Golden Syrup Cake

I came across the recipe for this cake through a photo posted on Matchbook Magazine's tumblr, and it looked so good I just had to try it. After reading through the original blog entry here, I noticed that something appeared to be missing in the recipe - there was no baking soda or baking powder. Quite a few people posted disappointed comments because they had followed the instructions and their cakes didn't rise. Luckily, some commenters recommended substituting self-raising flour for all purpose flour, as well as doubling the original recipe because the resulting batter was a fairly small amount. So, taking their suggestions on board, I made the cake you see above. It's a pretty basic cake recipe, but I think the use of golden syrup makes it a bit more exciting. Golden syrup is similar to molasses, but much lighter both in color and flavor. It can be found in British import stores, or the international aisles of most grocery stores. I bought mine at Cost Plus.

Ingredients:

• 150 grams (g) butter 
• 100 g sugar
• 4 tbsp golden syrup
• 2 eggs
• 300 g self-raising flour **
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 tbsp milk

**If you don't have self-raising flour, you can make your own by combining 1 cup of all-purpose flour with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp baking powder.

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 350F. 
• Grease a 9" round cake pan.
• Cream butter, sugar, and golden syrup in a bowl.
• Add eggs.
• Stir in flour, then add the vanilla and milk. **
• Pour batter into pan and bake 20-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. 

** I found the batter for this cake so thick and sticky that it was difficult to pour into the tin, so I added about a tablespoon of milk to loosen it up a bit.

The cake, and the golden syrup. It comes in plastic bottles like mine, as well as more ornate cans.

Frosting Ingredients:

• 250 g powdered sugar (sifted)
• 75 g butter
• 2 tbsp golden syrup
• 2 tbsp milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

• Combine the all the ingredients until smooth, and cover the cake. 

The cake is crumbly but moist, and the frosting is sweet, but not too sweet.