Ginger and Maple Syrup Gateau
– How to Cheat

What this is is an extremely fast assembly job that turns into a very classy Christmas dessert, which not only looks the business but eats like an absolute dream. I think this is largely due to having discovered a wonderful affinity between maple syrup and ginger. I now can’t wait to match them together again in some form or another!

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

8 pieces of preserved stem ginger in syrup
5 fl oz (150 ml) double cream
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 x 270 g McVitie's Jamaica Ginger Cake

First of all drain the ginger and discard the syrup. You then need to chop six of the pieces of stem ginger fairly finely (you can whiz them in a mini-chopper of processor if you have one). After that the remaining two pieces should be cut into 16 chunks.

Now whip the cream with the maple syrup until it’s fairly stiff. Then spoon 3 tablespoons of it into a bowl and combine with the finely chopped ginger.

Next carefully remove the paper from the cake and turn it on to its side on a board. Now, using a bread knife, cut it into three slices lengthways then place the bottom slice right way up on a serving plate. Spread this slice and the middle slice of the cake with the cream and ginger filling. The re-assemble the cake, pressing the top layer down lightly.

Now cover the whole lot with the rest of the maple cream, and finally place the reserved chunks of ginger on top for decoration. If you want to make this in advance, cover loosely with foil and store in the fridge (but remove it about 45 minutes before serving).

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