I can still clearly remember my first encounter with Golden Syrup. I’d seen the infamous tin in Granny’s baking cupboard but it wasn’t until we first tried baking what would become my favourite cookie recipe that I really tasted this gold elixir. It’s a staple in British baking and most definitely the star ingredient of this Golden Syrup Cake.
There really isn’t anything quite like Golden Syrup and it pains me to think it’s not readily available all over the world. But if there’s one international ingredient you pay excessive shipping cost, let it be this! And let your first recipe be this indescribable Golden Syrup Cake.
Exceptionally moist, tooth-achingly sweet and the familiar comforting taste of Golden Syrup – what more could you ask for in a cake? Oh that’s right, easy to make too!
What is Golden Syrup?
Golden Syrup is a popular baking ingredient in the UK… But what is it? Where can you get it? And what can you use as a substitute?
My in-depth Golden Syrup Guide has all the answers to your questions!
It’s not often that baking improves with time – aside from the likes of Christmas cake and Black Bun – but this Golden Syrup Cake is best made a little in advance of when you plan to eat it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s delicious straight from the oven but it’s even better after a few days, allowing the flavours to deepen and the glaze of golden syrup to sink in.
Whether you decide to make this to slice up amongst friends or as a dessert with a scoop of ice cream or a generous helping of custard, I promise you’ll be asked for seconds and to share the recipe.
Love this? Try this:
Golden Syrup Cake
PRINT RECIPEIngredients
- 100 g Butter or Margarine
- 50 g Caster Sugar
- 50 g Soft Brown Sugar
- 200 g
Golden Syrup - 200 g Self-raising Flour
- 1 Free-range Egg
- 150 ml Milk
- 2 tbsp
Golden Syrup
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 160°c (140°c for a fan-assisted oven) and grease & line a 2lb loaf tin
with grease-proof paper.
- Place the butter, syrup and sugars into a medium pan and heat gently until the ingredients are just melted together, stirring occasionally. Once melted together, set aside and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes.
- In a small bowl/jug, beat the milk and egg together. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, sift the flour. Add the egg/milk mixture and the cooled syrup mixture and beat until combined and you have a lump free batter.
- Pour the mixture into your pre-lined loaf tin.
- Bake in your pre-heated oven for around 1 hour until golden on top and a skewer inserted comes out clean.
- Leave to cool for 10 minutes before poking the cake all over with a skewer and spreading 2 tablespoons of golden syrup over the top.
- Allow to cool completely before serving. For best results, leave the cake in the greaseproof lining & add a piece of extra greaseproof paper
to the top, before wrapping in tin foil for a few days before serving. This will give a deeper flavour to the cake.
with grease-proof paper.
to the top, before wrapping in tin foil for a few days before serving. This will give a deeper flavour to the cake.
89 Responses
Yummmmmmy, I love golden syrup, how it adds flavour to any bake. So love your golden syrup cake.
Hello, what size of loaf tin do I use, 1lb or 2lb? Thanks
I haven’t made this yet, but I’d say 2lb going by the ingredients x
Thanks, Barbara! You’re right, a 2lb tin is what I recommend. I had replied to Morag’s query on Facebook and completely forgot to comment here too. Will add a note to the recipe though :)
One egg or two eggs please?
my mum use to buy the Tate & Lyle golden syrup cake, and I have to say yours looks better and soooo delicious! what a gorgeous colour too. thank you for linking to #Bakeoftheweek x
Oh my boys would love this! #bakeoftheweek
The cake looks gorgeously golden and perfectly baked!
I had to bake the cake for 1 hour at 140.c fan assisted oven dose look great and look forward to trying it out
I need measurements in cups
Hello Lucille. Thanks for commenting. As we are based in the UK, our recipes are done using the metric system. Cups are not commonly used here so it’s not something I could convert too for you at present. I do have plans to put together a metric>cups converter in the near future, since our US audience is growing. I’ll be sure to pop a copy on this recipe once complete, or if you’d like to send me an email I can let you know when it is live.
As a Brit now living in the US I found that buying a set of weighing scales which has a kilogram button and lb/ounces button works well using my English recipes in the US
I bought my scales in Bed Bath and Beyond. Hope this helps
I also have a conversion chart for cups etc
Annie
I have a replied below how I overcome that problem being a Brit living in the US
It amazes me that Americans always want things converted to their measurements, but very rarely convert their recipes to metric. There are tons of convertors online – do it yourself!
Ps great recipe
I’m American and I convert recipes all the time. Prefer to weigh ingredients out when baking . The bakes just turn out better and more consistent every time.
This cake is to die for :)
I use http://www.onlineconversion.com/cooking.htm to covert between UK and USA recipes. Been using it for years and it has never failed me!
Found this recipe by chance, looking to use up some golden syrup. WOW!! I love it and this is definitely going to be a firm favourite in our household. Thank you.
