Cocoa-nut Gingerbread is a traditional British recipe, based on Eliza Acton's recipe of 1845, for a classic gingerbread cakes made from a flour, rice flour, lemon zest, ginger, treacle, sugar, butter and coconut batter that's dropped onto baking trays by the tablespoon and oven baked. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Cocoa-nut Gingerbread.
(click this button to prevent the screen from sleeping so Cook Mode is 'ON')
This is a traditional British recipe redacted from Eliza Acton's 1845 volume Modern Cookery, the first classic Victorian cookbook.
Original Recipe
COCOA-NUT GINGERBREAD
(Original Receipts.)
Mix well together ten ounces of fine wheaten flour, and six of flour of rice (or rice ground to powder), the grated rind of a lemon, and three-quarters of an ounce of ginger : pour nearly boiling upon these a pound of treacle, five ounces of fresh butter, and five of sugar, melted together in a saucepan; beat the mixture, which will be almost a batter, with a wooden spoon, and when quite smooth leave it until its is perfectly cold, then add to it five ounces of grated cocoa-nut, and when it is thoroughly blended with the other ingredients, lay the paste in small heaps upon a buttered tin, and bake them in a very slow oven from half to three-quarters of an hour.
Mix together the flours, lemon zest and ground ginger in a heat-proof bowl.
Combine the treacle, sugar and butter in a saucepan. Heat gently until the ingredients have melted and combined then increase the heat slightly and bring almost to the boil.
Take off the heat them pour over the dry ingredients. Beat well with a wooden spoon until completely combined and smooth. Set aside to cool completely then work in the grated coconut.
Line a baking tray with greaseproof (waxed) paper and drop the batter by the heaped tablespoons onto it, mounding then slightly (allow room to spread whilst cooking).
Transfer to an oven pre-heated to 160°C and bake for about 40 minutes, or until done through. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before serving.
