Prepare Baking Tins and Preheat Oven: This recipe yields enough batter to fill two standard 7-inch Victoria sandwich tins or one 10-inch diameter tin. Grease and line your tin(s) with baking paper. Preheat your oven to 160°C (325°F / Gas Mark 3).

Heat Margarine, Sugar, and Treacle: Gently heat the margarine, sugar, and treacle together in a pan, stirring until the mixture becomes smooth. Allow the mixture to cool slightly.

Combine Dry Ingredients and Treacle Mix: In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour and ground spices. Pour in the treacle mixture and thoroughly stir to blend. Finely mince the stem ginger and incorporate it with the eggs into the mixture.

Warm and Incorporate Milk and Bicarbonate of Soda: Warm the milk gently in a saucepan, taking care to stir gently to prevent burning at the base of the pan. Add the bicarbonate of soda and allow it to foam slightly. Stir this mixture into the gingerbread mixture until it's well blended.

Pour into Prepared Tin(s): Pour the gingerbread batter into the prepared tin(s).

Baking Time and Temperature: If using two 7-inch cake tins, bake for 25-30 minutes (both tins together). For a single 10-inch cake, bake for approximately 1 hour, or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Aging and Storage: This cake retains its quality when stored in an airtight tin and even improves in flavor over the first 2-3 days. Enjoy the delightful transformation!