Vintage Cakes

by Jane Brocket

  pancakes

  It’s not surprising that pancakes feature in culinary histories all over the world, as they are the ultimate in simple, homely cooking, requiring nothing more than a bowl to mix in and a pan or griddle to cook with. Many European pancakes don’t contain a raising agent which means they are thin and flat, but the American version of the pancake is a firm, fluffy, slightly sweet, light-as-air disc that uses baking powder to achieve its depth and texture. It’s also very absorbent, which is why it works so well with maple syrup (and plenty of fresh fruit). The mix should be made immediately before cooking, and the pancakes eaten immediately after.

  FOR THE PANCAKES

  75g butter, plus extra for greasing

  250ml milk

  2 eggs

  170g plain flour

  4 teaspoons baking powder (about 10g)

  ½ teaspoon salt

  20g caster sugar

  maple syrup, to serve

  YOU WILL NEED

  a griddle or heavy frying pan

  makes 20–24 small pancakes

  1/ Put the butter and milk in a small saucepan and gently heat until the butter has melted. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Whisk the eggs in small bowl. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the caster sugar and stir to mix.

  2/ When the milk and butter mix has cooled and is just warm, pour over the eggs and whisk well to mix.

  3/ Heat up the griddle or pan. When hot, wipe a tiny bit of butter over the surface using a little piece of kitchen paper to do so. It will not need greasing again.

  4/ Once you are ready to start cooking the pancakes, make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour in the liquid. With a large wooden spoon, mix lightly until all the ingredients are just combined, but do not overmix.

  5/ To make the pancakes, drop spoonfuls of batter onto the hot griddle (use a tablespoon or large metal spoon depending on the size of the pancakes you wish to make). Cook until bubbles break on the surface of the pancake, then flip over and cook the other side until both sides are lightly browned and firm to the touch. Serve immediately drizzled with maple syrup. You could also serve with fresh fruit, such as raspberies, strawberries, blueberries or peaches if like.

  STORAGE: Pancakes should be eaten while hot and fresh.

  lemon drizzle cake

  Lemon drizzle cake has won a place in our hearts for its very modern mix of sweetness cut by tart lemony acidity. It’s also remarkably popular because of its ease of making, portability, keeping qualities, and because it appears at cake sales everywhere. Previous generations of bakers would have called it lemon syrup cake (or loaf), but the principles are the same. It is a simple sponge raised to a new level by pouring or, in modern parlance, ‘drizzling’ syrup or icing over the still-warm cake. Some lemon drizzle cakes are sugary and crunchy on top, and others are soft and sticky. This recipe falls into the second category as it is closer to the vintage syrup cakes of yesteryear.

  FOR THE CAKE

  175g soft butter, plus extra for greasing

  175g caster sugar

  3 eggs

  175g self-raising flour

  finely grated zest of 2 lemons (unwaxed or well washed)

  juice of ½ a lemon

  FOR THE SYRUP

  100g caster sugar

  juice of 2 lemons

  YOU WILL NEED

  a 20cm round cake tin, greased with butter and base lined with baking parchment

  makes 1 medium–large cake (serves 8–10)

  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.

  3/ Add the eggs one by one, beating well after each addition.

  4/ Sift in the flour and add the lemon zest and juice. With a large metal spoon, fold in gently but thoroughly until the ingredients are fully combined. Spoon into the prepared tin and level the surface with the back of the spoon.

  5/ Bake in the preheated oven for 25–30 minutes until well risen and golden brown, and a metal skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

  6/ Meanwhile, towards the end of the baking time, make the syrup. Put the sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan and heat gently without stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Simmer over a medium heat (again without stirring) until the mixture becomes syrupy (the longer you heat it, the thicker it becomes, but runny syrup will cover the cake better). Remove from the heat and set aside.

