CAKES, BAKES & COOKIES: Chocolate & Ginger Cake (to try)

My dear friend Cat just sent me this recipe that I definitely want to try, so I thought I would post before I go and lose it....

Chocolate Ginger Cake

One Christmas, Margaret Ruhl created this recipe as a surprise for her husband who is a connoisseur of chocolate-coated ginger. It tastes and looks fantastic with spikes of ginger rising up out of the icing and is an absolute must for any ginger and chocolate fiend.

Preparation time:	15 minutes
Cooking time:	1 hour
Use:	18 or 20cm (7in or 8in) round cake tin

CAKE

• 150g (5oz) caster sugar
• 150g (5oz) unsalted butter
• 3 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons of syrup from a jar of stem ginger
• 150g (5oz) self-raising flour
• 35g (11/4 oz) cocoa powder
• 100g (31/2 oz) stem ginger, finely chopped

ICING

• 100g (31/2 oz) crystallised ginger
• 100g (31/2 oz) dark chocolate, minimum 60% cocoa solids, broken into pieces

To make the cake, preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Line the base of the cake tin with greaseproof paper. Cream the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, then add the stem ginger syrup, and lightly beat again. Sift the flour and cocoa, fold them into the mixture, then fold in the finely chopped stem ginger.
Pour into the cake tin and bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out on to a wire rack, leaving the paper on. Allow to cool before making the icing.
To make the icing, finely chop the ginger. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl suspended over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Add the ginger and stir well. Once the cake has cooled pour the icing over the cake using a palette knife to spread it.
HINT: This cake is just as delicious with melted Maya Gold Chocolate poured over it.

I'll of course let you know once I've tried it, how it turns out. x