Those who were lucky enough to taste the after-school or party treats made by my mum will definitely have eaten this one! It was almost permanently in the cake tins at home. My mum was a working mum with three kids (and all their friends) and she needed a selection of tasty treats that didn't take too long to make. This was a favourite. Now that I'm an adult and use a lot of her recipes, I've realised how adept mum was at finding gastronomical treasures that she could whip up quickly. I make less of it than she did; it's a different era now and we're more conscious of the quantities of butter in things we make, but when there's a day that you don't really care, or have to produce something yummy at great speed, this is the recipe to turn to!
(I'll probably get into trouble with this one like I did with the Plonk Cake - I really don't know where the recipe originated and am not claiming it as my mum's creation - but she made it a lot! If anyone knows who was the first of the Wellington women to introduce it, let me know and I'll make sure they get their due credit!).
Ingredients:
2 Dessertspoons Cocoa
1 cup sugar
225g butter
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
Icing:
1 cup icing sugar, sifted
1/4 cup coconut
25g butter, melted and cooled
1 tsp cocoa
A little hot water
Directions:
1. Melt butter and sugar.
2. Add to rest of ingredients.
3. Place in sponge roll tin.
4. Bake for 15-20 mins at 180C (350F).
5. Cover with icing while hot and cut immediately.
6. Leave to cool in tin.
Danielle Levy (1937-2004)
I think I had the Chch version, made with cornflakes, but the icing sounds the same, minus the coconut maybe, can't really remember. Lots of the old Kiwi Choc recipes tend to have cocoa rather than dark chocolate (so common in todays' recipes), is this because cocoa was more popular, or because dark chocolate wasn't readily available?
ReplyDeleteCiao
Alessandra
I guess dark chocolate wasn't as everyday WAY back then! Well those were the days when you walked into a cafe and ordered a "coffee" because there was only one kind on offer. The cornflakes remind me of those chocolate cookies with cornflakes in them - they were great.... I might have to track that recipe down.
ReplyDeleteWow, what a glamour queen your mum was, Emma! I love that photo.
ReplyDeleteRe the dark chocolate - yes, according to my mum, you couldn't get good cooking chocolate here for ages. Cocoa had to do.
ReplyDeleteThis recipe has captured my attention from the very first time I visited this page. I will be trying this and will have my young niece make it with me as we are starting a tradtion of cooking and baking together. It actually sounds like a new item for Christmas! I would like to double check something though, what is a sponge roll tin? Is this what we; in Canada, call a cookie sheet? Large rectangular flat pan with short sides? LOL! Love this site!
ReplyDeleteNancy Teed
Hi Nancy, yes that's exactly what it is! Funnily enough I don't call the tin that either, the term came with the recipe. But yes a rectangular pan that you'd make a slice in. It will be a great one to make (and eat!) with your niece. I'd love to hear how it goes. Emma.
ReplyDeleteMy mum also made chocolate crunch. As far as I can tell, it's just like your Mum made. I always thought it was her adaptation of ginger crunch from the Edmonds Cook Book. She also made it in it's original ginger form. And I do too, though only for special occasions - so much butter!
ReplyDeleteEm: you mentioned the cornflake and chocolate biscuits: possibly could be "Afgans" - which is the first entry under Cakes and Biscuits in my copy of the Edmonds book. My Mum made Afgans all the time.