Ginger & Jam cakes with Roasted Strawberries

Gingy Jammies

I have previously mentioned that baking is my calorific therapy. Observe:

When life gives me lemons, I make Lemon Curd.
When life makes me stressed, I invert it and make desserts.
I turn my frowns upside down by making Apple Turnovers.
I turn my woes into Whoopie (pies)
I transform my jams into Jammies! 


However, at times, my baking expeditions lead to unexpected revelations. In my quest to make Gingy Jammies (as I had envisioned them in my mind's eye) I used 8 hours, 4 punnets of strawberries, 3 batters and 1 amazingly patient friend. Before I go any further it is necessary to give you a brief insight into myself. I am no perfectionist. I thrive in organised chaos and I use the word "rustic" as a trendy band- aid to explain any meal served in foil, unfinished project or unexplained mess. So this is why no one was more surprised than I, that I drove myself to the brink of baking madness (think: covered head to toe in flour, repeatedly muttering "Ginger and berries and jam, oh my! Ginger and berries and jam, oh my!") in order to perfect these little loaves. Somewhere at the 4 hour mark, my dear friend (who had taken up the onus of washing the bowls in between failed attempts) looked at me and with a tone of solemn severity said "I would go to war with you".

It would appear that at some point this baking adventure had moved into the trenches and during the height of baking battle had revealed a steely determination deep within me, that had manifested itself in a slightly deranged fixation. The strawberry jam had become war paint, that was streaked combat style on my cheekbones. My wooden spoon had become a warrior's sword, that I thrust into the air, followed by my Braveheart-esque war cry of: "Never give up, never surrender!" With that, we pushed forwards through the heavy batter spattered front-line. Though the battle was arduous and the baking casualties high (with the sinking lows of cake centers), there was indeed a victory in the form of delicate ginger cakes with hearts of jam, topped with roasted lemon-lime strawberries.

There was another unexpected victory, an unseen bake-through. There it was; a realization that while I may be disorganized, messy and "rustic", when it counts, I can summon a stubbornness that defies logic and sanity. Now the challenge; bottle this mentality and apply generously to the pile of chores, washing and dishes in the sink!     



Roasted strawberries

1 punnet of Strawberries (leaves removed - they ARE poisonous)
2 tablespoons caster sugar
Zest of one lemon
Zest of one lemon

Slice the strawberries and place onto a lined baking tray. Sprinkle with caster sugar and grated zests. Allow them to sit for 5 minutes (or until you see juices starting to form). Then bake for 10 minutes uncovered at 200 degrees Celsius. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Ginger Tea cake 

120g margarine
1 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
4 tsp vanilla essence
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp mixed spice
2 cups self raising flour
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup pulp free orange juice
Strawberry Jam 

Lower the oven to 180 degrees. Line and grease and 8 hole mini loaf tin. After some messy disaster (see the war report above) I found the best way to line the tins for easy removal is to cut a strip of baking paper wide enough to cover the base and long enough to overhang the tray and come out the sides of the tin.

Cream margarine, sugar, eggs and essence for two minutes. Add the combined sifted flour and spices alternating with the mixed maple syrup and orange juice until finished (ending with the flour). Fill each mini loaf 1/3 full with batter. Then using teaspoons dollop two drops of jam on top of the batter (my tip is to avoid putting the jam in the center and rather aim for either end of the mini-loaf. This is because you want the cake to rise in the middle, if there is too much jam in the center, it will remain moist and sink when removed from the oven. This message is brought to you courtesy of two failed batches!) Using the remaining batter, carefully cover the jam and continue filling till the mini-loaf is 3/4 way full.

Bake for 15 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean (just remember the jam in the cakes and aim to test in the center to avoid a "strawberry jam bleed"!) Remove the cakes from the oven and leave them to rest in the tin for 5 minutes. Use a knife to loosen the two sides which are exposed to the tin and then grab the overhanging baking baking and life the cakes out onto a cooling rack.

Once the cakes are cool, and you are reading the serve them, spoon the roasted strawberries on top.
Enjoy these Gingy Jammies by jamming them in your mouth one forkful at a time!