Sunday 6 October 2013

jubilee cake

this is a cake that my mother used to make when i was a child and it's been one that i've wanted to make for ages..i have fond memories of my mother making it to take on the picnics that we went on regularly..i can make heavy weather of packing for a picnic but in no time my mother would throw together a few chops or sausages, bread, butter and sometimes a jubilee cake and off we'd go..

the jubilee cake or loaf was created in 1936 for south australia's 100th jubilee year and the recipe* was published in the 1936 edition of the 'green and gold cookery book'..i'm not overly fond of using the baking recipes in this book because i find the measurements inexact and the instructions unclear so i used the jubilee cake recipe* in 'the blue ribbon cookbook' by liz harfull..it's a book of recipes and anecdotes from south australian prizewinning country show cooks..

after making the jubilee cake for the first time i can say that it's a winner..the flavour and texture belie the simplicity of the ingredients and how quickly and easily it's made..in a way it's a bit like scones in the sense that it can be made and served in no time and with staple pantry items..it's the sort of cake i'd now make for impromptu guests or if i wanted something with a cup of tea after a day in the garden..




best eaten slightly warm with butter

note: * for copyright reasons i'm unable to post the jubilee cake recipe from 'the blue ribbon cookbook' but the recipes from the 'green and gold' are quite similar but this recipe from the cwa (country women's association) offers a different method..



34 comments:

  1. Your cake looks delicious Jane, especially with the generous slice of butter on top...and that pretty little plate! I love the Blue Ribbon cookbook, not only for the recipes but also for the history and stories of show cooking. Show cooking is another whole world isn't it?

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    1. thanks jane..i found the blue ribbon cookbook among my mother's things when she died..i also love it for the history, photos and stories especially because i grew up in south australia..i always love to look at the cakes and so on at the show..i've noticed that there are a few women who enter every year and win many of the prizes..i guess you'd get good at it with all that practice!

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  2. Sounds delicious Jane, and I love how we've been instructed to eat it with butter! :D There's something lovely about cakes that were effectively a bread and tea cake at the same time.. x

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    1. thanks celia..it's a good cake because i can kid myself that it's relatively low in sugar and fat so it's healthier than other cakes..and as far as the added butter is concerned..well..i'm just following orders..:)

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  3. Would love a piece right now. Happy memories! Not this cake but I remember others and the picnics (often in the rain)!
    So many kids don't go on picnics these days and more fall out of bed than out of trees......

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    1. we too would often picnic in the rain..it was all just part of the adventure..and we were allowed to wander off and explore..that's something my children didn't experience as much even though i did take them on a lot of picnics..and you're right i don't think a lot of city children spend much time picnicking or even just being outdoors mucking about..

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  4. Not a comment, a query - do you have anything about soapmaking in your archives? I would like to try too.

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    1. i don't make set recipes that would be helpful to you but if you go 'labels', on the right side bar and click on 'soap' you'll find a post entitled 'alchemy' where i've given links to useful soap making sites..all the best with your soap making adventures..

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  5. I can't believe it! I finally found mum's elusive "Sally Lun" cake! Now she is gone I can't just fire off an email missive saying "mum, could you share such and such with me...". She would serve us this lovely cake patted into a round and heavily iced with white icing glaze and after looking up "Sally Lun" all I could find was a sweet bread. It wasn't what mum called a lun. THIS is the exact recipe! Thank you SO much for sharing Jane. The simple treats you got as a child are often the stuff that true satisfaction is made of and I loved this cake to bits :). Thank you for sharing it, hope you don't mind me calling it Sally Lun as that is what I am going to serve up to my family with pride and memories :)

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    1. Oh Sally Luns is a famous bakery in bath - that's why it's confusing because they are most famous for a giant roll type thing - the Sally Lunn bun.

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  6. oh fran..that's so cool..i'm really pleased that you've found 'sally'..i'm looking forward to hearing about your family's reaction to it..my brother sent me a national geographic article a while back that mentioned the jubilee cake and we communicated back and forth about it..i reckon he will be pretty pleased when i surprise him with it next time i see him..

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  7. I'm another born and bred South Australian girl (70 yrs. old) who grew up with the "Green & Gold" recipe book and I remember my mother baking the Jubilee Cake on most Sunday afternoons after church. This was for our next week school lunches and dads treat for supper. I still have my Green & Gold" recipe book as well as a "Barossa Valley Cookbook". Something's we really can't dispose of that will probably go to my grave with me because young adults of today including my children would rather buy packet "crap" or purchase pre-made from a supermarket. My children grew up on the REAL stuff from good cooks like Maggie Beer from the Barossa Valley. My husband and I transferred with his work 36 years ago to Sydney, but we still call Adelaide our home where our grass roots are, but our children and grand-children only know Sydney, so this is where we'll have to stay. While writing this I have a Jubilee cake in the oven now for our supper.

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