Ginger and Walnut Cake with Lemon Buttercream

Although I love to cook healthy food, everyone loves the cheat day, and the big slice of cake that comes with it! So here's a recipe for one of my personal favourites, a moist ginger cake packed with crunchy walnuts and finished with a sweet yet tangy lemon buttercream frosting!

Ingredients:
(For the Cake)
- 200grams of Self-Raising Flour
- 200grams of Sugar
- 1teaspoon of Ground Ginger
- 1teaspoon of Bicarbonate of Soda
- 55grams of Butter
- 1 Egg (Beaten)
- 2tablespoons of Golden Syrup
- 240ml of Hot Water
- 25grams of Walnuts (Chopped)

(For the Filling)
- 100grams of Butter
- 200grams of Icing Sugar (Sifted)
- 1/2 a Lemon (Zest and Juice)

(For the Glaze)
- 50grams of Icing Sugar (Sifted)
- 1/2 a Lemon (Juice)
- A few Walnuts for Decoration

Method:

1) For the Cake: Set the oven to 180'C and grease and line a11" by 7" baking tin with greaseproof paper.

Top Tip: I used two miniature heart shaped baking tins roughly 5" in diameter and 2" deep, making two cute cakes each perfect for four people.

2) Grab a big bowl and mix together the Flour, Sugar, Bicarbonate of Soda before adding the Butter. 

3) Next using your hands, rub the butter with your fingers until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs (patience is a virtue - this may take some time to do correctly!)

4) Once you have your breadcrumb looking mixture, add the Egg, Water, Walnuts and Golden Syrup and stir with a wooden spoon until completely combined.

5) Place the mixture in the baking tin and bake in the preheated over for around 35-40minutes.

6) For the Filling: Combine the Icing Sugar, Butter and Lemon with an electric or hand whisk until light and fluffy, and leave to one side for later!

7) Once the cake has cooled, cut it horizontally across the middle and spread your Lemon Buttercream across the top of one of the halves, then place your second sponge on top.

8) For the Glaze: Combine the Lemon Juice and Icing sugar. You should have a thick but pourable glaze (if the mixture is too runny, add some more Icing Sugar, similarly if the mixture is too thick, add drops of water and stir until pourable)

9) Pour the gaze over the top of the cake, starting in the centre and letting it drip off the edges, finish with a few walnut pieces and enjoy!

Great with a cup of tea on a cold afternoon, and also a perfect recipe to try with children, letting them get stuck in when rubbing the butter (and letting them do all the hard work!)

Charlotte x