Jamaican ginger beer & pineapple bundt cake

This sticky ginger cake has a fantastic open texture, ready to absorb the molasses glaze. Serve as an alternative to Christmas cake or warm with cream

Prep:55 mins
Cook:1 hrs 10 mins

Serves 12
Easy

Nutrition per serving

kcal 597
fat 21g
saturates 2g
carbs 96g
sugars 64g
fibre 2g
protein 6g
salt 0.9g

Ingredients

225ml vegetable oil, plus extra for greasing
75ml full-fat milk
3 tbsp molasses
375g plain flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
300g dark muscovado sugar
1 ½ tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground allspice
300ml buttermilk
100ml ginger beer (we used Old Jamaica)
3 large eggs
227g can pineapple rings in juice, drained and chopped into small chunks (reserve the juice for the glaze)
4 tbsp liquid molasses
200g icing sugar
pineapple juice (from above)
5 rings of dried or glacé pineapple
crystallised ginger, to decorate

Method

Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and brush with oil the inside of a 2.4 -litre non-stick bundt tin. Make sure you get into any corners to ensure the cake doesn’t stick. Pour the milk and molasses into a pan and heat gently, whisking until the molasses has melted, then set aside to cool a little. Combine the flour, baking powder, bicarb, sugar, spices and 1/2 tsp salt in a large bowl. Shake the bowl a few times so any lumps of sugar come to the surface and squeeze through your fingers.
In a jug, mix the oil, buttermilk, ginger beer and eggs. Add the cooled molasses mixture and whisk again, then pour into the dry ingredients, along with the chopped pineapple. Stir everything to combine, then scrape into the tin. Bake for 1 hr until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. If not, return to the oven for another 10 mins and check again. Leave to cool in the tin for 15 mins, then very carefully turn out onto a wire rack.
For the glaze, combine the molasses, icing sugar and pineapple juice in a saucepan and set over a low heat. Whisk until smooth and glossy, then brush generously all over the cooling cake, allowing it to soak in. To serve, top with the glacé pineapple ( hold in place with halved cocktail sticks, if you like), and crystallised ginger. Will keep well in an airtight container for five days.