McVities CopyCat Jamaican Ginger Cake
This McVities CopyCat Jamaican Ginger Cake recipe has taken me many, many test bakes to get what I believe is the nearest to the real thing. This particular cake has become so well loved by so many people over the years and judging by the number of people who have requested a recipe, it must be one of the nations top 10 choices for a shop bought cake. It’s soft, moist, sticky and delightfully gingery.
Not only is it the ideal partner to a nice cup of tea, it can also be served as a pudding, smothered in nice creamy home made custard too.
Making it couldn’t be easier, simply melt 3 ingredients in a saucepan and add to the dry ingredients, pour into a baking tin and it’s done, simple as that. If you prefer to see my video tutorial, how to do it, then click the video link below.
Jamaica Ginger Cake
Adjust Serving Size
PLEASE NOTE: You can now adjust the number of servings on the recipe below. or on the Print Menu option.
Ingredients
- 175 g Unsalted Butter
- 175 g Black Treacle
- 250 g Plain Flour
- 175 g Muscovado Sugar or any brown sugar
- 1 ½ tsps Bicarbonate of Soda Baking Soda NOT Baking Powder
- ½ tsp Mixed Spice
- 1 tbsp Ground Ginger
- Pinch Salt
Wet Ingredients
- 200 g Whole Milk
- 2 Large Eggs
If you can’t buy Mixed Spice use
- 2 tsps ground cinnamon
- 2 tsps ground nutmeg
- 2 tsps ground allspice
- ⅔ tsps ground cloves
- ⅔ tsps ground ginger
- ⅔ tsps ground coriander
- 1 ½ tsps ground mace
DISCLAIMER
I recommend using the Metric measurements (instead of cups & spoons) for more accuracy and better results.
Instructions
- First, set your oven to 180ºC and grease and line your baking tin wioth parchment.
- Place the Black Treacle, Sugar and Butter in a saucepan over a gentle heat, stirring occasionally until the butter and sugar are dissolved. Do not boil. Add the cold milk and mix, now leave that to cool to around body temperature.
- In the meantime mix all the dry ingredients in a clean dry bowl, making sure it’s big enough to take the dry and liquid ingredients.
- When the Treacle, sugar, butter are all cool you can add the beaten eggs, mix well and add to the dry ingredients, a little at at a time, mixing in between to avoid lumps of dry flour.
- Now pour the cake batter (it will be very runny, that’s correct) into your prepared tin and bake for 45 - 50 minutes or until a skewer comes our clean
- MOST IMPORTANT: DO NOT open the oven door until the cake has been in 40 minutes, otherwise it may well sink in the middle.
- Now follow my direction in the video for wrapping and storing the cake to let it mature, for between a couple of days to a week before eating it.
Paul's Tips
If you can't buy Black Treacle where you live, you can use molasses or go to my 'Make your own Golden Syrup' and caramelize it a little longar to get the dark colour and flavour. Also DO NOT open the oven door until the cake has been in 40 minutes, otherwise it may sink in the middle. PLEASE follow my direction in the video for wrapping the cake and resting it for bset results.
Category: Baking, Cakes, Pastries & Biscuits, Cuisine, Recipes, Teatime Treats, Snacks, Party Food, Vegetarian,, Vegan & Free From, Videos, West Indian
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Hi Don, yes you can freeze it, just make sure it’s well wrapped and allow it to thaw still wrapped until it’s at room temperature
Can you freeze this cake as it’s quite large for two of us so if we could that would great
Tes but it made the batter too wet
Hi Mr. Paul,
I am making your ginger cake today as its my hubby’s favourite! I was hoping to substitute ginger puree for the ground ginger, have you tried this and if so how did it go?!
Thanks for the wonderful feedback Sara, just what I love to hear. I too will be celebrating the Coronation with a few Brits here in Spain. We took a vote on what to have for the main meal and it’s going to be a nice roast rib of beef with all the trimmings including Yorkshire Pudding. I will be doing the cooking on condition they do the washing up.
Hi Mr Paul, I’ve made your Jamaican Ginger Cake as the base cake for my Coronation Trifle for our Coronation Party for UK’s Charles III’s Big Day on Saturday. I burnt the top, oops! But the cake is really light and tastes good, very molassesy. I think it needs a lot more ginger so I’ll adjust next time I make it. I’ll make a very gingery custard for the trifle. I’m a big fan of McVities Jamaican Ginger Cake but couldn’t get it here in Sydney, Australia. In fact our little party is made up of a Trinidadian, a Bajan, a Northern Irish man, who lived in Barbados, and an Australian, who was born in the UK, and came to Oz when he was 8, and has been to Barbados a few times because he’s married to the Trini. That’s me. All Commonwealth or British born, who’ve settled in Sydney, hence, Jamaican Ginger Cake. I was horrified by the amount of sugar in the cake but it is the only cake I’ve made in living memory so for it to turn out pretty right is astonishing. We’re all firm Republicans (in the Australian sense, NOT the USA) but all West Indians love a party so here we go!! Thanks for the recipe. If I can do it, everyone can!
If you watch my video I split mine into two tins (a 1lb Loaf tin and a card container I used in the baker also approx 1lb) so if you use 900g (2lb) loaf tin that will be fine. It’s also unheard of in my Spanish Mountain Village too.
Hi Paul, looking forward to trying this. I live in a very rural part of Spain where ginger cake is unheard of. So the only way I’m going to get to eat it is if I make it. Thanks for coming up with the recipe. Just to confirm, is your recipe for six servings for a 2 lb loaf tin or a different size? Thanks.
excellent! I added fresh ginger and 5 grated ginger stem as i love ginger!
Got it in the oven now