Ultimate Treacle Gingerbread Loaf Cake Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is a substitute for treacle in gingerbread? ›

If no liquid sweeteners are available, brown sugar can be a suitable replacement for molasses or black treacle. Because it is a crystalline sugar with molasses added to it, the darker the brown sugar, the more molasses it has, so the closer the flavour is.

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.

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.

Most likely too much bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) was added. Bicarbonate of soda is an extremely active raising agent and if you add too much then the gingerbread will rise up a lot during baking, then sink back fairly dramatically.

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. Compared to treacle, molasses is thicker in consistency and darker in colour.

Treacle is made from the syrup that remains after sugar is refined. Raw sugars are first treated in a process called affination. When dissolved, the resulting liquor contains the minimum of dissolved non-sugars to be removed by treatment with activated carbon or bone char.

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.

chiefly British. a. : molasses. b. : a blend of molasses, invert sugar, and corn syrup used as syrup.

Why is treacle used in baking? ›

Treacle and molasses are thick syrups that are a by-product of sugar refining and are darker and more bitter in flavour than golden syrup. They are invert sugars, so attract moisture and help to keep baked goods moist. They are also useful for sugar-based sauces as they reduce the risk of the sauce crystallizing.

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 your gingerbread cake comes out dry, there could be a few reasons. Overbaking the cake, overmixing the cake, or the oven being too hot will lead to a dry cake.

Keep in mind that the longer the cookies bake, the harder and crunchier they'll be. For soft gingerbread cookies, follow my suggested bake times. Allow cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet.

You have a few things that can go wrong: The oven isn't hot enough. (it needs to set the top before the middle's fully risen) Not enough leavening (it needs to be strong enough to crack the top once it's set)

Treacle, molasses and golden syrup are all from the same family. They all come from sugar cane as a by-product of refining the sugar. Technically golden syrup is treacle by definition, but by flavour, colour and intensity, it is a lighter version of the same syrup.

Maple syrup is made from maple trees and the sugary liquid is reduced to syrup. Golden syrup is made from plants. Golden syrup or light treacle is a thick amber-coloured form of inverted sugar syrup made in the process of refining sugar cane or sugar beet juice into sugar, or by treatment of a sugar solution with acid.

To most, black treacle is known as a slightly smoother version of molasses that some refer to as having a caramelised toffee taste. In industrial applications, black treacle is used as a liquid sweetener, natural colourant and flavouring for sauces, baked products, confectionery and desserts.