Gran’s special cake

I came across a recipe called Gran’s Special Cake:

12 oz flour
8 oz sugar
4 oz butter
8 oz sultanas
2 lightly beaten eggs
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground caraway
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda dissolved in a little water

rub in butter and flour, stir in sugar, sultanas and spices
add bicarb to eggs and stir into flour with a metal spoon
turn into buttered 8 inch cake tin and bake at 425F, 218C, gs mark 7 for 15-20 mins or when the cake has risen
turn down the heat to 375F, 191C, gas mark 5 and cook for 1¼ hours

… and I thought to myself first of all that I don’t remember my grans’ cakes as they both died when I was very young, but I know my mum’s mum used the Be-Ro recipe book, so any of those lovely cake recipes might have been adapted by her. The second thing that struck me was that this is an economical cake with the flour as the largest ingredient was also the cheapest, and the butter which would have been expensive was the least, and that the cake was given flavour by the unusual combination of spices. The third thing which struck me was the unusual way of making it, rubbing the butter nad flour together first, and also dissolving the bicarb and adding it with the eggs.

My children didn’t know my mum at all, and their other gran was very elderly; I’m not a gran, nor likely to be for quite a while, but maybe this would be my granny cake:

6 oz self-raising flour
2 oz cocoa
8 oz butter or margarine
8 oz sugar (use brown if you have it)
4 eggs beaten and maybe a little milk
a great big dollop of Nutella or chocolate spread
a good few drops of vanilla, or spoon of vanilla paste

cream butter and sugar together
slowly add sifted flour and cocoa, alternately with the eggs
stir in the Nutella or choc spread
if it’s a little wet add in a little more flour, if it’s a little dry add in a little milk
put into 2, 8″, greased and lined pans (you only need to line the bottom)
put into the oven pre-heated to 180C/350F/Gas 4, and cook for 25-35 mins depending on your oven… the cake is quite soft and moist

It is a very good-natured cake so if it is a little dry just add extra icing/jam/choc spread… if it’s a little soggy eat it with ice-cream or cream and a spoon!