  7/ Transfer the cake to a wire rack. While the cake is still hot and in the tin, pierce about 12–15 small holes in the cake with a metal skewer or clean knitting needle. Briefly reheat the syrup if it has cooled, and pour evenly over the surface of the cake (still in the tin). Leave to cool completely before removing from the tin.

  STORAGE: Lemon drizzle cake will keep for a couple of days if wrapped in greaseproof paper and aluminium foil and stored in an airtight tin in a cool place.

  malt loaf

  The image of malt loaf benefits from its associations with malt extract, a common dietary supplement after the Second World War. This soft, chewy, slightly sagging and ever-popular cake-bread is held in great affection by families and cyclists, who still slice it and butter it, wrap it up and take it to school, work, and on bike rides. Malt loaf has been made commercially since 1890 and many people still think of it as a shop cake, but a homemade version is infinitely better – and gratifyingly larger.

  FOR THE LOAF

  130g malt extract (or 2 generous tablespoons)

  50g golden syrup (or 1 generous dessertspoon)

  50g treacle (or 1 generous dessertspoon)

  75ml milk

  50g butter, plus extra for greasing

  250g mixed dried fruit (e.g. 130g chopped dates, 60g sultanas and 60g raisins)

  150g self-raising flour

  100g plain flour

  ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

  a pinch of salt

  1 egg, lightly beaten

  FOR THE GLAZE (OPTIONAL)

  1 tablespoon caster sugar

  2 tablespoons water

  YOU WILL NEED

  a loaf tin, about 23 x 14 x 7cm, greased with butter and base lined with baking parchment

  makes 1 large loaf (serves 8–12)

  1/ Preheat the oven to 160°C (gas mark 3).

  2/ Put the malt extract, golden syrup, treacle, milk and butter into a large saucepan. Warm gently over a low heat until the butter has melted and all of the ingredients are combined, stirring regularly. Add the dried fruits. Set aside to cool.

  3/ Measure the flours, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a medium bowl, and stir gently with a spoon or hand to mix.

  4/ When the ingredients in the pan have cooled, add the beaten egg and mix well with a spoon.

  5/ Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt into the pan. Mix firmly and thoroughly with a wooden spoon or flexible spatula until combined. Spoon the mixture into the loaf tin and level the surface with the back of the spoon.

  6/ Bake in the preheated oven for 55–60 minutes. The malt loaf is ready when it is well risen and firm to the touch, and when a metal skewer or sharp knife inserted into the centre comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack.

  7/ As soon as the cake is out of the oven, make the glaze (if using). Put the sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Do not stir at any point. Simmer gently until it thickens and becomes a runny syrup. Brush the glaze over the surface of the hot loaf, and leave the loaf to cool before turning out of the tin. Serve in slices with butter.

  STORAGE: Malt loaf will keep well for 3–5 days wrapped in greaseproof paper in an airtight tin, and many argue that it improves with keeping.

  curd cheesecake

  The trick with cheesecake is to use really good, simple ingredients. The best cheesecake cheese of all is curd cheese, which is the one all bakers used to use until it was superseded by cream cheese and
ricotta, neither of which are technically cheeses. Traditionally, curd cheesecake had just a thin pastry layer or no base at all, but this recipe takes the best of two worlds. It combines the popular 1970s-style crushed-biscuit base with the traditional, dense, creamy curd-cheese filling, and creates a modern version of a true classic. There is no real substitute for curd cheese, but it you can’t find it, use plain full-fat cream cheese (but not the expensive salted cream cheese) instead.

  FOR THE CHEESECAKE

  50g butter, melted, plus extra for greasing

  200g digestive biscuits

  700g curd cheese (e.g. three 227g tubs)

  2 generous tablespoons soured or extra-thick double cream

  3 eggs

  2 teaspoons vanilla extract

  200g caster sugar

  2 level tablespoons

  plain flour

  YOU WILL NEED

  a 20cm round deep cake tin, greased with butter and lined with baking parchment

  makes 1 cheesecake (serves 10–12)

  1/ Preheat the oven to 150°C (gas mark 2).