I made this today and it’s good but I think would have benefited from longer in the oven. I notice your gingerbread has to cook for an hour. They are similar mixtures, why the different cooking time? Thank you,
Hi is the mixture ment to be quite runny . I added more flour to see if that would thicken it but didnt realli do much
Absolutely love this cake!!!! Made one at the weekend and by Wednesday was asked to make another as we’d eaten it all. Really easy to make. Thoroughly recommend this recipe.
I made this yesterday and wrapped it (reluctantly I might add!) I gave in this evening when 3 of my four grown up sons and husband ‘needed’ to try it! Omg! It is gorgeous!! Thank you for the recipe. It it delicious without custard but we all love a real custard pudding so I shall just have to make another! Just one thing….. mine didn’t rise as much as yours and I did use a 2lb tin do some of,yours come out a little ‘flatter?’
Very many thanks,
Sallyann
I have just put mine in the oven, the mixture was very runny so fingers crossed
I’m just putting it in the oven to cook, the mixture looks a bit runny so fingers crossed
Just found your website by chance and tried this beautiful golden syrup cake. It’s fair to say that it is a very simple recipe to follow but the results are perfect, could easily have been passed of as a well known brand cake of a similar name. Can’t wait to try some of the other delightful recipes on the website.
Thank you for this recipe. I just made it and it’s amazing!
Oh my its a very runny mixture fingers crossed!!!
I made this yesterday, it was very runny, I thought to much liquid for just 200 grams of flour . When cooked the middle was solid, very disappointed. I weighed everything
, cooked at right temp.
made this cake this morning for pudding after dinner and it tastes great very easy to make too x
I made this today and it’s absolutely a winner. Delicious
I just have to comment! As someone who never follows anyone else’s recipe to the letter I was amazed and shocked that when I followed this recipe it came out perfect. I must say this recipe is amazingly easy and the cake delicious. I will be using it time and time again. Thank you for posting it!
I tried it and it turned out AMAZING. It is very soft, moist and it melts in your mouth. Doesn any one know how much calories this has?
So in the whole cake you have about 2,500 calories, it will depend how big your slices are.
I’m happy to be part of ur many yummy recipes and look forward to try to duplicate and eat ur delicious recipes. Thank you
just about to put this in the oven, I added a teaspoon of cinnamon I hope you don’t mind? cannot wait to share this with my family… cheers
Fantastic made one tried to save it to let it deepen menfolk found it ….made several more still havnt managed to hide it well enough can honestly say it’s a winner!
Will the golden syrup cake freeze if I can keep folks away from it?
Apart from the Christmas period, I’ve almost certainly made this gorgeous syrup cake more than any other in the six or seven months since I discovered it. It’s not only completely delicious, it’s so simple that it’s an absolute fail-safe. In my fan oven it takes virtually bang on on an hour every single time. I can’t fault it. Highly recommended.
Delicious!! Massive hit with the whole family…will definitely make it again! Lush with custard
Loved the cake. So easy to make & so flavorful. Thanks for sharing.
I made this today and it was fantastic!
One if my sons and I had ours warm with ice cream, which turned it in to a sort of golden syrup pudding.
My husband and other son enjoyed theirs at room temp. We all loved it. This will become a family favourite for sure!
It says 1 Eggs so is that
1 Egg or
2 Eggs
Please
I’ve just popped my first attempt into the oven & note several comments about runny consistency which worried me also. Did they come out ok?
I made this yesterday, it was very runny, I thought to much liquid for just 200 grams of flour . When cooked the middle was solid, very disappointed. I weighed everything
, cooked at right temp.
Just made this cake, smells delicious.
Cannot wait to Tuesday to have a slice.
I’m astounded to see Golden Syrup brought up!! It also was a staple in my grandmother’s kitchen! She made the best scones, without mashed potatoes commonly known as tatties! Her recipe for scones was from her mother, they were from Scotland, and Lyles Golden with butter was the only way to eat them! I still make them and my adult children and grandchildren ask to make sure I have Lyle’s Golden syrup on hand!! TRADITION!!!!
Would you please tell me the measurements of a 2lb loaf tin. I understand that it should be measured on the bottom of the tin. Also, I couldn’t find your response to the 1 eggs question. We love golden syrup here in Australia. Many thanks. Barbara.
1 egg and a 2lb loaf tin
When the recipe states grams in how much syrup to use in the syrup cake. Can’t it transfer to spoonfuls instead that would be easier I think .
The syrup cake recipe says weighing the syrup in grams but I would prefer it measured in spoonfuls it would be easier I think can you do this please .
You could weigh out your syrup & count the spoons you use yourself for future reference. I find it easy to just weigh when I’m weighing butter etc in my pan.
Lovely cake, made exactly as recipe stated including fan oven temp and 2lb loaf tin baked for 1 hour.
After reading other comments, do not worry about runny mixture, rises beautifully in the oven. Drizzling syrup at the end is just perfect.
Thank you for the recipe
Thank you for replying
I was worrying about how runny it is . I have just popped it in the oven !
I’ve just put mine in the oven. Was concerned about runny batter, found your comment reassuring. Thank you.
Excellent cake. This recipe was much better than a previous one I tried which turned out to be really dry. Will make again in the future :) thank you for the great recipe!
