Post-War Make It Do Or Do Without

"Eat It Up, Wear It Out, Make It Do Or Do Without"

It is common knowledge that food during the war was often scarce and unpredictable, especially during times of rationing. But what I was surprised to realise was that I know very little about after the war. Food did not immediately return to its original availability, rationing continued (and is often claimed to have gotten worse.) I had never considered the aftermath of war on food supplies. With troops returning, the population of Britain increased; while food supplies were split between Britain and the British occupied Germany, food was scarcer than ever. In a way, the food situation was worse directly after the war than it would have been during it. In tribute of this overlooked time I have made my Make It Do Or Do Without Cake.

          The recipe is a vintage one sourced from the internet. The concept behind it is simple; carrying on as normal without the usual food supplies. An attitude I deem as completely British in itself. Here is the recipe-

Make It Do Or Do Without Cake.
1 cup water
2 cups raisins
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp cloves
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup lard
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp salt
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder

Place water, raisins, cinnamon, cloves, brown sugar, lard, nutmeg, and salt in a saucepan and mix. Place on heat and bring to a boil. Cook 3 minutes. Allow to cool, then sift together the flour, baking soda and baking powder. Stir into cooked mixture. Place in a greased loaf pan and bake at 350F for one hour.

      I can’t deny aesthetically it is no masterpiece, not that I expected one. One thing I have learnt through my experiments in food from Victorian era onward currants were available in mass and were included in everything. I dislike currants. This recipe was just the last in a long list of currant packed foods. I was surprised when, unlike other cake recipes (which I am sure could have knocked someone out), this cake turned out light and spongy.

      As I have mentioned before my gran never believed in salmonella poisoning from raw egg and happily let me lick the bowl when we made cakes. This is a habit, so full of nostalgia, I cannot let it go. Now 21 I still find myself sneaking my finger into whatever I am baking to taste it. In fact, in times of distress I find myself compelled to cravings of raw cake mixture (a calling I am ashamed to say I have answered more than once.) As such it was natural for me to have a taste of the cake mix, as I have with all my other baked experiments in this blog. Usually this has not ended well for me, the unusual combination of ingredients (Mrs Beeton and her obsession with eggs) does not taste good raw. However with this cake mix, I could not stop until I had licked the bowl clean. It tasted like a sloppy gingerbread mix. Once cooked the taste, combined with the warm aroma, was even better.

      My tasters all agreed, and the cake was eagerly demolished within a day or so. “It looks similar to a fruit cake but has a gingery undertone to the taste”. I had to agree with my mums analysis. Though there was no ginger in the cake, which I am still perplexed by. I cannot think what it could be that gives off such a familiar taste.

      I had expected this recipe to be a failure. An illusion of a time when real cake ingredients were readily available. However, the recipe is not just a pretence of having something which was unavailable; the cake is good, really good. Therefore this recipe had, justly, earned its way into my permanent collection. I suggest, if you are also a lover of gingerbread, you give this recipe a go as well.