  2/ First make the biscuit base. In a pan, melt the butter. Crush the biscuits: the best method is to put them in a sealable plastic food bag and bash the biscuits with a rolling pin or your feet, taking care not to let the bag split.

  3/ Put the crumbs into the pan and mix well with the butter. Tip into the prepared tin and press down evenly on the base using the palm of your hand (a potato masher also works very well and gives a much more even surface). Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes to set. Set aside to cool while you make the filling.

  4/ Put the curd cheese, soured or double cream, eggs, vanilla and sugar in a large mixing bowl, and beat well with a whisk or electric mixer until smooth and fully combined. Sift in the flour and mix again until nicely thick and creamy. Pour the mix into the tin and tap a few times to release air bubbles and to obtain a smooth surface.

  5/ Bake for 1¼ hours or until the cheesecake has risen and is turning pale gold at the outside edge, but still has a hint of a wobble.

  6/ Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool completely before removing from the tin.

  STORAGE: Although it is ready to eat when cool, curd cheesecake improves immeasurably after a night in the fridge, and it will then keep well for 2–3 days. Serve on its own, or with thick pouring cream. Fresh or poached fruits are also delicious with cheesecake.

  Little treats that can be wrapped in greaseproof paper and stashed in lunchboxes, school satchels, bicycle baskets and picnic hampers have some of the most evocative names of all. It’s difficult not to wax nostalgic at the mention of lamingtons and fat rascals, rock buns and Eccles cakes, and then wonder whatever happened to these cakes that seem to be from a different era of school tuck boxes, cosy tea-rooms and wonderful children’s stories. Happily, they have not yet disappeared, and they still offer some of the most enduring and portable tastes of vintage baking, and often come with a delightful story attached to their making. Some are still closely affiliated with their place of origin, some have become world famous. No matter where you are, they are a small, welcome taste of a home kitchen. They are ideal for sheds and dens, any kind of sports match tea, country picnics, cake stalls and community gatherings, and require no more than a hearty appetite to do them justice.

  lamingtons

  Baron Lamington was the Governor of Queensland, Australia, from 1896–1901 and although we know that these little cakes were named after him, it’s not quite clear who came up with the idea of dipping sponge cubes in chocolate and rolling them in desiccated coconut to make a sweet treat that is now part of any antipodean childhood. They are widely available in shops and supermarkets in Australia and New Zealand but, as with all vintage cakes, homemade versions taste better. They are easy to make and children, of course, will love the messiness of helping to dip and roll, and will join the many generations of cake-eaters who look upon Lamingtons with great fondness and nostalgia.

  FOR THE CAKES

  125g soft butter, plus extra for greasing

  150g caster sugar

  2 eggs

  230g plain flour

  2 teaspoons baking powder

  a generous pinch of salt

  1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  100ml milk

  200g desiccated coconut, to decorate

  FOR THE ICING

  400g icing sugar

  3–4 tablespoons cocoa powder

  25g butter

  100ml milk

  YOU WILL NEED

  a 20cm nonstick square cake tin, greased with butter and base lined with baking parchment

  makes 16 lamingtons

  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. Add the eggs one by one, beating well after each addition.

  3/ Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt into a small bowl. Mix the vanilla extract with the milk in a measuring jug. Add half the flour mixture to the ingredients in the large mixing bowl, followed by half the milk and vanilla. With a large metal spoon or flexible spatula, fold in gently. Add the rest of the flour and milk, and continue folding in gently until thoroughly combined.

  4/ Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and level the surface with the back of the spoon or spatula. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes until well risen and springy to the touch, and a metal skewer inserted into the centre of the sponge comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack. Leave to cool before turning out of the tin.

  5/ When the cake has cooled completely and you are ready to ice it, cut the sponge into 16 squares (or 25 smaller squares if preferred).

  6/ To make the icing, sift the icing sugar and cocoa powder into a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and milk and mix well to create a smooth, slightly runny icing that will cover the sponge squares without running off.

