little girl with opies stem ginger cake
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Cupboard contents ginger cake with Opies ginger

We had a bit of a rude awakening last week in terms of our finances. Every few months, we review how much we’re earning and spending and where it’s going. It’s so easy to just let direct debits roll and end up paying for things you don’t really need. And we were aware that we were generally more skint than we should be. So where on earth was it all going?

little girl with opies stem ginger cake

The ‘just popping to the shop’ disaster

Well it turns out, our money wasn’t going on direct debits we’d forgotten to cancel. It wasn’t going on big things so we had nothing to show for it, and it wasn’t even going on little things that we needed. The truth is, we were blowing most of our money on absolute rubbish. You know those times when you’re ‘just popping to the shop’ to get one or two things? We were spending around £30 each time, several times a week.

So, we’ve got a new rule in our house. We’re planning better in the big shop so we don’t run out of silly things (red wine, I’m looking at you). And we’re keeping a few staple items in the cupboard so we don’t have to run out and get them – and half the shop in the process.

jar of opies crystallised stem ginger

So, that’s the back story. Now throw into the mix an invitation to a BBQ with a friend who happens to blog about self-sufficiency. Probably the only friend we’ve got who is so good at cooking he even bakes his own bread. And I had to provide dessert – without popping out to the shop and spending a small fortune. This had me thanking my lucky stars for those pantry staples like Opies Stem Ginger in Syrup and Opies Crystallised Stem Ginger. And so, the cupboard contents ginger cake was born.

Jar of opies stem ginger in syrup and jar of opies crystallised stem ginger

Ingredients

For the cake:

  • 150g plain flour
  • 150g self-raising flour
  • 150g fairtrade dark brown sugar
  • 3 free-range eggs
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp mixed spice
  • 8 pieces of Opies Stem Ginger in Syrup and 4 dessert spoonfuls of the syrup blended together (I used a nutribullet)
  • 150g of crystallised stem ginger
  • 150ml vegetable oil
  • 150ml cold water

For the drizzle:

  • 60g icing sugar
  • 6 dessert spoonfuls of lemon juice
jar of opies stem ginger in syrup

Method

  • Preheat the oven to 180 degrees
  • Add all ingredients except for the water to a large mixing bowl and mix together
  • Add the water a bit at a time and mix in to form a fairly liquid mixture
  • Pour the mixture into a greased and lined deep baking tray
  • Bake in the oven for around 45 minutes until a skewer comes out clean
  • Whilst the cake is baking, dissolve the icing sugar in the lemon juice to make the drizzle
  • When you remove the cake from the oven, leave it in the tin and pour the drizzle over, it should sink into the cake

This tastes great served with vanilla ice cream. The ginger taste is relatively strong but not too strong, the girls both enjoyed it and they don’t like the crystallised ginger on its own.

jar of opies crystallised stem ginger with ginger cake and vanilla ice cream
Easy ginger cake recipe | If you are looking for a quick and easy ginger cake recipe, this simple cake made with Opies crystallised stem ginger and stem ginger in syrup is perfect. Ginger desserts like this have a strong taste, think Jamaican ginger cake crossed with lemon drizzle cake. #recipe #easyrecipes #gingercake #cakerecipe #baking #recipes

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8 Comments

  1. Hi Nat, OooOOooooo I love ginger cake, so I will be trying this recipe with a few tweaks though… I can get crystalised ginger and fresh ginger here, I may be able to find powdered ginger too, but I’m sure the ginger syrup and ginger in syrup isn’t something I’ll find (I’ve never actually looked under the shelves in our little deli of wonderful things, but I can try! The colour and texture looks tempting and I’ve not even had breakfast yet!

    xx

  2. I know what you mean and I have even joined a facebook group that specialises in saving money on the food shop!
    I love this recipe and the boys just love cooking (esp cakes) – I bet the 10 year old will be making it as soon as I have the ingredients (still forgot the essential eggs and butter this week despite spending too much!)