by Jane Brocket
4/ With a large spoon or flexible spatula, mix together all of the ingredients until they are well combined. Spoon the mixture into the tin and level the surface with the back of the spoon or spatula.
5/ Bake for 2–2½ hours, but check that the cake is not browning too quickly after an hour. If it is, place a double thickness of aluminium foil over the top of the tin. The cake is done when a metal skewer or sharp knife inserted into the centre comes out clean.
6/ Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool before turning out of the tin. Wrap well in foil or greaseproof paper and keep in an airtight tin in a cool place.
STORAGE: Sticky date cake keeps well for 7 days, wrapped as instructed in step 6.
cook’s tip
After boiling the fruits, be sure to allow sufficient time for the mix to cool before proceeding to the next stage.
parkin
For many cake-lovers growing up in the North of England, dark, damp, spicy parkin will be forever associated with Bonfire Night on November 5th, and the smells and excitements of smoke and fireworks. It’s a marvellously vintage treat with a long history, made with old-fashioned ingredients such as treacle, oatmeal and ginger. It tastes as good as it ever did, and to enjoy it at its best it should be made four to five days before you plan to eat it; that way it matures and improves. In the past, parkin was packed in special cases, but these days a cake tin will do: when you lift the lid you will be transported to a different era.
FOR THE CAKE
120g golden syrup
120g treacle
120g butter, plus extra for greasing
120g dark soft brown sugar or dark muscovado sugar
220g fine oatmeal (not medium, which is too coarse)
120g self-raising flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
a pinch of salt
50ml milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
YOU WILL NEED
a 20cm square cake tin, lightly greased with butter and lined with baking parchment
makes 16 squares
1/ Preheat the oven to 160°C (gas mark 3).
2/ Put the syrup, treacle, butter and sugar in a large saucepan. Heat gently until the butter has melted, stirring frequently. When the sugar has dissolved and you have a smooth liquid, remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool for a few minutes.
3/ Put the oatmeal, flour, ground ginger and salt in a small bowl. Stir well to mix and then add to the saucepan. Add the milk and egg and mix well until you have a smooth batter.
4/ Pour into the prepared tin and bake in the preheated oven for 45–50 minutes until the top is firm to the touch and a metal skewer or sharp knife inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool before turning out of the tin.
5/ When cold, wrap the cake in greaseproof paper or aluminium foil and store in an airtight tin in a cool place.
STORAGE: Parkin is good on the day of making, but definitely improves with age and is often eaten 3–5 days after making.
gingerbread
The whole point of this type of gingerbread is that it should be dark, sticky, treacly and very gingery. Thanks to the availability and popularity of ginger over the centuries, it’s one of the most vintage of all vintage cakes, with an illustrious history stretching back to the medieval ‘gingerbread fairs’ that were held in many European countries. The jellied lemon slices, the ones that seemed so posh in the 1970s, bring it into a different era, but in fact gingerbread never truly goes out of date.
FOR THE CAKE
150g butter, plus extra for greasing
150g dark soft brown sugar
100g golden syrup
200g treacle
300g plain flour
2½–3 teaspoons (slightly heaped) ground ginger
200ml milk, plus 1 tablespoon
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
FOR THE ICING
300–350g icing sugar
juice of 1–2 lemons (use oranges if you find lemon juice too tart)
TO DECORATE
16 jelly/candied lemon slices (optional)
OR orange slices (if using orange juice)
OR a few pieces of candied ginger or stem ginger
YOU WILL NEED
a 24 x 24cm square baking tin, greased with butter and lined with greaseproof paper or baking parchment
makes 16 squares
1/ Preheat the oven to 160°C (gas mark 3).
2/ In a large, heavy-based saucepan melt the butter, sugar, golden syrup and treacle, stirring regularly. Take off the heat and leave to cool for a few minutes. 3/ Sift the flour and ground ginger into a large mixing bowl. Measure out the 200ml milk in a measuring jug. Add the eggs to the milk and whisk to mix.
4/ When the butter mixture has cooled, mix the bicarbonate of soda with the remaining 1 tablespoon milk in a small bowl or tea cup (the mixture will start to fizz straightaway).
5/ Add the milk and egg mixture, the melted butter mixture and the bicarbonate of soda mixture to the dry ingredients in the large bowl. Mix together until it forms a well-mixed, quite runny batter with no lumps or as few flour lumps as possible.
6/ Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes until nicely domed and slightly pocked on top, and a metal skewer or sharp knife comes out sticky but without any uncooked mixture on it. Do not be tempted to overcook, as this gingerbread should be moist and slightly sticky. Leave on a wire rack to cool completely before icing (see tip below).
7/ Make the icing. Sift the icing sugar into a bowl and start adding the lemon juice and mixing with a knife. Continue adding and mixing until you have a glistening thick white icing that will spread but not drip.
8/ Cover the cake with the icing and place the lemon slices in a 4 x 4 row arrangement, so that the cake can be cut into 16 squares, each with a lemon slice on top.
