Ginger & treacle cake with ice cream

500 g plain flour , plus extra for greasing

4 teaspoons ground ginger

1½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

250 g treacle, golden syrup or light molasses

75 g light brown sugar

125 g unsalted butter , plus extra for greasing

200 ml milk

1 tablespoon crème fraîche

1 orange

1 tablespoon brandy

2 large free-range eggs

TO SERVE

strawberries

golden rum

icing sugar

vanilla ice cream slab

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180ºC/gas 4.
2. Sift together the flour, ginger, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg with 1 teaspoon of sea salt into a bowl.
3. In a saucepan over a low heat, combine the treacle, sugar and butter, then simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
   
   Allow the treacle mixture to cool until lukewarm then stir it into the flour mixture. Add milk and crème fraîche and stir again. Squeeze in the orange juice, then add the brandy, beat and add the eggs, then stir to a smooth batter.
   
   Pour into lightly buttered and floured 24cm square baking tin and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin.
4. While the __cake is cooling, hull and slice the strawberries, then macerate them in twice as much rum to icing sugar.
5. When the __cake is cool, cut it into 3cm slices, then in half again. Top a piece of cake with a slab of ice cream, another piece of cake, more ice cream, then strawberries.

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