Michelle Darmody: How to bake my ginger and damson cake — and mistakes to avoid

"Damsons were first introduced to the country by monks during the Norman period. People of the time were said to make a ‘fruit cheese’ from the damsons which sounds a little like a Spanish membrillo."
Michelle Darmody: How to bake my ginger and damson cake — and mistakes to avoid

"Damsons grow wild in many parts of the country and have long been associated with Irish food lore."

Plums, such as damsons, sit side by side with ginger in the classic jam combination, the ginger bringing a hint of warmth throughout the winter months as the jam is spread on hot buttered toast. 

Damsons are small ovoid plums, with an elongated shape and a dusty hue covering the deep inky purple skin. 

They have a wonderfully rich yet tart flavour which makes them good for cooking or baking as they are a little sour for many people when eaten raw.

Damsons grow wild in many parts of the country and have long been associated with Irish food lore. 

They were first introduced to the country by monks during the Norman period. People of the time were said to make a ‘fruit cheese’ from the damsons which sounds a little like a Spanish membrillo. 

Their skins were also useful for creating dyes and they had some medicinal purposes. Damson wine recipes appear in Ireland from the 16th century onwards, and it was often made within households.

Ginger & Damson Cake

recipe by:Michelle Darmody

Damsons grow wild in many parts of the country and have long been associated with Irish food lore. They were first introduced to the county by monks during the Norman period.

Ginger & Damson Cake

Servings

10

Preparation Time

20 mins

Cooking Time

45 mins

Total Time

1 hours 5 mins

Course

Baking

Ingredients

  • 90g treacle

  • 170g golden syrup

  • 200g butter

  • 80g light muscovado sugar

  • 250g self raising flour

  • 2 tsp ground ginger

  • 100g porridge oats

  • 2 tbs milk

  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten

  • 400g of damsons, stones removed and sliced

Method

  1. 1. Preheat your oven to 170ºC/gas mark 3

  2. 2. Grease a 10-inch round cake tin and line the base with a parchment disc.

  3. 3. Add the treacle, golden syrup, butter and sugar into a saucepan and heat gently over a very low heat until combined. Set aside.

  4. 4. Sieve the flour and powdered ginger together, stir in the porridge oats and set aside.

  5. 5. Stir the milk into the eggs.

  6. 6. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the two other mixtures. Stir until combined into a batter.

  7. 7. Scoop the batter into your prepared tin and dot the damson slices on top.

  8. 8. Bake for about 45 minutes or until baked through.

  9. 9. Allow to cool in the tin.

Baker's tips

  • Measuring treacle or golden syrup can be sticky business; to help you navigate the process you can dip your spoon or measuring cups into boiling water before scooping the treacle or syrup onto the weighing scales. The hot water allows the viscous, sticky liquids to slide off more easily.
  • Molasses and treacle are both byproducts of the sugar-making process. You can use molasses or blackstrap molasses in place of the treacle in this recipe. The two ingredients have a similar flavour profile and act the same way during baking. Molasses, however, has a slightly heavier, more astringent, and smokier flavour than treacle, so will give your cake a darker, richer colour than treacle might. Treacle has been refined more.
  • I find it is best to use a heavy saucepan to dissolve the treacle, syrup, sugar and butter and to do it over a very low heat. You can give it a few stirs. It is wise not to allow the mixture to start to burn at the edges, it will crystallise if you do. If you feel it is beginning to bubble, turn the heat off for a few seconds, give it a stir and then continue with a lower heat.
  • It is best to leave the treacle mixture sit for about ten minutes while you prepare the other ingredients. If you add a mixture that is very hot along with the eggs, there is a fear that the egg will curdle.
  • Some wild varieties of damsons are particularly tart, but they should sweeten up when baked. If you are a little unsure you can always dust some icing sugar over the cake before you bake it. The sugar will mingle with the damsons dotted on top as they bake and soften.
  • The cake will store in an airtight container for a few days in a cool place. It does not freeze very well as the damsons get mushy when defrosted.

Three delicious variations

Pear and ginger cake

  • Pears and plums substitute very easily for damson in this recipe as do apples. 
  • You can substitute any of these autumn fruits, gramme for gramme. 
  • The weight is for the fruit after the stone or core have been removed.

Extra gingery version

  • By adding stem ginger, both the ginger pieces and the stem ginger syrup, you really increase the ginger sensation of the cake. 
  • I would leave out the damsons and top this version with a simple icing made of icing sugar and orange juice. 
  • I use about 40g of stem ginger, diced and add two tablespoons of the syrup from the jar to the batter. 
  • When the cake has completely cooled you can mix 150g of icing sugar with a few teaspoons of freshly squeezed orange juice. 
  • Add the juice a little at a time and stir each addition into the icing sugar completely before adding the next drop.

Ginger cake topped with dark chocolate

  • For this version, replace the fruit with 150g of dark chocolate pieces and 30g of diced stem ginger. 
  • Add both to the batter before you pour it into the tin. 
  • Once baked and cooled top with a chocolate ganache.

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