Beat 1 egg with 4 tablespoons buttermilk. Sift together 2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 2 heaping teaspoons ground ginger, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar, and a pinch of salt. Mix in 3/4 cup dried currants or raisins. Add the egg mixture, then add the syrup mixture, and mix well. Bake 10 minutes in the 375° oven, turn the heat down to 325°, and bake 35 to 40 minutes more. A few crumbs stick to a tester when the cake is done. The above recipe is an all-around hit and combines many of gingerbreads virtues. It is spicy, heartwarming, and cake-like. You do not need to add one thing: no ice cream, no icing no poached fruit on the side. It is really and truly good by itself. For some time it displaced all others in my kitchen, but people on quests are not easily satisfied. After a while I began to long for something new, and in another English book, Delia Smiths Book of Cakes, I found what I was looking for. It is not sticky, but moist and velvety. The name describes it perfectly: