A deliciously dark and warming afternoon treat, this ginger and spice packed loaf gets better with each passing day and makes you think of cool country afternoons by the fire, a cup of tea in hand. Adapted from A Basket By The Door - Sophie Hanson.
Preheat oven to 180°C convention (350°F) / 160°C fan-forced/convection (320°F). Grease a loaf tin (I used a 24cm X 10cm tin) and line it with baking paper.
Sift the flour, baking powder, ground ginger, mixed spice, cardamom and salt in a large bowl.
Place olive oil, sugar, molasses and yoghurt in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat for a couple of minutes until light and fluffy. Add eggs and continue beating for another minute until creamy.
Put hot water and bicarbonate of soda in a small bowl and mix well. Add this to the egg mixture and mix gently by hand. Add the dry flour mixture to this wet mixture along with the grated and crystallized ginger. Gently fold a couple of times until thoroughly incorporated.
Spoon into the prepared tin and bake in the pre-heated oven for approximately 45-50 minutes until the loaf feels springy and pulls away from the edges.
Remove from the oven and cool in the tin.
Enjoy warm or toasted. Individual slices can be wrapped in baking paper and stored in ziplock bags in the freezer for up to a month. The loaf itself will keep in a cool corner of your kitchen for 4 days.
Notes
If you don't have molasses, substitute with maple syrup or dark agave syrup.