40 grams medium oatmeal
2 heaped tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 beaten egg
a pinch of salt
1/2 pound white flour
1-1/3 pounds sugar
2 tablespoons black treacle, (molasses)
1/2 pint buttermilk
1 heaped teaspoon ground ginger
Mix oatmeal and flour thoroughly in large bowl. Rub in butter, add the sugar, salt, ginger, baking powder, mix well. Melt treacle until warm, stir in beaten egg, half buttermilk. Stir mixture into flour, adding buttermilk gradually. Stop when mixture is soft enough to drop from a spoon. Amply grease a tin about 8 inches by 4 inches, add mixture. Bake in oven, 350x F (177 C), about 1-1/4 hours or until well risen. Test to ensure it is cooked in center by inserting a thin skewer. Let cool for a few minutes before removing from tin. Cool on a rack; leave overnight if possible to let it set.
NOTE:
A traditional oatmeal gingerbread from Orkney; from the Norse ‘Bruni’; a thick bannock. The Scots have a taste for ginger and it appears in many cakes and biscuits (cookies).