I make - Sticky Ginger Cake

This is proper sticky ginger cake, like the store bought version. Thank you Sarah.

Sticky Ginger Cake, adapted from Sarah Howells' Ginger Cake

Ingredients
150 g plain gluten free flour

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

1/4 tsp salt
4 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp mixed spice
75 g butter
75 g honey
75 g treacle
125 g crystallized ginger, finely chopped
25 g honey (to make up the ginger syrup)
125 ml milk
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1.5 tsp baking powder
1 large egg

Preheat the oven to 160'C / Fan 140'C / Gas Mark 3. Line a 2lb loaf tin with a loaf tin liner and set to one side.

Add the butter, honey and treacle to a large saucepan and place on a low heat. Keep stirring until the butter has melted and it's fully combined. Remove from the heat for 1-2 minutes to cool slightly.

Mix the plain gluten free flour, xanthan gum, salt, ground ginger, mixed spice, baking soda and baking powder into a bowl and stir.

In a separate bowl, add the milk and egg to the cooled butter honey mixture, thoroughly whisk.

Sift the flour and spices into the butter-egg mix and whisk together until fully combined. Fold in the chopped stem ginger, and then pour the batter into the baking tin. It should be quite a runny batter.

Place in the centre of a hot oven and bake for 40-50 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean and the cake is starting to come away from the sides of the pan.

Remove from the oven and leave in the tin on a cooling rack until completely cool before slicing. For best results and sticky-ness, leave for at least 24 hours before tucking in - the longer you leave this cake, the better it is!

I make - Nigel Slater's Teatime Fruit Cake

What can I say, Nigel Slater has never let me down. Another fabulous cake to enter colder and darker days with before the festive period starts. 

Nigel Slater's Teatime Fruit Cake, adapted

Ingredients

150-200 g sugar

1/4 tsp salt

125g butter 

2 large eggs
1 1/2 cup gluten free flour

1/2 cup ground almond

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp mixed spice
100ml kefir/yogurt/milk/tea 
1 cup of assorted dried fruit, soaked in 1/4 cup of liquid (water/tea/rum)

1/3 cup of walnut pieces

You will need a metal cake tin, 20cm in diameter (round) or length (square).

Line the cake tin on the base and sides with lightly buttered baking parchment. Preheat the oven to 160C.

I use all-in-one method to prepare the batter. First beat together sugar, salt, butter, eggs and ground almond in a large bowl. Add in flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, vanilla, mixed spice and your choice of liquid. Beat for another minute or two. You should have a cohesive batter, on the thick side. 

Stir in the dried fruit (and the remaining liquid), then transfer to the lined cake tin and lightly smooth the surface with the back of a spoon. Bake the cake for about 35 minutes (the original baking time is 70 minutes). Test for doneness by inserting a metal skewer into the cake. If it comes out with any raw mixture attached, return the cake to the oven for 10 minutes longer then check again. Set the cake to cool in its tin, then remove and leave until cold.

I've Got It!

This is the most transformative year ever.

Not the job I just earned, but the personal transformation I've had. Asking for opportunities to be seen differently and guiding people to see what I can offer. Stepping out of my comfort zone doesn't cut it. It's like walking from north pole to south pole.

I truly have no regrets of doing this. I am apprehensive of what may come but I already started to enjoy the feeling being relied upon for my expertise.

I know I am the lucky one.