Wartime Christmas Cake

Happy Saturday Lovelies...

And I must say.. I do love weekends as I get to have breakfast with my dear hubby.. no rush.. no fuss and lots of conversation... The perfect start to a busy day!

For breakfast we had some tasty Potatoes O'Brien made with our stored potatoes an peppers from  our Victory Garden. I'm so grateful that our garden is still producing... and topped with poached eggs from our Girls... it really was a home grown meal

So the prepping for winter continues and MrD has finished splitting and stacking all the wood we will need for the coming months. We were so blessed to be gifted with logs earlier this year when we helped our friends clear a fallen tree. It should see us through... and some.

As for me it was time to make our Christmas cake... and oh my goodness the kitchen smells amazing

I know for some it may be too early to even think about Christmas... but when you  do your own baking you need a head start. Especially with the rich, fruit cake. It needs plenty of time to be 'fed' weekly and let the flavours mature before icing at the beginning of December

This is a recommended Christmas Cake recipe from the Ministry of Food in the mid 1940’s and the rationed ingredients make a very acceptable cake. For me..it always turns out well... and is a family favourite.

1 lb. mixed dried fruit
6 tablespoons of brandy (or alcohol of choice)

3 oz. sugar
4 oz. margarine
3 level tablespoons warmed treacle or syrup
8 oz. plain flour
Level teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
Pinch of salt.
1 level teaspoon cinnamon,
1 level teaspoon mixed spice
2 eggs, fresh or dried
3 tablespoons cold tea.

• The day before baking, put the dried fruit in a bowl
• Mix them with the brandy
• Cover with a cloth and leave them to soak for a minimum of 12 hours.

• Line a 7 inch cake tin with greaseproof paper.
• Pre-heat oven to 150 C, 300 F, Gas Mark 2.
• Cream the sugar and margarine together
• Beat in the treacle or syrup.
• Mix the flour, soda, salt and spices together.
• Add alternately with the eggs to the creamed mixture
• Beat well.
• Add the fruit and mix in the tea.

• Put the mixture into the tin, lined with greased paper
• Bake in a very moderate oven for 2½ hours.
• You may need to cover top with foil half way through cooking
• Cool in the tin.
• When cool remove from the tin and place in airtight container.
• Feed weekly by poking holes over the cake with a skewer
• Then pour a couple of Tablespoons of Brandy over the surface.
• This is not mandatory.. but it will keep the cake moist and develop a richer taste

Original Ministry of Food Christmas recipe

Spicy Apple Coffee Cake

Well Lovelies.. another Friday has arrived

Photo: 1942

This weeks grocery shop was an easy one as I just need some fresh produce. We have a fabulous market just down the street .. great quality for low prices... and opens really early in the morning so I was done quite fast

Photo 1942

It gave me a bit of time to do a bit of window shopping for Christmas gift ideas. Its less than ten weeks to the big day and I would like to be organized by the beginning of December so I can enjoy the season'.. And dont tell anyone...but the first gift is bought!

 Back home.. 

1Ib of dried fruit mixed with 6 Tablespoons of Brandy...

Its that time of year again...

Del Monte Dried Fruit Ad
1940

The winter prepping continues as we make sure we will be warm and toasty in the cold weather. The chimney is nice and clean thanks to my own darling Errol Flynn... 

Movie Still from 
"The Egg and I" 1947

And with the last of the wood to be cut and stacked tomorrow.. we will be all set

Now all that running around is out of the way... a nice cup of coffee and a piece of cake is in order..

Spicy Apple Coffee Cake

I found this recipe in a couple of places. Firstly, in the  Victory Cookbook, published in 1943, and again 

in The American Woman’s Cook Book 1945

There is nothing cake-like about this recipe. The dough is pressed into an ungreased (yes I said ungreased) cake pan. It is dense,  a bit bland and not very sweet or spicy. The spiciness comes from the cinnamon sugar sprinkled over the apple topping

Having said that.. it was very quick to make and tasted ok... and Hubby actually said it was good with a cup of coffee... and a dollop of vanilla ice cream. But its not top of my list for making again

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons shortening
2/3 to 3/4 cup milk

2 to 3 apples (your favorite type)
1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon butter
½ cup nippy cheese optional

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Mix brown sugar and cinnamon together in small bowl and set aside.
• Sift flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together. 
• Cut in shortening (and cheese, if using it). 
• Add milk to make a soft dough. 
• Turn onto lightly floured board and knead for about 30 seconds. 
• Pat the dough into an ungreased 9-inch cake pan. 
• Pare and core the apples. Slice them into 1/4” slices. 
• Arrange apples in petal design on top of dough. 
• Sprinkle with brown sugar/cinnamon mixture and dot with butter.
• Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Dutch Apple Cake

So after picking so much fruit yesterday, this week, I will be concentrating on all things apples..  and as its a versatile fruit I hope you wont get tired of them

This Dutch Apple Cake found in Meta Givens 1942 cookbook is just a lovely place to start. It is more like a muffin or coffee cake than sponge cake. You can eat it for breakfast, or as a dessert.. and it also makes a good morning or afternoon snack with a nice cup of tea. 

 

3 tart apples
2 c. all-purpose flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. sugar, divided
1/4 c. shortening, melted and cooled
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 c. milk
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 Tbsp butter, softened

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 
• Slice apples  
• Sift the flour and measure and resift twice with baking powder and salt. 
• Stir in 2/3th of the sugar. (Reserve the other 1/3 and mix with the cinnamon). 
• In a separate bowl, mix the egg, shortening and milk. 
• Stir the liquids into the flour mixture just until combined. 
• Pour into a 7″ by 11″ baking pan. 
• Arrange apples on top and press into dough. 
• Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture and dot with butter. 
• Bake for 25 minutes..or until an inserted wooden skewer comes out clean

The Modern Family Cook Book
by Meta Given ~ 1942

Orange One Egg Cake

Having a generous neighbour who has a couple of orange trees in her garden (thats California for you) means I often get bags of this delicious fruit left on my doorstep. As a thank you I always make baked goods to gift back 

This recipe comes from my family kitchen and hails from around the mid 1940s when.. due to rationing.. one egg cakes were very popular It tastes very good but its a heavy cake..dense and very crumbly when first cut, but does seem to get more moist as days go by.

You could put on an orange icing glaze.. but we like it as it is.. especially when served with a nice cuppa

2 cups all-purpose flour
2-½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/3 cup shortening
1-¼ cups granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. grated orange peel
1 cup orange juice

• Preheat oven to 350 F degrees
• Grease and flour a 9x5 loaf pan
• In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the shortening, sugar, egg, and orange peel.
• Add the dry ingredients alternately with the orange juice, beating well after each addition.
• Begin and end with dry ingredients.
• Pour batter into a greased loaf pan
• Bake at 350 degrees F for 45-50 minutes or until cake tests done when a tester is inserted in the centre
• Cool in the pan on a wire rack