Today’s recipe for Quick and Easy Spice Cake (Tea Loaf) is a fabulous recipe from an old BeRo book, and makes a lovely tea loaf style cake.
Baking with BeRo – A Vintage Recipe
I’m back in the kitchen today, for weekend baking, and today’s recipe for Quick and Easy Spice Cake (Tea Loaf) is a fabulous recipe from an old BeRo book.
I made this recipe EXACTLY as shown in my late mother’s BeRo book, and just as the title of the recipe says, it is indeed very easy.
I have a large collection of BeRo books, the oldest being the 6th edition, which was published in 1928.
I must have baked and cooked from mum’s book (26th million from 1963) many times, but I cannot remember seeing or ever baking this recipe before!
It’s more a tea loaf than a cake, and the easy part of the cake is that you melt the margarine, sugar, marmalade and golden syrup before adding the remaining ingredients.
There’s no rubbing in, or beating, just sifting the dry ingredients into the melted fat mixture, so, as it says, it’s very easy.
You bake it in a 2lb (900g) loaf tin, again more in the style of a tea loaf. The recipe also suggests you serve it in slices, buttered.
I baked this cake (tea loaf) for the weekly cake tin, but, we will indulge in a couple of slices for our Sunday Tea Tray Supper.
I lost my mum 5 years ago now, and it doesn’t seem possible that she’s no longer around to call and ask about old recipes she used to make.
However, I felt incredibly close to her when I was baking this cake – it was as if her spirit was with me in the kitchen, and it was hugely comforting.
That’s why this little battered red book, which is 60 years old now, is one of my most precious possessions.
This lovely old recipe for Quick and Easy Spice Cake (Tea Loaf) is perfect for any autumnal tea table, and I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.
Make sure it’s liberally buttered, of course, and is served in thick slices with a pot of tea. A Brown Betty teapot and knitted tea cosy seems very appropriate too! Karen
More Be Ro Recipes
Recipe for Quick and Easy Spice Cake (Tea Loaf)
Quick and Easy Spice Cake (Tea Loaf)
Yield:
12 slices
Prep Time:
20 minutes
Cook Time:
1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time:
1 hour 35 minutes
I’m back in the kitchen today, for weekend baking, and today’s recipe for Quick and Easy Spice Cake (Tea Loaf) is a fabulous recipe from an old BeRo book.
I made this recipe EXACTLY as shown in my late mother’s BeRo book, and just as the title of the recipe says, it is indeed very easy.
It’s more a tea loaf than a cake, and the easy part of the cake is that you melt the margarine, sugar, marmalade and golden syrup before adding the remaining ingredients.
There’s no rubbing in, or beating, just sifting the dry ingredients into the melted fat mixture, so, as it says, it’s very easy.
You bake it in a 2lb (900g) loaf tin, again more in the style of a tea loaf. The recipe also suggests you serve it in slices, buttered.
This lovely old recipe for Quick and Easy Spice Cake (Tea Loaf) is perfect for any autumnal tea table, and I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.
Make sure it’s liberally buttered, of course, and is served in thick slices with a pot of tea. A Brown Betty teapot and knitted tea cosy seems very appropriate too! Karen
Ingredients
- 6 ozs Self Raising Flour
- 3 ozs Margarine (or Butter)
- 3 ozs Caster Sugar
- 2 tablespoons Marmalade
- 2 tablespoons Golden Syrup
- 3 tablespoons Water
- 3 ozs Sultanas
- 1 1/2 level teaspoons Mixed Spice
- 1 Egg
Instructions
- Pur margarine, sugar, marmalade and syrup into a saucepan.
- Heat gently until the margarine has melted.
- Pour over the flour and spice, and beat well.
- Heat water, and add to the mixture and beat again.
- Stir in the sultanas and lastly the egg.
- Put into a greased 2lb loaf tin and bake in a moderate oven (325F to 350F/160C to 170C/Gas 3 to 4) for approximately 1 1/4 hours until firm.
Notes
The recipe method above was shared exactly as written in the original BeRo book.
For modern day cooks, you might find it easier to line the loaf tin with baking paper.
Also, you can use mixed dried fruit or raisins in place of sultanas.
Stores well in an airtight tin, and becomes moister.
Nutrition Information
Yield 12
Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving
Calories 172Total Fat 6gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 5gCholesterol 16mgSodium 178mgCarbohydrates 27gFiber 1gSugar 14gProtein 2g
