Golden Syrup Cake (Simple Recipe)

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Golden Syrup Cake is so light, sticky and moist and very easy and quick to make. One whiff of this baking in the oven and you'll be immediately transported back to the good old days of Granny baking proper home-cooked puddings and cakes.

This lovely loaf only takes an hour to bake and uses simple, everyday ingredients. Cut it into slices and enjoy it with a cup of tea. Or serve it warm with some custard or a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a top-notch old school pud.

A Golden Syrup Cake on a baking tray cut into thick slices.

Amy recommends: Love old school puddings and nostalgic cakes? Try my Butterscotch Tart, School Cake or Jam and Coconut Sponge.

Ah, Golden Syrup conjures such warm comforting feelings from my childhood. I'll bet you've got a green and gold tin of Lyle's in your cupboard right now. It's probably stuck to the black treacle that sits beneath it!

The tins aren't the most practical, but they are iconic. Admittedly, there's no way to accurately measure it without getting into a sticky syrupy mess - but we love them for the nostalgia, I think you'll agree?

Whether you're making a Gingerbread Cake, Rocky Road or a Cornflake Tart golden syrup is a very useful ingredient and certainly has its place in a home baker's kitchen.

So what about this Golden Syrup Cake then? Well, I know we used to buy the McVitie's version along with Jamaica Ginger Cake and we'd have a slice as a treat after tea.

But my Granny's delicious syrup cake recipe was the absolute best and that's the one I'm sharing with you today.

How to make it

Amy's tip: Use the step by step photographs and video to guide you.

Step One: Begin by melting the butter, sugar and golden syrup in a medium-sized saucepan over a very low heat. I recommend cutting your butter up into small pieces so that it melts evenly and at the same time as the other ingredients.

A medium sized saucepan containing butter, golden caster sugar and golden syrup.

When the butter has almost melted, remove the pan from the heat. Give it a good mix and set aside for ten minutes to cool.

Step Two: Put the milk and egg into a jug and whisk to combine. Sieve the flour and baking powder into a large bowl.

Step Three: Add the milk and egg mixture to the mixing bowl and beat until combined.

A glass mixing bowl with egg mixture and flour that has been beaten together with a handheld electric whisk.

Step Four: Add the cooled butter, sugar and golden syrup mixture to the mixing bowl.

Pouring golden syrup mixture into a glass mixing bowl.

Beat until fully combined. This will take a couple of minutes with a handheld electric whisk. Take care not to overmix.

Step Five: Pour the cake batter into a prepared 2lb cake tin.

Pouring cake batter into a 2lb cake tin.

Bake in the centre of the oven for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 5 minutes.

Step Six: Prick the cake all over the top then pour the golden syrup over the top of the cake. Leave it to completely cool in the tin and soak up all the syrup before turning it out and slicing.

Drizzling golden syrup on top of a baked cake.

As with all of my loaf cake recipes, this is a very easy one to follow with a short prep time. There's not a lot that can go wrong but have a quick look through my top tips and Q&A so you can make it perfectly every time.

A baked Syrup loaf Cake that has just had syrup poured on top of it.

Top Tips

You can substitute the golden caster sugar in the recipe for light brown sugar or caster sugar.
As far as I know, there is no substitution for golden syrup in the states however you can easily make your own. Gemma has an amazing recipe here.
Don't overheat the butter, sugar and syrup. It only needs to be just melted not brought to the boil.
Leave the melted butter, sugar and syrup mixture to cool for at least 10 minutes before adding it to the rest of the ingredients.
You can mix this cake by hand but I prefer to use an electric handheld whisk. All the ingredients need to be beaten together until combined, this will take a couple of minutes but don't worry if you can still see a few lumps in there. Take care not to overmix.
This is a fairly runny cake batter so don't be alarmed and definitely don't add extra flour to compensate! Trust me (and my Granny!).
Golden Syrup Cake takes an hour to bake in my fan oven. However, it may take slightly longer if you're using a conventional oven. If it's starting to get too brown towards the end of the baking time, cover it with tin foil.
You will know the cake is baked when it is golden brown, springy to the touch and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake should come out clean.
Leave the cake to cool for 5 minutes after you take it out of the oven. Leaving it in the tin, prick it all over then add the extra golden syrup on top. You can then leave it to completely cool in the tin before turning it out.
Lastly, if you double wrap the cake with tin foil and leave it for 3 or 4 days it will really intensify in flavour. It really does get better with age but whether or not you can resist the temptation not to taste it, is up to you!

A slice of cake on a pink plate with a gold fork beside it.

Questions and answers

What is Golden Syrup

Golden Syrup (aka light treacle) is an inverted sugar syrup. It's sweet, has a mild buttery flavour and is the same consistency as honey although it doesn't taste the same.

I'm in the US, What can I use instead of Golden Syrup?

As far as I know, there isn't a substitute in the states. Golden syrup is not the same as corn syrup or maple syrup although I know some people recommend them. If you want to try this cake I would recommend making your own golden syrup.

Do I have to use branded Golden Syrup or is the supermarket own-brand ok?

You don't have to use Lyle's Golden Syrup. Own brand golden syrup is absolutely fine to use in this recipe.

Can this be made gluten-free

You can substitute the flour for a good gluten-free flour like Dove's Farm.

What loaf tin did you use?

I used a 2lb loaf tin measuring 21.5cm x 11cm.

Can I make this in a 1lb loaf tin?

Yes, you can. Just halve the ingredients and use a medium size egg instead of large. You will need to reduce the baking time to around 40 minutes.

I'm in the US can I have the measurements in cups?

Absolutely! The cup measurements are in brackets beside the gram measurements in the recipe card below.

Is the mixture meant to be runny?

Yes, there is a lot of liquid ingredients in the cake batter thus giving a runny appearance. The liquid in the recipe gives the cake a light and moist texture.

Can this recipe be made vegan?

Yes, you can use plant-based butter and milk. Instead of an egg, mix 1 tablespoon of chia seeds with 2.5 tablespoons of water.

Can I add any extra flavours?

This recipe would be an excellent base to add different flavours to. You could try adding lemon zest, orange zest, raisins or even nuts to give the cake your own unique twist!

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