Gingerbread Butter Sandwiches

1. Pre-heat the oven 180C

2. Put the butter, sugar, golden syrup and treacle together in a saucepan. Set over medium heat and heat gently, stirring on occasion, until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved.

3. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool down for approx 10 minutes. Meanwhile grease and line a 2lb loaf tin with non stick parchment paper. Measure the milk into a pyrex jug, add the eggs and beat in.

4. Measure the spices and flour into a bowl.

5. Pour the milk and egg mixture into the syrup mixture in the pan and beat to combine. Finally, sift the dry ingredients into the pan, mixing until thoroughly combined into a wet batter. Pour the mixture into your prepared tin.

6. Bake for about 50-60 minutes, until a skewer pushed into the centre of the cake comes out fairly clean. Leave in the tin to cool slightly, before transferring to cooling rack to cool completely. I ideally like to make the loaf the day/night before cutting.

7. When ready to cut into your loaf and create your sandwiches, prepare your gingerbread butter. Beat the butter in a stand mixer or with a handheld electric whisk, until soft and pale. Sift the icing sugar and ground ginger into the bowl beating into the butter until thoroughly combined. Covering the bowl with a tea towel helps to prevent a cloud of sugar escaping during this beating in stage! Beat until smooth, creamy and almost white. I recommend beating for up to 5/10 minutes at full speed to create a really light and fluffy finish. Finally turn the mixer down to slow to beat out any air bubbles and use a hand held spatula to knock out any remained ones.

8. Cut the loaf cake into slices about 1cm thick. Spread the slices with the gingerbread butter and sandwich together. Cut into triangles.

Optional Gingerbread Butter Crackers:

9. To create Gingerbread butter crackers, spoon a couple of tablespoons of the butter on to the inside of your empty butter wrappers. Shape into a small log using the wrapper and place in the fridge to chill and set. Once solid, uncurl the wrapper and cut the ends to create a neat cylindrical shape. Wrap back up and shape the ends into a cracker.