Gingerbread with Guinness & chocolate

The Guinness in this spicy gingerbread adds a real depth to the recipe and brings out the flavour of the ginger. The pieces of chocolate provide a little luxurious treat.

Ingredients:

• 110g softened butter, plus a little extra for greasing
• 250g plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 3 tbsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 50g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
• 225g black treacle
• 125ml Guinness or other stout
• 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2 eggs
• 200g caster sugar

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180c (gas mark 4)
2. Grease a 23cm10cm loaf tin and line with baking parchment
3. Sift the flour, baking powder and spices together into a bowl and set aside
4. Heat the Guinness and black treacle in a medium saucepan until it reaches boiling point then turn off the heat and carefully stir in the bicarbonate of soda. (Be careful as it with foam up!)
5. In a medium bowl whisk the eggs and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Add the butter and whisk to combine.
6. Whisk the Guinness mixture into the eggs
7. Finally sift the flour mixture into the rest of the ingredients and add the chocolate pieces then gently fold together until combined.
8. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for an hour or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out. Great served warm with ice cream or allowed to cool completely.