Gingerbread spice, fruit and nut and chocolate orange are just some of the sweet flavours synonymous with winter. But want to know the secret to creating the perfect seasonal bake? According to the expert bakers at Lottie Shaw’s, it’s spices. Here, they share their tips on how to use winter spices to create cakes, cookies and more – plus super simple (and seriously good) recipe for a Winter Warmer Traybake.

Which spices are synonymous with winter, and why?

Cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, star anise, mixed spice and allspice are all typical winter spices. They can have a warming feeling when used in cooking and baking, which is why they’re found in traditional winter recipes from stews and soups to sweet treats like gingerbread and Yorkshire Parkin. They’re used in warming drinks too, like mulled wine and cider to help deliver that famous warm kick.

What other ingredients help to create warming, winter flavours?

Adding cranberries or candied ginger to bakes is a great way to add texture and complement winter flavours. Any recipes already containing fruit can be paired up with a winter spice to make a nice cosy comforting treat.

What sort of bakes do winter spices work best in, and why?

These winter spices work best in biscuits and pies, as well as being added into cakes alongside the hero flavours, for an added dimension. The most well-known bakes with winter spices are pumpkin cake, apple cake, spiced rum cake and even Lottie Shaw’s award-winning Yorkshire Parkin. Use in moderation though, starting small and tasting as you go, so as not to overpower the dish.

Here’s a simple recipe for our favourite Winter Warmer Traybake which uses treacle and spice to give a warming winter kick.

Winter Warmer Cake Recipe

Ingredients

• 25g margarine
• 175g light muscovado sugar
• 200g black treacle (Treacle can be difficult to weigh accurately as it tends to stick to the scale pan. Weigh the treacle on top of the sugar to help overcome this problem).
• 300g self-raising flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground mixed spice
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 4 free-range eggs
• 4 tablespoon milk
• 3 pieces stem ginger from a jar, finely chopped

Icing

• 75g icing sugar, sieved
• 3 tablespoon stem ginger syrup from the jar
• 3 pieces stem ginger from a jar, roughly chopped

Method

1. Cut a rectangle of non-stick baking parchment to fit the base and sides of a 30x23x4cm traybake tin, or loaf tin. Grease the tin and then line with the paper.
2. Preheat the oven to 160°C
3. Measure all the ingredients for the traybake into a large bowl and beat well for about two minutes until well blended. A hand-held electric mixer is best for this but of course you can also mix it by hand with a wooden spoon.
4. Place the mixture into the prepared tin, scraping the sides of the bowl with a plastic spatula to remove all the mixture and level the top gently with the back of the spatula.
5. Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 35-40 minutes, or until the traybake springs back when pressed lightly with a finger or a skewer comes out clean. Allow the traybake to cool a little, then remove the cake from the tin. Turn onto a cooling rack, remove the lining paper and leave to cool completely.
6. To make the icing, mix the icing sugar and ginger syrup together in a small bowl until smooth and a spreading consistency. Pour the icing over the cake, spread gently to the edges with a small palette knife and sprinkle with the chopped stem ginger to decorate.
7. Allow the icing to set before slicing the traybake to serve.

Read more about Lottie Shaw’s winter treats and head to our Instagram page where we’ll share more exciting recipe ideas soon. And, if you make our Winter Warmer Traybake, we’d love to see how you got on. Drop us an email at info@lottieshaws.co.uk with your pictures and decorating ideas.

Don’t worry, if you’re too preoccupied with pressies or tied up with the turkey to get your bake on, Lottie Shaw’s has the perfect winter range to help. With treats from mince pies and fruit cake to gingerbread and truffle fudge, there’s a tasty treat for every winter occasion, from a simple tea break, to tea time on the big day.