STORAGE: Gingerbread keeps very well for up to a week. Store in an airtight tin in a cool place.
cook’s tip
You can ice the cake in the tin before taking it out so that the icing doesn’t run down the sides, but it is possible to remove the cake when cool and ice it on a plate or board.
rich seed cake
Seed cake has been much maligned and mocked by a cake-eating public grown used to richer, fancier, fuller cakes. But we should not dismiss its subtle charms. As Mrs Beeton and many a recipe-writer before and after her knew, when seed cake is made well with fresh butter and eggs, it is a very grown-up, pleasing cake that works beautifully with a china cup of tea made with tea leaves (Darjeeling is particularly well suited to plain cakes) or with a small glass of chilled Madeira. The trick is to be sparing with the caraway seeds, so that their flavour is understated.
FOR THE CAKE
180g soft butter, plus extra for greasing
180g caster sugar
4 eggs, separated
250g self-raising flour
2 teaspoons caraway seeds
2–3 tablespoons brandy or milk
YOU WILL NEED
a loaf tin, about 24 x 13 x 7cm, greased with butter and lined with baking parchment
makes 1 large loaf (serves 8–10)
1/ Preheat the oven to 160°C (gas mark 3).
2/ Put the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. With a wooden spoon or an electric whisk, cream them together until they are pale and fluffy. Add the egg yolks and beat well to combine.
3/ Whisk the egg whites in a separate, clean bowl until soft peaks form. Add to the large bowl and fold in gently with a large metal spoon. Sift in the flour and add the seeds and brandy or milk, and continue to fold in gently until all the ingredients are evenly combined.
4/ Spoon the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and smooth the surface with the back of the spoon. Bake in the preheated oven for 45–55 minutes until well risen and golden brown, and a metal skewer or sharp knife inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Transf
er to a wire rack and leave to cool for 15 minutes before turning out of the tin. Serve fresh with tea or Madeira.
STORAGE: Seed cakes keep well for a couple of days if wrapped in foil and stored in an airtight tin.
orange sandwich cake
It may sound simple and ordinary now, but it’s not so long ago that a sponge flavoured with fresh oranges and filled with rich, buttery buttercream was regarded as a great treat, something to be baked for a birthday or for a special afternoon tea. It mixes sweetness with a touch of sophistication, and is particularly good when oranges are in season and plentiful and you are looking for an alternative to treacle, ginger and dried fruit. It can be left plain and simple, or it can be dressed up with sweets and candles. Orange sandwich cake is an often overlooked vintage cake, probably because it does not have a specific or historical name, but home-bakers always knew how to make it and it’s a recipe that deserves its place in any baking repertoire.
FOR THE CAKE
270g soft butter, plus extra for greasing
270g caster sugar
4 large eggs, separated
finely grated zest and juice of 1 orange (unwaxed or well washed)
265g self-raising flour
FOR THE FILLING
200g icing sugar
60g soft butter
1–2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
FOR THE ICING
200g icing sugar
2–3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
YOU WILL NEED
two 20cm round cake tins, greased with butter and lined with baking parchment
makes 1 medium–large cake (serves 10)
1/ Preheat the oven to 180°C (gas mark 4).
2/ Put the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. With a wooden spoon or an electric whisk, cream them together until they are pale and fluffy. In a separate, clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form.
3/ Add the egg yolks to the butter and sugar mixture one by one along with a little orange juice each time, beating well after each addition.
4/ Sift in the flour. Add the orange zest and the whisked egg whites. With a large metal spoon, gently fold in until all the ingredients are evenly and well combined, taking care not to knock air out of the cake mix.
5/ Divide the mixture equally between the 2 prepared tins. Level the surfaces with the back of the spoon. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes until well risen and golden brown, and a metal skewer or sharp knife inserted into the centre of the cakes comes out clean.
6/ Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool for 10 minutes before turning the cakes out of the tins. Leave until completely cool before filling and icing.
7/ To make the buttercream filling, sift the icing sugar into a medium-sized bowl and add the butter and 1 tablespoon orange juice. Mix well with a wooden spoon or flexible spatula until you have a smooth, spreadable consistency. Add more orange juice and/or icing sugar to achieve the consistency and taste you prefer.
8/ To make the icing, sift the icing sugar into a medium-sized bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of orange juice and start mixing well with a wooden spoon or flexible spatula. Gradually add more orange juice until you have a smooth, glossy and slightly runny consistency (not too runny, or it will just run off the cake).
9/ To finish the cake, put 1 layer of sponge upside down (so you get a level surface) on a cake plate or stand. With a palette knife (or ordinary knife), spread the buttercream over the surface. Place the second layer of sponge the right way up on top. With a palette knife and working from the centre, gently cover the surface of the cake with the icing, allowing it to drip down the sides of its own accord.
