The Soldier Fruit cake Recipe

When rationing did begin in 1942 Australia, sugar was one of the first foods to be reduced to 1kg a fortnight. To be honest, in my household today, that’s a gracious amount. But to my Grandmother in WAR ravished Britain in the 40s it wasn’t. She baked a lot and desserts, pastry’s and sweets were her thing.

She hoarded sugar before WW2 broke out and stories of sugar being in every cupboard around the home to bake wedding or birthday cakes for her community of Manchester continued without her ever running out.

Willow baking tins produced (from early 1939) an all in one baking tin that came with a lid and was widely used for families to send a cake to the war front. After baking a label was placed on the outside and off it was sent to the lucky solider.

This recipe found on the Australian War memorial website was a magazine clipping (Copyrighted) with added penciled ingredients, I guess the woman making this for her soldier knew he liked the extra spice.

• 8oz (225g) butter
• 4oz (115g) brown sugar
• 3oz (85g) honey
• 3oz (85g) marmalade
• 10oz (1 1/2 cups) plain flour
• 1/2 teaspoon bicarb soda
• 1/2 lb (1/2 cup) currants
• 1/2 lb (1/2 cup) sultanas
• 1/2 lb (1/2 cup) raisins
• 4oz (115g) dates
• 4oz (115g) mixed peel
• 2oz (60g) cherries
• 4 eggs
• 1 dessertspoon mixed spice

Method

Cream together the butte and sugar. Beat in the honey and marmalade until the mixture is quite fluffy. Mix in the four well-beaten eggs. Sift together the dry ingredients and add alternately to the prepared fruit. Mix thoroughly. Pour into a soldier’s tin which has been prepared by lining with two layers of brown and one of white paper. Cook in a moderately hot oven (350 deg F gas, 400 deg F electric) for half an hour. Reduce temperature to 300 deg gas for three to three and a half hours. Turn out of tin upside down on a cake cooler.