  7/ Put the desiccated coconut into a wide bowl or onto a large plate. Using your hands or a fork, first dip the squares into the icing OR spread with a knife, covering all sides except the base. Then quickly roll the squares in the desiccated coconut until evenly coated. Transfer to a wire rack to dry. Continue until all the squares have been iced and dipped in coconut.

  STORAGE: Lamingtons are best stored in an airtight tin in a cool place and eaten within a day or two of making.

  rock buns

  Rock buns or cakes have often unjustly been the butt of many baking jokes. Too often hard, dry and rocky by nature as well as by name, they have come to epitomise a mean, austere style of vintage baking. Yet when they are made with plenty of butter, soft brown sugar, a generous helping of plump dried fruit, a waft of nutmeg and a grating of lemon zest, they can be utterly, meltingly delicious. Rock buns need to be large and filling, the kind of thing you’d be happy to find in a cake tin after a long walk or an energetic game, or for a rather good elevenses on any day of the week.

  FOR THE BUNS

  340g plain flour

  2 teaspoons baking powder

  ½ teaspoon salt

  a good grating of fresh nutmeg

  a pinch of mixed spice (optional)

  170g light soft brown sugar

  100–150g undyed glacé cherries

  100g raisins

  70g sultanas OR a total of 250–300g mixed dried fruit, according to taste and what’s in the cupboard

  finely grated zest of 1 lemon (unwaxed or well washed)

  170g butter at room temperature, but not too soft

  1 large egg

  1–2 tablespoons milk

  YOU WILL NEED

  1 large baking sheet, lined with baking parchment

  makes 12 buns

  1/ Preheat the oven to 180°C (gas mark 4).

  2/ Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and spice (if using) into a large bowl. Add the sugar and stir a couple of times with your hand or a spoon to mix.

  3/ Prepare the dried fruit. Rinse the cherri
es to remove any excess syrup, and pat dry with a kitchen towel. Slice each cherry in half and put them in a separate large bowl with the raisins and sultanas (or whatever dried fruit you are using). Add the finely grated lemon zest and stir with your hand or a spoon to mix.

  4/ Add the butter to the flour mix and use your fingertips to rub the dry ingredients and butter together until the mix resembles fine sandy breadcrumbs. Make sure there are no lumps of butter remaining. Stir in the dried fruit and lemon zest.

  5/ Crack the egg into a small bowl or cup, add a tablespoon of milk, and whisk well with a fork until combined.

  6/ Make a well in the centre of the dry mixture and add the egg and milk. With the fork, mix quickly and lightly until the ingredients come together in a stiff-ish, firm, slightly sticky dough. The mixture should do this quite easily without too much pressure. Do not overwork. If it is still on the dry and crumbly side, add a little more milk very sparingly. Be careful not to make the mixture too slack or it will turn into flat cookies when in the oven.

  7/ Using your hands or 2 forks, pile the mixture into 12 individual ‘rocks’ (craggy piles) on the prepared baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 17–20 minutes until the buns are golden brown, with the tiniest hint of squishiness on top. They will continue to cook when you have taken them out of the oven. Transfer to a wire rack and leave the buns to cool (although they are quite delicious when still warm – not hot – with a glass of milk or a cup of tea).

  STORAGE: Rock buns are delicious when fresh, but also keep well for up to 2 days if stored in an airtight tin in a cool place.

  devonshire splits

  Devonshire splits are the local county name for jammy buns, the treats beloved by many a children’s book character and generations of more mature takers of cream teas. They are a classic: soft balls of rich, sweet dough that are then split diagonally and filled to bursting with jam and cream. Although they have been overlooked in recent times in favour of the quicker scone, these buns are very easy to make and are ideal for a large, hungry party.

  FOR THE BUNS

  1 x 7g sachet fast-action dried yeast

  1 teaspoon clear runny honey or caster sugar

  450ml milk