War Time Recipes from South African

Honey Gems

Ingredients:

• 1½ Tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 egg
• ½ cup milk
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1 cup whole meal

Method:

1. Melt honey and butter
2. Add egg and beat well together
3. Add milk and lastly dry ingredients
4. Cook in muffin tins in ordinary way.

Golden Syrup Biscuits

Ingredients:

• ½ lb. whole meal
• 2 tablespoons golden syrup
• 4 ounces butter
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 2 ounces sugar
• Pinch of salt
• Cream the butter, sugar and golden syrup.
• Stir in dry ingredients
• Knead well, roll out thinly and cut into shapes.
• Bake about 15 minutes in moderate oven.

Steamed date or fig pudding

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• ¼ lb. stale breadcrumbs
• ¼ finely chopped suet
• ½ cup sugar
• ¼ lb. dried figs or dates
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 level teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch of salt

Method:

1. Mix dry ingredients, then add well-beaten eggs and milk.
2. The mixture should be stiff enough to just drop off the spoon.
3. Lastly add chopped fruit and mix well.
4. Pour into a well greased mould
5. Cover with a lid or paper cap and steam for 2 or 3 hours
6. Turn out and serve with a sweet white sauce or custard.
7. If like a teaspoon of ground cinnamon, also a little vinegar can be added.

Nutritious carrot pudding

Ingredients:

• 1½ cups whole meal (whole wheat flour)
• 1 cup grated carrot
• 1 cup of raisins
• Grated rind of one orange and one lemon
• 2 ounces honey
• 3 ounces butter
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda dissolved in ½ cup milk

Method:

Mix well and steam for 2½ hours in greased and covered basin.

Mrs Slade's cake

Ingredients:

• 1½ lbs. flour
• 1lb. butter
• 1lb. brown sugar
• 1lb raisins
• 1lb. currants
• 1lb. sultanas
• ½ lb. mixed peel
• 1lb. cherries
• ¼ lb almonds
• 9 eggs
• 2 teaspoons nutmeg or mixed spice
• 4 tablespoons caramel
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

Method:

1. Cream butter and sugar
2. Add eggs one at a time
3. Add all liquids
4. Add the fruit
5. Lastly add all the sieved dry ingredients
6. Bake for 3-3½ hours in medium oven.

Economical Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 cup yellow sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup pitted raisins
• ¼ cup butter
• 1 teaspoon powdered cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• Pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 2 cups standard whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder

Method:

1. Boil together for three minutes the sugar, water, raisins, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, butter and salt.
2. Allow to cool
3. Mix flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda and fold into fruit mixture
4. Bake in slow oven for an hour.