STORAGE: As with all light sponges, an orange sandwich cake is best eaten within 24 hours of making (it can be made a day in advance of a celebration) but will keep for another day if wrapped in foil and stored in a tin in a cool place.
cherry cake
Cherry cake is the epitome of cheerful, straightforward, unpretentious home-baking, and although vintage recipes suggest various ways of preventing the cherries from sinking, it just wouldn’t be the same if they were all distributed perfectly. It is a simple, rich, buttery sponge, so to make it special it should be made with generosity; as generations of cake-eaters will know, there’s nothing worse than counting the cherries in a cherry cake and finding them sadly lacking. This recipe makes a good-size cake with plenty of glacé cherries (a staple of vintage larders), which is ideal as an after-school treat or for sharing round a kitchen table with a big pot of tea. You can use vintage-style bright-red cherries to get the look, but modern, undyed cherries have a far better taste and texture, and turn an old favourite into a new classic.
FOR THE CAKE
200g self-raising flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
75g ground almonds
finely grated zest of 1 lemon (unwaxed or well washed)
275–300g glacé cherries (undyed if possible), plus 8–10 whole cherries to decorate (optional)
225g soft butter, plus extra for greasing
225g caster sugar
3 large eggs
a few drops of almond extract (optional)
1–2 tablespoons milk
FOR THE ICING (OPTIONAL)
200–250g icing sugar
juice of 1–2 lemons OR water to mix
YOU WILL NEED
a medium nonstick loaf tin, about 23 x 13 x 7cm, greased with butter
makes 1 large cake (serves 6–8)
1/ Preheat the oven to 180°C (gas mark 4).
2/ Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl and stir in the ground almonds and the lemon zest.
3/ Rinse the cherries in lukewarm water to remove any excess syrup. Pat dry with kitchen paper or a clean tea towel and slice each one in half. Add to the dry ingredients and toss gently to distribute, and to coat the cherries with flour.
4/ Put the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. With a wooden spoon or an electric whisk, cream them together until they are pale and fluffy.
5/ Add the eggs one by one, and a few drops of almond extract (if using), beating well after each addition.
6/ Add the dry ingredients together with the milk, and fold into the mixture with a large metal spoon or flexible spatula, making sure the cherries are well dispersed. 7/ Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the preheated oven for 55–60 minutes. Check after 40 minutes and if the top is browning quickly, place a double thickness of aluminium foil on top of the cake. The cake is done when a metal skewer or sharp knife inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
8/ Place on a wire rack and leave to cool before turning out of the tin.
9/ When completely cool, make your chosen icing (if using). Sift 200g of the icing sugar into a bowl. Gradually add lemon juice or water to taste and mix well with a knife until you have a thick, smooth consistency of icing that doesn’t drip down the sides (unless that is the look you’d like). Add more icing sugar if necessary to thicken or to increase the quantity.
10/ Spread the icing thickly on top of the cake. Leave it to settle for a few minutes then decorate with whole glacé cherries if desired. Serve in thick slices.
STORAGE: Cherry cake is delicious on the day it is made, but keeps well for 2 days if stored in an airtight tin in a cool place.
nutmeg cake
Nutmeg is a supremely vintage spice, with its very own history associated with small, sweet-smelling spice-boxes, tiny graters and pale-green tins with ‘nutmeg’ printed on them. Most commonly, it’s an ingredient in a mixed-spice blend, but it is worth using on its own for its gentle, evocative qualities. Nutmeg cake is a traditional Armenian favourite that is now popular in Australia. It’s a little different to most cakes as it has a pastry-style base with a firm sponge on top. It’s worth baking just to fill your house with a warm, nutmeg fragrance, but it’s also tastes delicious and keeps well.
FOR THE CAKE
220g self-raising flour
330g light soft brown sugar or light m
uscovado sugar
125g cold butter, cubed, plus extra for greasing
2 teaspoons grated nutmeg
250ml milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
YOU WILL NEED
a 23cm round or springform cake tin, greased with butter and base lined with baking parchment
makes 1 large cake (serves 10–12)
1/ Preheat the oven to 180°C (gas mark 4).
2/ Put the flour and sugar in a large mixing bowl and stir to mix. Add the butter. With your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour and sugar until the mixture resembles fine sandy breadcrumbs. Tip one-third of the dry mix into the cake tin and press down lightly to level (do not press too firmly). Add the nutmeg to the remaining dry mix in the bowl and combine well.
3/ Measure out the milk in a jug. Add the egg and the bicarbonate of soda and mix lightly. Pour the liquid into the mixing bowl with the rest of the dry ingredients and stir lightly to mix. Pour the batter over the base of the cake in the tin.
4/ Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes until the cake is firm and springy to the touch, and a metal skewer or sharp knife inserted into the centre comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool before turning out of the tin.
STORAGE: Nutmeg cake is delicious while still warm and on the day of making, but keeps well for 2 days if stored in an airtight tin in a cool place. It also freezes successfully.
cook’s tip
Buy whole nutmegs so you can grate them yourself on a fine grater. Avoid ready-ground nutmeg as it loses its freshness very quickly.
fresh apple cake
No matter where in the world you are, every apple-growing country and region has its own local version of fresh apple cake enshrined in a recipe that has been passed down from one generation of bakers to the next. This particular recipe makes a lovely pudding cake, which would be delicious served warm with whipped cream or ice cream. It’s not a show-stopping cake in terms of looks, but with its nostalgic connections to old-fashioned apple orchards, its popularity will never fade.
FOR THE CAKE
1 lemon (unwaxed or well washed)