Jamaican ginger cake recipe is a gingerbread cake traditionally made in Jamaica as a Christmas dessert.
Jamaican ginger cake is based on a classic British recipe, but it has been adapted by adding spices found in Jamaican cuisine, such as brown sugar, nutmeg, and ground ginger.
Coconut milk may also be added to the batter. It is usually frosted with simple syrup or dusted with icing sugar and then decorated with fresh flowers such as hibiscus or marigolds. Alternatively, Jamaican ginger cake can be topped with grated coconut.
Modern Jamaican ginger cake is sold in Jamaica and abroad, packaged with a decorative label.
Why Is It Called Jamaican Ginger Cake?
The name Jamaican ginger cake is used because of the spiciness of the cake. Gingerbread is a popular British baking recipe and one often found at Christmastime in other locations around the world.
In Jamaica, gingerbread is enjoyed during Christmas and New Year’s holidays and Carnival celebrations. Gingerbread was brought to Jamaica by Caribbean immigrants from the 17th century onward.
The origin of the name “Jamaican ginger cake” remains unclear. A more probable explanation is that the name refers to a recent Jamaican origin rather than an etymological one.
When people talk about “Jamaican ginger cake,” they often refer to a gingerbread called a ‘pudding,’ and the cakes are not cakes but puddings.
How To Make A Jamaican Ginger Cake Recipe?
Preparation Time: 20 mins
Baking Time: 1 hour
Serves 5
Ingredients
- 100g butter or margarine
- 100g dark brown sugar
- 175g golden syrup
- 2 tbsp ginger wine
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 175g self-raising flour
- 4 tsp ground ginger
- 50g fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
- 100g crystallized ginger, finely diced
- 1/2 Tsp Grated nutmeg
- 1/2 Cup Water -room temperature
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup unsalted butter
Instructions
1. Heat the oven to gas 3, 170°C, fan 150°C.
2. Measure out all your ingredients on a work surface and set them aside.
3. Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and add the ground ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir together to combine well, then set aside until needed
4. In a saucepan, melt the butter and measure out the grated nutmeg. Add to the saucepan.
5. Heat up for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool down.
6. Cream the butter in a mixing bowl until soft and pale in color. Add in the golden syrup and ginger wine, beat well until combined. Be careful not to overbeat this mixture as you do not want it too stiff or difficult to work with later in cooking your cake!
7. Add the eggs to the butter mixture, beating well after each addition.
8. Sift in the flour and ground ginger beat on a low speed until just combined. Do not overbeat this mixture, as you will have a tough cake!
9. Add in all the remaining ingredients (except for the crystallized ginger) and mix until evenly combined. Fold in the crystallized ginger and mix until evenly distributed throughout the cake batter.
10. Spoon the cake batter into a lined cake tin and bake in the oven for about 1 hour.
11. Remove from the oven, carefully loosen around the edge of the cake tin with a knife, and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
12. Once cooled, cut into squares and decorate with icing sugar and fresh flowers.
Nutrition Facts Of Jamaican Ginger Cake Recipe
| Nutrition | Amount |
|---|---|
| Calories | 823.4kcal |
| Protein | 5.7g |
| Carbs | 112.1g |
| Fats | 26.7g |
Serving Suggestions
Serve Jamaican ginger cake warm with a dollop of whipped or clotted cream. Refrigerate any leftovers and enjoy chilled.
Best 7 Health Benefits Of Jamaican Ginger Cake Recipe
1: Diabetic Friendly
The Jamaican Ginger Cake recipe is diabetic friendly. If you have diabetes, you can eat this cake without any worry.
2: Heart Healthy
Jamaican Ginger Cake recipe is heart-healthy. Jamaican Ginger cake recipe is full of dietary fibers, which keeps your heart healthy, and it also keeps cholesterol levels to stay low and even helps in lowering blood pressure.
3: It Provides Digestive Health
Jamaican Ginger Cake recipe does provide digestive health. Ginger helps with digestion and other healthy contents like dietary fibers. It works as a great digestive aid. So it helps your digestion system to work optimally.
4: Build Strong Muscles
Jamaican Ginger Cake recipe provides a good source of proteins that helps build strong muscles. We indeed need to eat healthy food like Jamaican Ginger Cake Recipe to avoid muscle pains and cramps or any other problems related to weakness.
5: Helps Digestion and Prevent Constipation
Jamaican Ginger Cake recipe is also helpful in stopping constipation as well, as it provides an excellent source of dietary fibers, which helps you indigestion.
6: Jamaican Ginger Cake Recipe Can Help In Weight Loss
Jamaican Ginger Cake recipe is a good option for weight loss because it helps keep you full for longer, and it’s very easy to make. You can have it with a cup of milk or tea and put it on the table.
7: Jamaican Ginger Cake Recipe Can Boost Your Immune System
Finally, Jamaican Ginger Cake Recipe contains vitamin A which helps in boosting your immune system and helps in preventing you from any sickness.
Vitamins A is a crucial vitamin only gotten from food, and it plays a major role in keeping the immune system healthy.
How To Store Jamaican Ginger Cake Recipe?
Jamaican ginger cake recipe can be stored for about 2-3 days at room temperature or about a week when refrigerated. Make sure to store it in an air-tight container.
How Much Does Jamaican Ginger Cake Recipe Cost?
Jamaican Ginger Cake recipe costs about $2.8 per slice. The cost of ingredients depends on where you live. Here my bill was $15.00 for the whole cake, and I used a mix of fresh flowers and icing sugar to decorate the cake. You can use other edible flowers or leave them undecorated if you like.
Can You Freeze Jamaican Ginger Cake Recipe?
You can freeze Jamaican Ginger Cake Recipe for about 2-3 months, wrap it well with aluminum foil or a plastic sheet and store it in a freezer bag. Make sure to defrost Jamaican Ginger Cake Recipe before eating.
Final Thoughts
In this recipe, we have used ginger for a reason. It’s a very important ingredient to make the taste exquisite. In addition to that, it also lowers cholesterol levels.
When you add fruit and nuts, ginger will give you an exciting taste, and it can also help prevent you from any heart problems by lowering your cholesterol levels. So Jamaican Ginger Cake Recipe is not only flavorful, but it’s also healthy as well! Enjoy!