There’s something dangerously moreish about this ginger caramel fudge. It’s sweet, buttery and creamy with all those lovely deep caramel notes from brown sugar and syrup, but then the ginger kicks in and gives it a little warm zing that keeps you coming back for “just one more” piece. Honestly, it is impossible to resist.
Truth be told, I’m not exactly president of the Ginger Fan Club, but my father-in-lieu (as opposed to law because he’s not married to my MIL) definitely is. He came for a pre-birthday visit recently and I wanted to make him a special edible treat.
I got the idea while wandering around Waitrose, aka my favourite supermarket where I spotted some ginger fudge. I had a quick look at the ingredients and realised they were very similar to my usual fudge recipe just with some stem ginger added so I thought I’d have a crack.
And crack it I did!
This fudge is sweet, creamy and properly caramelly with ginger powder and chunks of crystalised ginger giving it just the right amount of warmth. It was a big hit with Bryan and everyone else too. Even I was doing sneaky little fridge visits for one more piece.
As for the cutting… every single time I make fudge, I somehow fail to cut it into equal pieces. I prefer to think of it as rustic.
It reminds me of being in primary school with Mrs Munday teaching us fractions. I was sitting next to my bestie Jasmine – still one of my best pals to this day – showing her my new erasers instead of paying attention. The 80s’ were so wholesome – collecting fun erasers could keep you entertained for hours.
Mrs Munday clearly did not share my enthusiasm for erasers because she turned puce and shouted that if I kept playing with my erasers, I’d never understand fractions. Sadly, she was right.
I kept playing with the erasers and I am still terrible at fractions. Ladies and gentlemen, I present Exhibit A: these pieces of fudge. I measured them out with a ruler no less and somehow every single piece is still a different size. LOL!
So if you fancy a fudge that is creamy, caramelly but with a little gingery kick to stop it becoming too sweet, this one is for you. It is so easy to make, perfect for gifting and even better for keeping hidden in the fridge for yourself!
Are you a ginger fan or would you rather stick to classic caramel fudge? And more importantly, can you cut fudge into neat equal pieces or are you as hopeless at fractions as I am?!
Ingredients
170g white chocolate
1 can sweetened condensed milk (not skim)
160g brown sugar
120g butter
75g golden syrup
50g glucose syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
50g crystallised ginger, plus 1 tablespoon extra
How to
- Line a 20x20cm tin with baking paper. I like to brush the tin with water first, it helps the paper stay in place.
- Break up chocolate and place in TM bowl and chop for 5 seconds on speed 9. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Add the condensed milk, sugar, butter, syrups and ground ginger to the TM bowl and cook for 8 minutes at 100C on speed 3 with the measuring cup OFF. (This is really important because you don’t want condensation dripping on to your lovely fudge.)
- Scrape the sides and the bottom of the TM bowl with the spatula.
- Cook again for 20 minutes on Varoma temperature on speed 3 again with the measuring cup OFF.
- When the caramel has finished, working quickly add the chopped chocolate to the mixture and combine for 10 seconds on speed 4.
- Check the chocolate has melted – if necessary mix again for another 5 seconds on speed 4. Then add the 50g crystallised ginger and mix for 5 seconds on speed 4.
- As soon as the ginger is mixed through, carefully pour the mixture into the tin, then scatter over the remaining crystallised ginger, gently pressing it down if necessary.
- Leave the mixture to cool and then pop into the fridge until set (at least 3-4 hours.) Cut into small squares and devour!
