Rich Chocolate Cake

3 oz cocoa (not drinking chocolate)    

4 ½ oz soft brown sugar

½ pt milk

4 oz margarine (not soft spread)

8 oz caster sugar

3 eggs

1 ¼ tsp vanilla

8 oz plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

¾ tsp bicarbonate of soda

Mix the cocoa and brown sugar. Scald the milk (that is, heat it until it is very hot but not boiling) over a medium heat. Add gradually to brown sugar mixture, then beat until smooth. Leave on one side to cool.

Cream the margarine. Add the caster sugar gradually, creaming together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add vanilla.

Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Now add about a third of it to the marge-sugar-egg mixture, and beat to mix it in. Then add about a third of the cocoa mixture and beat. Continue to alternate adding flour mixture with cocoa mixture, beating between additions; then beat until smooth.

Pour into greased sandwich tins. Bake in a moderate oven (Mark 4, 190◦C) 25 to 30 minutes.

Allow to cool in tins 5 – 10 minutes. Remove from tins. Cool on wire racks. Sandwich layers together with the filling of your choice (stewed apple puree is nice!)

 

Some words about the ingredients –

Vanilla – good vanilla is not cheap, but cheap vanilla flavouring is nasty. You will often find two sorts of vanilla on sale – one will be about the same price as other flavourings, one will be a LOT more. Get the expensive one.

Cocoa – Drinking chocolate is not the same thing. It has less chocolate and has sugar added. If you substitute drinking chocolate, (not recommended) increase the amount and cut back on the sugar.

Margarine – this is where you can economise. The stuff sold for baking is fine.

    

Lemon Cheesecake

This is not the easiest recipe. However, it is worth the effort. Warning – it is VERY rich, and this recipe will easily serve 10-12.

 

4 Tablespoons water

½ oz. Gelatine

4 eggs

4 oz caster sugar

12 oz cream cheese

¼ pt single cream

¼ pt double cream

Juice and zest of 2 lemons

 

For biscuit crust –

8 oz digestive biscuits

4 oz butter

2 oz caster sugar

 

• Put the water into a bowl, sprinkle on gelatine and leave 10 minutes to soften. Separate the eggs and put whites to one side.
  
• Mix the egg yolks and sugar together in a bowl and stand it over a saucepan of gently steaming water. Whisk until mixture is thick and the whisk leaves a trail when lifted. Remove from heat and whisk until cold.
  
• Stand the bowl containing the gelatine in the saucepan of hot water and stir until dissolved. Allow to cool slightly, and then pour slowly into the egg yolk mixture, stirring all the time.
  
• Blend the single cream and the cheese together, add to the egg mixture with lightly whisked double cream, lemon juice and zest. Leave in a cool place until just on point of setting. Add the stiffly-beaten egg whites and fold into mixture with a large metal spoon or spatula. Rinse out a 20.5 cm spring-opening tin with cold water. Pour in the mixture and put in fridge until set.
  
• Melt the butter. Crush the biscuits and mix with the melted butter and sugar. Sprinkle over the surface of the cheesecake and press down lightly. Return to fridge for about one hour, then remove from tin.

Vanilla Fudge

I learned the hard way that fudge, unlike most confectionery, has to be stirred while boiling!

 

4 level tablespoons golden syrup

½ pint milk

1 large can (about ½ pint) skimmed, sweetened condensed milk

½ lb margarine

2 lb granulated sugar

¼ level teaspoon cream of tartar

½ teaspoon vanilla essence

 

1. Grease a shallow 13 in by 9 in tin. Measure the golden syrup carefully, levelling off the spoon with a knife, and making sure there is none on the underside of the spoon. Place in a large, heavy-quality saucepan; add remaining ingredients.
   
2. Stir over a moderate heat until sugar is dissolved. Bring to boil and boil quickly until soft-ball stage is reached, stirring continuously. Remove the saucepan from heat.
   
3. Beat fudge with a wooden spoon until it is thick and grained. Pour quickly into the tin. Mark into squares, leave until almost cold. Cut into squares. When completely cold, turn out, separate into squares and leave to harden.

Coconut Ice

Quite an easy one, this, if you have a sugar thermometer.

1 lb granulated sugar

¼ pt milk

5 oz desiccated coconut

Pink food colouring

 

• Brush a 7-inch square shallow tin with melted fat or oil. Place sugar and milk in a heavy-quality saucepan. Stir over a low heat until sugar is dissolve.
  
• Bring to the boil and boil quickly, without stirring, until "soft ball" stage is reached (240 degrees F or when a little, dropped into a saucer of cold water, just forms a soft ball)
  
• Remove the saucepan from the heat, add coconut and stir until the mixture begins to thicken. Pour half of the mixture into the tin. Quickly colour the remainder pale pink and pour over the first layer. Spread mixture to sides of tin
  
• Leave until almost set, mark into bars. When cold, turn out of tin and cut into bars.

Turkish Delight

This recipe doesn't rely on gelatine to set it, so should be OK for vegetarians. It does need a fair bit of care in making, but it is worth it.

 

Turkish Delight

1lb granulated sugar

¼ level teaspoon cream of tartar

4oz (approx) cornflour

8oz (approx) icing sugar

2 oz clear honey

2 teaspoons rosewater or ½ tsp rose flavouring (variation – lemon flavouring)

¼ tsp pink food colouring

1¼ pints water

 

1. Lightly grease a 7-inch square tin.
   
2. Place sugar and ¼ pint of the water in a heavy-quality saucepan. Stir over a moderate heat until the sugar has dissolved to form a syrup. Bring to the boil and boil quickly, without stirring, until "soft ball" stage is reached (240 degrees F, or until a little, dropped into a bowl of cold water, will just form a soft ball)
   
3. Remove from heat , stir in the cream of tartar; leave on one side.
   
4. While syrup is cooking, mix 3 oz cornflour and 7 oz icing sugar in a large saucepan with a little of the remaining pint of water. Add the rest of the water. Bring the mix to the boil, stirring, and cook for 2 minutes.
   
5. Reduce the heat and gradually pour the syrup mixture into the cornflour mixture, beating well with a wooden spoon.
   
6. Bring back to the boil and boil for 20 – 30 minutes, stirring all the time, until the mixture is transparent and a pale straw colour (The cornflour has to react with the syrup, and the mixture will not set properly unless this is done!)
   
7. Add the rosewater and the honey; mix thoroughly. Pour half of the mixture into the tin. Quickly colour the remainder pale pink, and pour over the mixture in the tin, spreading out to sides if the tin.
   
8. Leave until completely cold then turn out of tin. Dip a sharp knife into icing sugar and cut the Turkish Delight into 1-inch wide bars. Mix @ ½ oz of icing sugar and ½ oz cornflour together. Roll the bars in the mixture, coat evenly. Leave the bars 3-4 hours, then cut into 1-inch cubes and coat in mixture. Leave overnight.