EASTER COOKING—REMEMBER RATIONING

New Zealand Listener, Volume 16, Issue 405, 28 March 1947, Page 22

EASTER COOKING—REMEMBER RATIONING

Y now we have learnt to take pride in accepting the challenge of rationing; and with so many substitutes, we think sympathetically of our friends in ‘Britain who have none! Lard for Butter n Auckland Link in the Daisy Chain writes that she uses lard for cakes in this proportion: For 1lb. of butter use 202. LESS of lard CREAMED WELL with the juice of ONE LEMON. She finds the cakes keep moist longer! Sininel Cake This is the traditional Easter Cake, and was originally a compromise between a fruit cake for the husband, Simon, and a plain cake for the wife, Neil. Resourceful Nell put a fruit cake mixture at the bottom of the cake tin, then a layer. of almond paste, and then a plain cake-mixture on top. Nowadays, Simnel Cake is made just with the one fruit cake mixture, but it is still put in the cake-tin in two halves, with the almond paste layer bétween; and little "Easter Eggs" made of alfnond paste are arranged round the edge of the iced top. These, look. very pretty, especially if. one or two fluffy yellow "Easter Chickens" sold by confectioners are put on also. If you canhot buy the packaged almond paste, here is a recipe: Mock Almond Icing Half a pound of round wine biscuits (leave two out); YWlb. icing sugar; 2 eggs; 2 teaspoons almond essence. Crush wine biscuits fine with rolling pin. Add icing sugar and beaten-eggs and almond flavouring. Chocolate Layer Cake (special) Filling: Mince 30z. of walnuts and mix in 20z. crushed wine biscuits, 3o0z. icing sugar, loz. melted butter, % teaspoon vanilla and make soft with a little cream or creamy milk. Cake: One cup of flour sifted; 2 tablespoons cocoa; % cup chopped dates; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 3 well-beaten eggs; %2 cup walnuts; 4oz. butter or other shortening; 1 teaspoon vanilla; 1 breakfastcup sugar (level). Sift flour once. Add baking powder and sift again. Add butter to’ cocoa, melt and cool. Beat sugar with eggs until thick, Add melted butter and cocoa and then all other ingredients. Bake in quite a moderate oven. Mixture is quite wet, without being runny. You need two large sandwich tins for baking this. Novelty Biscuits (no butter, sugar, eggs or flour) F Put into a basin 2 cups coconut; 1 cup chopped sultanas and raisins mixed; 1 cup chopped dates; 1 cup chopped wainuts; 1 tin’ sweetened condensed milk. (Use breakfast cups.) Mix all thoroughly well together; make into small balls, about the size of a walnut; bake on greased oven shelf in coolish oven, very slowly, for approximately 15 minutes. Keep in a tin. Apple Sauce Cake (eggless) One cup sugar; cup butter; 3 des‘sertspoons cocoa; 2 cups flour before sifting; 2 level teaspoons baking powder; pinch salt; 1. teaspoon ground

cloves; ¥ teaspoon nutmeg; 1 teaspoon vanilla; ¥% teaspoon cinnamon; 1 cup chopped raisins; 4% cup walnuts; 14% cups apple sauce unsweetened; 1 level teaspoon baking soda, Cream butter and sugar. Sieve apple sauce and add soda to it just before adding, add dry ingredients, etc. Custard Cake This makes a large cake. Two pounds flour; 2lb. sultanas; 1lb. currants or raisins; Yalb. peel; 1lb. sugar; 1lb. butter (or 140z. lard and juice of 1 lemon); 4 eggs; 4 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda; 14lb, almonds; grated nutmeg to taste (about 4% teaspoon); 1 desertspoon almond essence; 1 dessertspoon lemon essence; 1 pint boiling milk. Rub butter into flour, mix all dry ingredients, beat eggs slightly, then pour boiling milk over eggs. Add essences, add to dry ingredients, and mix well. Bake 4 or 5 hours. Mixture is a very wet one.

Maltby Cake (eggless) Three cups flour; 1 cup sugar; 1 cup butter (or other shortening); 1 cup currants; 1 cup sultanas; 2 pieces peel; 2 teaspoons bi-carb. soda; 2 tablespoons vinegar; 1 teaspoon mixed spice. Rub butter into flour; add dry ingredients, make a well in the middle, and put in the vinegar and baking soda mixed, and let it work for % hour, Then mix to right consistency with milk. Moderate oven, about 3 hours (continued on next page)