Mothers Cakes and Confectionery

[eighthobstruction]

....while trying to find an airfilled/puffed up metaphor/allegory to describe Simon Scharmas nature....I got to thinking of the marvellous (most marvellous thing I ever tasted) merangue with fresh whipped cream my mama used to make - the texture from crunch to toffee....not tasted since the late 60's....AHW sigh....

[Lat-Literal]

There used to be a sign above a kiosk in Victoria station that said "Hot Potatoes and Confectionery".

Actually, I think the first bit was "Hot Potato's" (sic).

I would often wonder what sort of books would or could have that title.

[Serial_Apologist]

There used to be a sign above a kiosk in Victoria station that said "Hot Potatoes and Confectionery".

Actually, I think the first bit was "Hot Potato's" (sic).

I would often wonder what sort of books would or could have that title.

Appealing ones?

[Lat-Literal]

Appealing ones?

Not the ones on politics.

[Serial_Apologist]

Not the ones on politics.

Crumbs, from the rich man's table.

[french frank]

Mother wasn't much into baking, though she did make some little spongey cakes quite often. Each cake had its top sliced off, then it was spread with icing (always pink). Then she cut the top in half, and stuck the two halves in the icing like butterfly wings (or a bit like butterfly wings). They were called butterfly cakes. She also made rock cakes (who doesn't, although I don't).

[Serial_Apologist]

Mother wasn't much into baking, though she did make some little spongey cakes quite often. Each cake had its top sliced off, then it was spread with icing (always pink). Then she cut the top in half, and stuck the two halves in the icing like butterfly wings (or a bit like butterfly wings). They were called butterfly cakes. She also made rock cakes (who doesn't, although I don't).

My mother would make what she called "melting moments" - an utterly delicious Ratafia biscuit-like... cake?... which she devised from the limited available ingredients during WWII - the recipe for which she kept secret. Dad and I did rummage through her odds and ends after her passing, and found all sorts of interesting things, but not, sadly, that recipe.

[eighthobstruction]

....things began to really look up with acquisition of a Kenwood Chef mixer and the advent of soft Blue Band Marge....from then on it was cake cake cake saturday Sunday....accounts for my sweet tooth (treating cake as part of my 5 a-day) and my lack of teeth now....That and having the Monk Road Bakery just 50 yards away, which gave marvellous white bread straight out of the oven....run home and get some salty butter on it straight away.....

[jean]

My mother would make what she called "melting moments" - an utterly delicious Ratafia biscuit-like... cake?... which she devised...

With all respect to your mother, I don't think she did devise 'melting moments' - because my mother used to make them too, and I'd be surprised if your mother and mine were evolving recipes together during the war!

But I have found this. Perhaps that's where both our mothers got them from.

[oddoneout]

With all respect to your mother, I don't think she did devise 'melting moments' - because my mother used to make them too, and I'd be surprised if your mother and mine were evolving recipes together during the war!

But I have found this. Perhaps that's where both our mothers got them from.

I have a very old(1930s I would guess from the pictures) Be-Ro cookbook with this recipe in. The book dates from a time when electric ovens were not common; there are Fahrenheit equivalents given for the Regulo numbers, together with the Slow Oven, Very Moderate etc used for range type ovens but all the useful hints relate to gas ovens - including this " Never put water in a drip tin at the bottom of a gas stove. It causes steaming and will spoil the cooking" - times have changed!
At the back is a picture of a table spread with 12 plates holding cakes big and small, sausage rolls, biscuits and buns, with the proud announcement that " All the above Cakes were made from one 3lb bag of Be-Ro self-raising flour. The total cost of the other ingredients did NOT exceed 10/-(including eggs at 3/6 doz.)"
The staples have rusted away completely and now it sports a makeshift cardboard binder with wool strings to hold the pages in place; it was much used when I had a family to cook for.

[Joseph K]

After getting burgled three years ago I moved back in with my mum... she makes banana cake, fruit sponge, fruit crumble, scones, occasionally carrot cake as well.

[french frank]

I have a very old(1930s I would guess from the pictures) Be-Ro cookbook with this recipe in.

I have a wartime booklet called The Kingsway Book of Cookery. It has a loose recipe tucked inside (I think from 1946): MINISTRY OF FOOD - FUDGE

[Serial_Apologist]

With all respect to your mother, I don't think she did devise 'melting moments' - because my mother used to make them too, and I'd be surprised if your mother and mine were evolving recipes together during the war!

But I have found this. Perhaps that's where both our mothers got them from.

Thanks for that, jean. It never occurred to us that Mum hadn't invented Melting Moments; if I'd known I'd have made some of these when Dad was still alive!

(I suppose it DOES have to be lard)

[teamsaint]

The first thing that my mum taught me to cook was fruit cake. Probably because I liked it, and was a fussy eater. Anyway I think she taught me around age 8 ( ?) despite her not being a particularly keen baker.

One of the beauties ( apart from it being rather good) was that the quantities were easy to remember. Something like 8 oz flour, 4oz sugar, 4 oz butter, 8oz fruit 1 egg.

Haven't made it in probably 40 years, but looking up a similar recipe I found this recipe for " All Purpose Fruit Cake".

https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/rich_moist_all-purpose_35561

All Purpose ? what else would you do with it ?

[Serial_Apologist]

" All Purpose Fruit Cake".
All Purpose ? what else would you do with it ?

Make it Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.