Creamy Chocolate Frosting

Im always on the lookout for simple frostings to spruce up plain cakes. This one from Better Homes and Gardens Magazine, February 1942 is easy... and only uses 2 squares of chocolate a very chocolatey topping.

¼ cup water 

2 1-ounce squares unsweetened chocolate

2 tablespoons butter

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups confectioners' sugar

• Heat water and squares unsweetened chocolate until chocolate melts. 
• Add butter, vanilla extract, and confectioners' sugar
• Beat until of spreading consistency

Better Homes and Gardens Magazine 
February 1942

Wartime Bara Brith

Dydd Gwyl Dewi Hapus…. Happy Saint Davids Day

Welsh National Dress
1948

It was a beautiful morning... it felt like Spring. For the first time in a while we walked home from church. And yes...I wore my daffodil with pride

Back home.. Mr D joined a few of our neighbours with the weekly ritual of mowing the front lawn. I know pride is a sin... but boy... these men love their lawns!

Meanwhile.. I used the dried fruit I had soaking in tea over night and made a delicious Bara Brith.. the last of my Welsh dishes for this week

“Bara Brith” is a traditional Welsh fruit loaf that literally means speckled bread. The recipe calls for lots of dried fruit, soaked in tea overnight and orange zest to give it a little zing. Using only one egg it easily fit into a rationed diet... and could be easily adapted during the war to use orange marmalade instead of orange juice and zest. Finely grated carrot could also be used to replace some of the fruit.

Delicious spread with a little butter....and served with a nice cup of tea

Dried fruit soaking in tea

1lb of self raising flour (I used plain with 5 teaspoons of baking powder)

1/2 pint of tea

1lb of mixed dried fruit (substitute 1/3 with finely grated carrot to save on rations)
6 oz of light brown sugar
1 medium egg
1 or 2 teaspoons of mixed spice
1 tablespoon of honey
1 tablespoon or orange juice
1 tablespoon of orange zest (or use 2 tablespoons of orange marmalade to replace the honey, orange juice and zest)

• Make 1/2 pint of strong tea and add the dried fruit and grated carrot to the tea
• Place in fridge overnight
• The next day mix the honey, orange juice and zest (or marmalade) with the sugar and egg
• Add that to the fruit and tea mixture
• Sift the flour and spice into a large bowl
• Add the fruit/tea mixture
• Mix until all flour is mixed in
• Place in two small greased loaf tins or one large one
• Cook at 160C or 320 F for about 1 to 1.5 hours (use foil to cover if getting too brown)
• Remove and cool for a while then glaze with honey or a sugar water mix
• Remove from tin and cool thoroughly before storing in a tin
• Slice and serve with butter

We ended the weekend listening to the happenings of the week on the radio... 

with a nice cup of tea.. and of course.. a lovely slice of Bara Brith

Week Ending February 28, 1942 

 Old Time Radio