Ginger/Lemon “Cake”

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“Cake” because it’s not really a cake, but a sort of pudding/dessert you can cut like a cake.

You will need a couple of packets of lemon shortcake biscuits ( Duchy ones are good), a pint or so of double cream and a jar of preserved stem ginger in syrup. And that is all folks.

What you do.

  1. You lightly oil a 2 pint basin. You then line it with cling film. This will involve a great deal of swearing, hurling of cling film across the room, demands to know which demon from the seventh pit of hell invented cling film and possibly some crying, but preserve, it will be worth it in the end.
  2. Open jar of ginger and remove one lump. Slice off six very thin circle and arrange in the bottom of the basin like a flower with five petals. You don’t have to do this, but it looks pretty when you turn it out and makes people think you’ve taken more trouble than you have.
  3. Chop the rest of the lump and three more into tiny dice
  4. Lick ginger syrup off fingers and resolve firmly to not touch the delicious syrup in the jar as you are going to need it. Give yourself a serious talk if necessary.
  5. Whip the cream to the floppy stage. Fold in three spoonfuls of the yummy syrup from the jar making sure you leave enough to cover any remaining ginger. Next fold in the chopped ginger. Put to one side….and leave it alone! It doesn’t need to be checked to make sure it is nice or you will end up with none left.
  6. Put the shortbread in a plastic bag and thump them with something heavy. Aim at rubble not dust.
  7. Ready to assemble. Start with cream, put in enough to cover your ginger flower then add a layer of shortbread rubble. Alternate until you have either used up all the crumb and cream or you reach the top of the basin.
  8. Cover top with more cling and refrigerate for at least 12 hours, over night is good.
  9. To serve, turn out onto a plate removing all trace of cling.

I promise your taste buds will love you forever.

Don’t like ginger…. try plain shortbread with orange zest, a little sugar and candied orange peel in the cream. Or…and this is SO good…lavender shortbread with lemon zest and sugar in the cream and served with strawberry sauce.