Chocolate Packed Lunch Cake (between 9p and 11p per slice)….

I’ve shared a couple of versions of my packed lunch cake over the years but I thought I’d share the cake I’ve just made with you as it was not only super tasty but at 11p per slice, it’s really good value.

I first started making this when my two were in junior school as the rules guidelines set by the school at that time were that chocolate and bought cakes were frowned upon but a little piece of homemade cake was acceptable if it was part of a healthy and nutritious packed lunch. 

I wanted to make something that was a small-ish portion size, that could be cooked in bulk at the start of the week, looked fun and was also cheap to make – I didn’t want much did I?  

The ingredients for my packed lunch cake are things I always have in but just for reference, I worked out the prices based on the brands I used on the Tesco website.  My version would come to 11p per piece of cake when you cut it into 15 pieces which is what I’ve worked the price out based on but I’ve often cut it up into even smaller pieces so it’s even more of a bite-sized cake – just enough to satisfy a sweet tooth.  I’ve also used just 150g of each ingredient to get a cake that wasn’t as chunky before so it’s worth playing about.

You could easily do 2o pieces out of this cake and because it freezes really well at the start of the week, it’s not something you need to give the kids every day.  

You could get the cost down further by 18p if you don’t use free-range eggs and by a further 20p if you use own brand spread which would bring the cost per slice down to just 9p.  I did a handy little cost breakdown if you’re interested… 

Cost breakdown of my packed lunch cake

(just in case you didn’t believe me that it was only 9p ;-))

200g self raising flour = 9p (Value flour 1.5kg for 45p)
200g sugar = 14p (1kg for 69p)
200g butter or margarine = 48p (Stork Margarine 500g for £1.20)
50g cocoa – 40p
3 eggs = 42p (Free range eggs 6 for 85p)
Vanilla essence = 3p
Icing Sugar = 15p (£1.70 for 1kg)

Frugal Chocolate Packed Lunch Cake....

Yield: 15

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 seconds

Additional Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes 20 seconds

This amazing packed lunch cake not only looks fab and tastes great, but it's also super frugal as it costs from as little as 9p per slice to make.

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Ingredients

• 200g self-raising flour
• 200g sugar
• 200g butter or margarine
• 3 eggs
• 50g cocoa (measured into 30g and 20g portions)
• Vanilla essence
• Icing Sugar
• {Optional: Sprinkles}

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to around 190 c.
2. Cream the margarine and the sugar together in a mixing bowl. I'll be honest, I use a blender for this which saves a LOT of time and effort.
3. Add the eggs and the vanilla and give it a good mix.
4. Combine the flour and 30g of the cocoa and then bit by bit, stir that into the cake batter mix/
5. Pour the cake batter into a greased baking tray (I’m a huge fan of silicone bakeware for this cake).
6. Bake your cake in a preheated oven for around 15-20 minutes until it can put a knife into the centre and it comes out clean.
7. Leave the cake to cool.
8. When the cake is completely cool, mix 2-3 heaped spoons of icing sugar and the 20g of cocoa powder with some water and ice the top of the cake.  The icing sugar mix needs to be not too runny but not just runny enough that it will as you want it to spread easily over the cake but not run straight off the top. I pour the icing over the cake while it's still in the baking tray and leave it so the moisture soaks into the cake a little bit.
9. Sprinkles are optional but definitely make the cake look more fun. In the past, I've just used whatever we had in (desiccated coconut is great) or just not bothered.

It goes without saying that a packed lunch cake is not just for packed lunches – this little beauty is perfect for all cake occasions! 

It should also go without saying that this cake is a treat and has always been given to my two as part of a pretty healthy diet.  

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Why not pin my packed lunch cake for later: