john_amend_all

I tried making another cake from the 1907 edition of Mrs Beeton's recipe book. All went smoothly until I tried to turn it out of the tin; I think this one may require the tin to be lined rather than just greased. Still tasty, though.

3349. — AUNT BETSEY'S CAKE.

Ingredients. — 5 teacupfuls of flour, 2 teacupfuls of sugar, ½ a cup of butter, 1 cup of golden syrup, 1 cup of water, 2 eggs, ½ of a lb. of chopped raisins, 1 teaspoonful (each) of soda, cloves, cinnamon, and mace.

Method. — Beat the butter and sugar together; add the eggs, dissolve the soda in the water, then add the molasses, flour, spices and fruit, and well work the mixture into the bowl. Turn it into a flat square tin baking-dish and bake in a moderate oven, or if preferred it can be cooked in small crinkled patty-pans.

Time. — 1 to 1½ hours. Average Cost, 1s.

As usual, I halved the quantities, used margarine instead of butter, and self-raising flour so the soda was unnecessary. I also omitted the cloves (personal taste).

The original recipe specified the quantities in cups. Not being too clear how one is supposed to measure fractions of a cup of margarine, I converted everything bar the water to ounces.

Revised ingredients. — 11oz self-raising flour, 8oz caster sugar, 2oz margarine, 6oz golden syrup, ½ a cup (118g) water, 1 egg, 4oz raisins, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon mace.

Method as originally given. Cooking time at 140°C in my fan oven was 1 hour.