Ultimate Treacle Gingerbread Loaf Cake Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Can I use treacle instead of golden syrup in gingerbread? ›

These gingerbread men can be made with golden syrup or treacle. When made with treacle, the gingerbread has a darker colour and stronger flavour than when made with golden syrup. Most of the photos below are of gingerbread made with golden syrup; the darker coloured dough and biscuits are treacle-based gingerbread.

Treacle is a generic British term for any syrup made during the refining of sugar cane. Later, refined sugar became more affordable and overtook treacle as a sweetener. However, colonial Americans often substituted molasses for treacle in their recipes.

It has a robust flavour similar to Cane Treacle, with a more rounded, smoother flavour than molasses. Black treacle is a thick, dark, sugar syrup which is used in rich bakery products, Christmas puddings, rich fruit cakes, toffees, savoury sauces and marinades for cooking.

If you don't have treacle then you can use molasses as an alternative. We would not use extra sugar instead of the treacle as treacle is an invert sugar, which particularly helps to keep the cake moist.

Treacle vs molasses: key differences

Both have a deep, aromatic flavour that adds a unique finish to food and drink recipes, but they are subtly different, with treacle tending to be a sweeter product that has less of a bitter profile than molasses.

It gives a distinctively dark colour, burnt caramel flavour and moisture to baked dishes.

More commonly known as treacle or black treacle or, in the US as blackstrap molasses, molasses are essentially what is left over after cane sugar is boiled to produce sugar and most of the sugar has been extracted.

Treacle is also used in some savory applications, like for curing bacon or glazing meats, much the way molasses is included in American barbecue sauces. As its name implies, black treacle ($10.99, amazon.com) is much darker in color than light (golden) treacle.

Treacle (/ˈtriːkəl/) is any uncrystallised syrup made during the refining of sugar. The most common forms of treacle are golden syrup, a pale variety, and black treacle, a darker variety similar to molasses. Black treacle has a distinctively strong, slightly bitter flavor, and a richer color than golden syrup.

The hole in the center is usually filled with a variety of dried fruits and nuts. In Portugal, it is a popular tradition to include a fava bean in the cake. Whoever finds the fava bean in their slice is considered to have good luck for the coming year.

What is British black treacle? ›

Black treacle is a dark, thick syrup that is a byproduct of refining sugar. It is a product of the U.K. and considered to be the British equivalent of molasses, appearing in many of the country's signature food recipes. Black treacle is used in sweets such as toffee, cakes, puddings, and even some drinks.

The parchment paper and brown paper linings provide some insulation against the heat of the oven, which means that the cake bakes more evenly. If the tin is not lined in this way then the outside of the cake can cook too quickly, leaving the inside undercooked.

Similar to treacle, golden syrup will give your Gingerbread Loaf a warming flavour but also an undeniable punch of extra sweetness. This Gingerbread recipe is a long, slow bake so a moist batter is a must. Milk helps with this and you can use dairy milk or whatever plant milk substitute you prefer (I use soya).

Maple Syrup Cookies are very similar to gingerbread cookies, except I replace the molasses with maple syrup and honey. The result is a soft texture with a lighter ginger maple flavor. Honestly, I prefer a softer gingerbread to a crispier one. Eat them plain or decorate with white cookie icing and sprinkle with sugar.

The classic British treacle tart used to be made with the black treacle before golden syrup became the more popular choice. Using it will darken the colour of your desserts a lot and it has a stronger flavour than golden syrup, meaning it's ok but isn't the best choice for a substitute.

Golden syrup, also called bakers molasses or light treacle, has a golden colour and intensely sweet, butterscotch-like flavour. It is about 25 percent sweeter than regular sugar. ⁠ Treacle is a darker version of golden syrup and is sometimes called dark or black treacle.