A Little Bit 50s: Birthday Cake

Today is my eldest daughter's fifteenth birthday.

Our family tradition is that you get to pick the menu for the entire day (and do not have to do any chores)!

It is a school day, so she is having tuck shop for lunch- but breakfast? French toast thankyou! Luckily hubby is the morning person, so he organised that – although I did set the table last night. Simply beaten egg with a little milk and pan fried in butter, then sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon.

.Yummy!

The dinner menu is chicken kiev, with mash potato and steamed veg, and bread pudding for dessert (grandmas’ making that). I am going to try and make the kiev for the first time – usually I buy it pre-done. pre-done. I also going to attempt a Victoria Sandwich cake, for afternoon tea– something I have never had much success at before, but here goes!.

I am using a cake recipe from my favourite cookbook at the moment –

all ready to read the recipie with a cup of tea.

In the past, cake recipes, when written down at all, were brief and by today's standards are often considered to be incomplete. The writers of these recipes assumed a level of cooking knowledge not shared today, but that was passed down from mother to child in the same way as recipes often were. In my recipe the ingredients are given (in ounces), plus ‘a bit of milk to make a dropping consistency.’ The size of the tins is not given either. Here is the recipe, with my photos – me looking horribly fat, but I just had to show off my new ‘old’ apron!

Victoria Sandwich Cake

4oz butter

4 oz sugar

2 eggs

4oz flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

A little milk

jam

Grease 2 tins. Cream butter and sugar then bet eggs in singly. Add sieved flour and baking powder, and mix with milk to a dripping consistency.

Divide mixture in half between 2 tins.

Bake in a moderate oven (375F), 25-30 minutes;when cakes are cool,spread with jam.

Sandwich the cakes together,and sprinkle top with sugar.

The verdict? “This cake is surprisingly good mum – can I have 2 pieces?”

Next the chicken kiev. I used thigh fillets, because I had them in the freezer. I made a garlic and herb butter, rolled it up and put it in the fridge to harden, and them put a small piece on each flattened fillet (I used a wine bottle), and rolled it up, securing with 3 toothpicks.

I then dipped each in beaten egg, and rolled in breadcrumbs. I probably should have dusted them in flour first, but I forgot. I made bread crumbs from putting day old bread in the food processer, and then toasting in the oven.