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I think it must be a rare person in Britain who has not eaten McVities Jamaica Ginger Cake.  Its a treat I remember from my childhood, there is something about the stickiness of a McVities Ginger Cake that is unequalled in any other shop bought cake.



So I was delighted when I was asked to review some of McVities cake bars and the said Ginger cake.  We got stuck into the Jaffa Cakes Cake Bars last night, they are very light and because they are individually wrapped would be more suitable than the packet Jaffa Cakes for lunch boxes and picnics.  The sponge in them is also softer than in the traditional Jaffa Cake, but there is still the organgy zing and the thin dark chocolate coating. Very nice indeed!

The Hobnob Flapjacks have the distinctive hobnob oaty taste and crunch with a thin layer of milk chocolate, perfect with a cup of tea or coffee.

The poor old Jamaica Ginger Cake had got a bit squashed in the post, but the slice I had with my afternoon coffee tasted just the same as always, rich, sweet and sticky with lots of ginger punching through.  I decided that as it was rather flattened, I would use it to make a dessert for tonights dinner.

Enter the pear lurking in the fruit bowl needing used up!

Jamaica Ginger Cake and Pear Trifles

makes 2

2 thick slices of McVities Jamaica Ginger Cake
1 ripe pear, peeled, cored and diced
2 tbsp dark rum or coffee liqueur
1 tbsp maple syrup
4 tbsp ready made custard
2 tbsp Greek yogurt or creme fraiche
A few split almonds (optional)

1. Crumble the McVities Jamaica Ginger Cake into the ramekins.
2. Place the chopped pear pieces on top of the cake.
3. Pour over the rum or liqueur and the maple syrup
4. Cover with the custard
5. Spoon the Greek yogurt or creme fraiche on top.
6. Decorate with almonds if liked.

You can get some free McVities cake on McVities Bring out the Cake Facebook page, print out the voucher and collect your cake from the supermarket.

Last night we had some more tasty Greek food. After making that Greek Chicken Salad a couple weeks ago, I was really wanting to make Souvlaki again. For those who are wondering, I got the whole scoop from Jeremy tonight about Souvlaki vs. Gyros.


Okay, so as you probably know, Jeremy served his mission in Greece. So he knows Greek food. One of the most common things to get in Greece is a gyro (pronounced "yee-ro" NOT "jy-ro"). A gyro refers to the type of meat which is cooked on a vertical spit that spins (like the word "gyroscope" - it spins around)around next to a heat source (oven kind of thing) and is then shaved off in thin slices. Anyway, so it is usually pork, lamb, beef, or chicken. In Greece it is served on a pita with tzatziki, red onion, tomato, and french fries. (Yeah, I missed the tomato and french fries).

Now, souvlaki on the other hand basically means a kabob and it is pork or chicken that is cooked on a skewer and then served on a pita with the same fixings as a gyro. So there you go. Both words technically refer to the meat I guess, not the whole thing, but theyre always served that way, so its kind of confusing. So what we had last night was souvlaki, not gyros. And it was delicious! I also made a greek salad, which is essentially this without the lettuce and chicken. Yum! This post just has the recipe for the meat, but Ive posted the recipes for the pitas and the tzatziki below.

Souvlaki

2 lbs. of chicken (you could use pork too), cut in 3/4 inch cubes
2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. of freshly ground pepper
1 T. sea salt or kosher salt
2 T. fresh parsley, chopped
2 T. olive oil
juice of 1 lemon

Combine all ingredients in a ziploc bag. Turn to coat the meat evenly. Refrigerate for 6-8 hours.
Using 8 inch skewers, thread approximately 6 pieces of meat on each. This should make about 12 skewers. Grill the meat turning until well browned, about 15 minutes.
Serve on pitas with tzatziki, chopped red onion and chopped tomatoes.
Sources: Jeremy Nowland and About.com