With vanilla poached rhubarb and Devon clotted cream.


Serves: 12 

• 100g caster sugar
• 125g butter
• 1 egg
• 225ml treacle
• 300g plain flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 250ml hot water
• 1 Vanilla pod split
• 1 Orange cut into chunks
• 250 ml water
• 150gm Caster sugar
• 5 rhubarb stick cut into 60 pieces
• Clotted cream

Heat oven to 180 C / Gas mark 4. Grease and flour a 23cm (9 in) square tin.   In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the egg, and mix in the treacle.

In a bowl, sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Blend into the creamed mixture. Stir in the hot water. Pour into the prepared tin. 

Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven, until a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool in tin before serving.

Dissolve the remaining caster sugar and water in a saucepan, add the orange and vanilla and bring to a boil.

Simmer gently for 5-6 minutes until all the sugar is dissolved.

Add the chunks of rhubarb, and bring back to a gentle boil, remove from the stove and let cool, remove the rhubarb chunks, and keep aside, reduce the remaining liquid by 50% to make a light syrup.

To plate up place a warmed piece of ginger cake on the plate with 5 pieces of rhubarb, place a large quenelle of clotted cream on the plate, drizzle with the syrup and dust with icing sugar.