6″ deep round cake tin. So glad I did and swapped out wheat flour for 105g gluten free all purpose with 20g almond flour plus 1 tsp bp and barely quarter tsp xanthan gum. Added zest of 1 lemon with 1 tsp vanilla extract plus a few drops almond extract. One other addition was about 25g whole almonds chopped very roughly.
So easy to mix up and a winner.
I baked on 160 degrees fan and it took 1 and a quarter hours and covered with foil after about 45 mins.
Helen says
Hello Sandra! Thank you so much for taking a risk and trying the recipe! I really appreciate your detailed feedback and am very pleased that you enjoyed it. I really like your idea of adding almonds and lemon and will try that myself next time I make these. 🙂
Val Clark says
Easy to bake and absolutely delicious. Made with apple and apricot. Would definitely make again…quite soon!
Helen says
Hi Val! Thank you so much for the lovely feedback. I’m very happy you think this cake is as yummy as I do! I love the sound of your apple and apricot version! 🙂
Lauren says
I haven’t made this yet. Would it be possible to provide a weight measurement for the butter?
Thank you.
Helen says
Hi Lauren! Yes, sure – you need 85 grams or 3 ounces of butter. Was it the ounces measurement you were looking for? There’s a little button to convert to grams. I hope you enjoy these. They’re one of my favourite cakes! 🙂
Liz says
Hi, looks lovely. Only have ground ginger. Can I increase the amount of ground ginger instead of adding crystallised and if by how much?
Thanks
Helen says
Hello Liz! I hope you enjoy these – I think they’re delicious! Try adding another teaspoon of ground ginger instead of the crystallised ginger.
Rita says
Just made this, delicious. I’m using up a glut of apples so made double, was a bit short of crystallised ginger so used extra dried, and sultanas as i think go well with apples. No icing. Really quick as no creaming the fat. Cooked the bigger tin for 5 extra mins and then 5 more mins with the oven switched off, worked out fine. Am freezing a few bars for another week.
Highly recommended.
Helen says
So happy you enjoyed these, Rita, and thanks so much for taking the time to leave your feedback. Always makes my day when someone has enjoyed one of my recipes!
Emma Claire says
It’s easy and delicious recipe. My kids will love this :). Thank you very much for your sharing!!!
Helen says
Hello Emma. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment. I really hope you do give these a go – let me know how they turn out if you do!
mira says
I always love your desserts Helen! This is a great combination! Pinned to try it!
Helen says
Thank you Mira!
Kathleen | Hapa Nom Nom says
Now this is my kind of cake! I’m not so much into those vanilla/chocolate cakes loaded with frosting (although those are good too), but my favorites are always spiced and/or contain fruit. They smell incredible as they’re baking and they’re always so moist and flavorful! And I love how you’ve taken a cake inspiration and turned them into these lovely little bars. Somehow that makes them more versitle throughout the day, i.e. enjoy with your morning coffee/tea, mid-day snack, or dessert 🙂
Helen says
Thank you, Kathleen! I wasn’t sure how popular a twist on fruit cake would be, but I for one have always enjoyed a good fruit cake! Hope you’re doing well!
Denise | Sweet Peas & Saffron says
I’m getting right into the holiday baking this year and love the looks of this cake! Apple and ginger go so well together 🙂
Helen says
Good luck with all that baking, Denise! I bet your kitchen smells wonderful!
[email protected] says
This is the kind of yummy cake I love this time of the year and I love your idea with mulled wine. I can imagine your kitchen smelled so festive and delicious while baking.
Helen says
That’s what I love the most about spicy Christmassy cakes – that smell!!
Eva says
Moi aussi, je préféré ce type des gâteaux à la traditionnel bûche de Noël. J’aime tous les ingrédients que tu as mis dedans, il a l’air vraiment très très bon! A essayer d’urgence!
Helen says
Essaie-les, Eva! 🙂
Shashi at RunninSrilankan says
These simple, easy, finger licking good cake bars sound WONDERFUL, Helen! The dried fruit, the apple, the fresh and candied ginger – wow 0 what a treat each mouthful of this must be – perfect with a cuppa coffee! Looking forward to seeing your Christmas cake recipe someday 🙂
Helen says
Thank you dear Shashi!! Really must try to dig that recipe out!