I have always loved using ginger in cooking and use both powered and fresh ginger. Lately I have been adding Ginger Essential Oil to my ingredients list. I love this oil and am using it in so many ways. Before I dive into the recipe, I just want to give you an idea of how useful Ginger Essential Oil can be. A few of the benefits of the Oil are also listed below. I love to diffuse ginger while I work. It mixes well with citrus oils too to give you a lift but I diffuse it mainly because I love its smell!!  Recently I started using ginger and grapefruit oils in a tea to help stave off hunger pangs mid morning and late afternoon. I have also drunk Ginger Essential Oil in hot water when I felt unwell to soothe my stomach.

Ginger, to some people, means Christmas and summons up memories of gingerbread men, spice cookies, glace fruit and fruit cake. For us in Australia of course Christmas is in the summer so some of these rich aromas can be a little heavy. I think they are better suited to the cold weather and today’s recipe is definitely one that I associate with Winter!! I have memories of Mum making it for afternoon tea on a cold Winter day.

* Before I go on I just want to let you know that I have added some links to my doTERRA webpage throughout this post so you can check out any of the oils I mention.

My recipe today comes from Mum’s Recipe book and she attributed the recipe to someone called ‘Marg’ – I don’t know who this is but I thank her all the same. This recipe is for Gingerbread – not gingerbread men, gingerbread cake! I am hungry just thinking about it. Mum used to serve this cake hot, cut thickly and slathered with butter.

I am jazzing up the recipe with Ginger and Cardamom Essential Oils. I also mix up this cake in the Thermomix so I have included instructions for this too.

What you will need

3 cups plain flour

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup of golden syrup

1 cup milk

2 teaspoons powdered ginger

2 teaspoons mixed spice

1 teaspoon nutmeg

2 level teaspoons bicarbonate of soda dissolved in a little milk

2 eggs

1 drop each of Ginger and Cardamom Essential Oils

Method

Heat the butter, sugar and syrup in a pan until the sugar and butter are melted (or in a Thermomix at 60 C, for 4 minutes on Speed 2).

Add beaten eggs and Essential oils then milk and soda and mix in thoroughly using a large spoon (If using a Thermomix add butterfly to the bowl and mix for 30 seconds on Speed 4).

Pour this mixture over the dry ingredients (or if using the Thermomix, add the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix for 30 seconds on Speed 4 or until mixed in).

Cook the cake in a 9 inch cake tin or large slab tin for about an hour on 160 C. 

I would serve this cake with butter but it is also very tasty served with ice cream and/or cream. 

This recipe can be used to make two smaller cakes. Why not eat one now, freeze one and eat it later??

Enjoy!

What Next?

If you are ready to enter the world of essential oils and you decide to go the doTERRA way, I would love to help you get started and support you if you want some help. Here is how you can do this: go to my doTERRA website to find out about the range of oil and oil based products available for purchase. You can also sign up to become a member on this site. Once signed up you can purchase oils for wholesale prices! But if you would like some more information click on the Contact Me on the doTERRA website and I will respond to your questions.

We hope you will join us at Helpful By Nature by subscribing to our email list. We would love to hear from you, take your questions and provide answers if we are able.

Until next time,

 

 

Gillian (and Andrew)