I made this at the weekend & managed to leave it wrapped for 3 days before serving with custard! Yum! Just as nice on its own and have had to freeze the last few slides to stop myself eating it all! Lovely recipe, thank you so much.
Oven must have been too hot. Didn’t rise at all. Was like a brick of stodge. Rechecked recipe and no raiding agent so only conclusion is it was oven was too hot
If you added the syrup/sugar mix to the other ingredients when it was too hot the rising agents would just react too quickly and you’d have non left to make the cake rise. Flat cakes are nice too though, just treat them more like a pudding and reheat in the microwave and pour on custard, winner!
I used unrefined cane sugar instead of what was suggested and the outcome is crazy! It looks feels and tastes just like the store bought lyles golden syrup cake. Such a good recipe, I would say to just underbake it very very slightly and then let cool completely do it’s extra moist.
I just made this cake, it looks so yummy! I’ll try my best to store it for a couple of days like suggestedI can’t promise it will last though. Such an easy recipe to follow. It smells gorgeous, so hopefully it will taste delicious. Many thanks
Hi Amy,
I’ve been baking this cake for about a year now, but had to adapt for my wife, who suffers from IBS. Just swapped the flour for gluten free, and used lactose free milk. Turns out WONDERFUL every time, huge favourite, THANK YOU!
Hi Michael. Thanks for sharing! I’ve been planning to try this recipe with a more Free-from approach this is good to know!
Love making this cake. It never lasts long enough for me to wrap and keep.
Fantastic recipe.
Came out perfectly & was delicious, thank you
Mine sunk so badly.I was hesitant about the low temps in the oven but went with it. Next time I’ll do my usual 160.c and put a hat on. It does taste delicious
I recently made the treacle sponge like others have stated the mixture was running when baked it came out looking rather yummy..deffinatly make it again.
The base word ‘finite’ is always the middle spelling of ‘definitely’.
Remembering this, you will always spell the word correctly.
5 stars for this cake
Really pleased with how this turned out, although it needed an extra 10 minutes back in the oven but out of the loaf tin to firm the bases a little. This is my first of your recipes, will be using more – can you put a search facility on your page?
Hi can this cake be frozen
Can I divide the mixture into muffin cases instead of baking in a loaf tin?
As this is a very dangerous recipe with about two days’ calorie allowance, this thought of yours to make muffin sizes is brilliant. I think you could do this with no problem. Obviously, the baking time would be shorter, but a peep through the glass will keep you right.
Do I rest this cake in the fridge or out?
Love this cake
This has become a regular in our house now, with my son requesting it every few weeks. He has an allergy to dairy protein so we make it with Pure margarine and Koko milk. Excellent recipe thank you!
Lovely moist cake, easy to make especially for those who don’t have a mixer!
My husband loves it because when served with custard it becomes a pudding :-)
I did however cut down the qty of syrup the second time I made it as the total sugars to flour seemed a lot so I used 150gm, no one noticed!
Just made this, it’s still hot and we’ve eaten over half. It is simple to make and is absolutely delicious , I’m going to make another straight away to give to our neighbours across the road, if it gets that far
Just made this cake it was great a little soft as we could not wait to try it will leave the rest for a few days before I try again thanks for the recipe
Wow this turned out great ,tried while it was still warm as couldn’t wait had it with oatly creme fraiche, Thanks
I love this cake! Making it again today, but using gingerbread skinny syrup instead of golden syrup for a lower calorie option. Will let you know how it turns out…
Oh dear. What a disaster! Will stick to golden syrup in future…
I used vegan baking block instead of butter and chia seeds instead of egg and it came out lovely,very happy with this recipe
Came out lovely. I even used almond milk and it’s beautiful! Making this for friends and just know it’s going to be a winner! Thanks for the recipe.
Lovely cake, added some fresh grated ginger and it was delicious. Not strong enough to wrap and leave, had straight out of the oven
Wow what a delicious cake, I made this Friday and it turned out perfect, trouble is it only lasted until Saturday night when the grandchildren came round….! So got to make another tasty golden syrup cake 10 out of 10 recipe
Just delicious, as all your recipes are. Thank you!
I would add I followed your recipe to the letter – came out the oven looking wonderful and after wrapping for 2 days, the taste was sensational.
Do you use salted or unsalted butter . Thanks
Absolutely delicious and even better on day 3 and 4. Probably the easiest cake I have ever made and Devine with custard.
I have made three of these cakes in the last two days. I had two papercraft classes at my home and this was our afternoon tea. The ladies loved it. I did not soak any golden syrup after taking it from the oven. It was perfect with a little bit of butter spread on a slice. I had to share the recipe. It was a hit. Thank you for sharing. I will be making another on for my work colleagues this week.
2023 and I’m still making this delicious cake. Many comments note the mix is runny and that is correct – note the recipe calls it a “batter”. I follow the recipe exactly as given and it turns out perfectly every time. I’ve a new oven so I’m keeping an eye this time as I may have to adjust baking time. Thank you again for another great bake.