While my two boys, and no doubt as are countless children all over the world, are starting to get very excited about Christmas, and looking forward to a visit from Father Christmas, I know that Burton and Jenson do not really need any new toys. I mean they have plenty already, some of which they rarely play with anymore, but of course it is Christmas, and of course I want to let them have presents and see their excitement, as they believe that Santa has delivered them.
However, what my boys are far too young to realise and appreciate, is how lucky they actually are all year round, let alone at Christmas time. Whenever the pair of them moan about a meal I have made them which they do not like the look/sound/taste of (*groans*), I often try to explain to them how lucky they are to have a meal, someting to eat and to not have to go hungry. That they have clean water to drink and wash with, and a house with a bed and a toilet, and a family to love and love them back. So many children in many parts of the world do not have such things that my boys, and even I, take for granted every single day. They won’t be getting a new batch of toys for Christmas and probably don’t even have any toys throughout the rest of the year.
This is why the Action Aid Christmas Campaign is asking people to sponsor a child at Christmas because 2,700 children urgently need sponsors to give them hope, to stop them from starving , being ill or in danger. Action Aid work in over 40 countries around the world, but this Christmas they are focusing on six countries in particular as they are the ones in the most need. These countries are: Malawi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ghana, The Gambia, Afghanistan and Myanmar.
I was asked to devise a recipe using ingredients which derive from these six countries, as part of the #BakeADifference part of the campaign. I decided to make a cake, obviously, using 3 main ingredients – chocolate (cocoa powder which derives from Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) ) , ginger (grown in Ghana) and banana (exported from Malawi), to make a Chocolate, Ginger and Banana Cake .
- 200g vegetable oil
- 1 large ripe banana
- 200g caster sugar
- 3 eggs
- 175g self raising flour
- 25g good quality cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp ginger preserve
- *For The Frosting*
- 1 tbsp ginger preserve
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 200g icing sugar
- 100g unsalted butter
- chocolate sprinkles for decoration
- pre heat the oven to 180oC / 160oC (fan)
- grease and line 2 x 8 inch cake tins
- put the oil, banana and sugar into a bowl and beat well - I used my mixer but if doing this by hand, I would suggest you mashed the banana first
- after a few minutes, add the eggs, the ground ginger and a spoonful of the flour and beat well for another couple of minutes
- Fold in the remaining flour and the cocoa powder
- Stir in the ginger preserve
- Pour into the 2 prepared cake tins and cook in the oven for approx 25 minutes until risen and cooked right through. Then remove from the oven and allow to cool completely
- Meanwhile, make your frosting
- beat the butter until smooth and creamy
- carefully add the sugar in 3 batches, and beat with the butter to make a smooth buttercream
- add the ginger and ginger preserve and mix in well
- Once the cake has cooled completely, sandwich the sponges together with half of the frosting
- then top the cake with the remainder of the frosting
- then add your sprinkles and then enjoy 🙂
This was a delicious cake with a moist, chocolately sponge, that had a slight heat from the ginger, which I personally like a lot! If you prefer yours with less ginger, then you can reduce the quantity in your cake.
While my boys are too young to understand how fortunate they really are at Christmas and all year round, it is when I see photos of children like Pascal that I am reminded how lucky I have been all of my life too.
Aged just 10 years old , Pascal lives in the Democratic Republic of Congo and he is holding his only possession, the only thing he owns – a white plastic container for water. He does not know what Christmas is like, the way my boys do. It really makes you think, doesn’t it how truely fortunate we are, and our children too.
If you would like to sponsor a child or find out more information about the Action Aid Christmas Campaign, please visit their page . The hashtag on twitter is #GiveAFuture
I was asked to devise a recipe and help spread the word about the Action Aid Christmas Campaign. I have done so happily without any financial compensation.
linking up to Supergolden Bakes
ooh yum! I love ginger preserve, especially in buttercream!
A great recipe and a great cause to be highlighting. I am forever telling my kids how lucky they are but it is hard for them to really understand that. Perhaps rather than buy them loads of things they don’t need this year I will sponsor a child instead. I wonder how that would go down?!
Seems yummy, even though I never tried mixing ginger with chocolate/banana
Such an important message. I am the same with my girls trying to explain how lucky they are. Thank you for sharing and for the recipe, it looks really yummy!
Sounds like a wonderful recipe, looks beautiful and for a fantastic cause too. Well done 🙂 x #TastyTuesdays
This is a great cause! Wow that cake looks delicious, oh I miss cake!! I’ll be glad when I can have some again but first I need to loose some #GBBO weight xx
What a great cause thanks for sharing and your cake looks incredible. Thanks for linking up to #tastytuesdays
I always put a banana in my chocolate cakes as it keeps them moist. Yum! #Tastytuesday