This is a recipe from “We’ll Eat Again” by Marguerite Patten OBE and it was something children could make themselves if they were old enough to melt the margarine in a saucepan.. it tastes nice and chocolately and could be topped by chocolate icing once it has stood for a few hours to cool and harden. It really isn’t like cake but more like squares and this is how I served mine… not bad at all!
Ingredients
- 2oz margarine
- 2oz sugar
- 2 tablespoons of golden syrup or corn syrup (3 tablespoons if using North American measures)
- 2 oz cocoa
- 6 oz crispy breadcrumbs
- few drops of vanilla essence
Method
Put the margarine, syrup and sugar in a pan and melt gently over a low heat until the margarine is fully dissolved. Mix well
Remove from heat and add the vanilla essence and the cocoa and mix thoroughly
Pour in breadcrumbs and mix until all coated with the mixture
Press down into 7 inch square greased tin.
Place somewhere cool for at least a few hours until firm
A topping can be added such as chocolate icing
Once set cut into squares
Makes 16 squares
The 1940's Experiment 
I thought during the 1940s they used actual butter.
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Hi there- They used butter, margarine, lard and something they called salad oil (I have yet to find out exactly what that was)
C xx
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Growing up in the U.S. in the 1970s, salad oil was any kind of plain-tasting vegetable oil liquid at room temperature: corn, soybean, sunflower etc. Probably a mix.
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Looks lovely – hope everything’s going well 🙂
KB xx
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What do you mean by ‘crispy breadcrumbs’? My son has to make something for school homework and this looks ideal x
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Hi Jane… if you spread the breadcrumbs on a baking tray and dry them out a little in the oven so they are dry and a little crispy that should do the trick xxxxxxx C
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Ok thanks Carolyn il try that xx
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i made this for my homework everyone in my class loved it. Im 10yrs old and go to st.mary and st.michael school. Heres an idea to make it nicer instead of icing chocolate spead chocolate sauce or in war they might have use the chocolate mix and put that on top
thanks im making it again.
from sarah friend x
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Hi Sarah- I am so pleased it came out well for you! It really isn’t like cake is it BUT it still tastes nice and I guess in the 1940s when people didn’t have much fuel to cook – this would have been a good way to have something sweet and delicious without having to cook it too! Thank you for your tip too! I bet during the war lots of people changed recipes around and made them scrummier!!!
Carolyn xxx
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im going to try this for my homework too. How long approx does it take to make.
FHXXX
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Is it chocolate cake? Was it used with eggs on this one because i saw another recipe called eggless cake and i didnt feel like trying it but i did and it was Delicous 🙂
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im going 2 try if for my homework aswell 🙂 hope its nice
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Amazing recipes
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I made this cake and its absolutely amazin!!! Everyone loved it and it’s my favourite too now!!! Thanks Carolyn xxxf
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Wicked!!! You know what I like about ration book cookery- it uses very basic ingredients and the recipes are pretty straightforward and simple! Woo Hoo!! C xxx
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Hi there,
I am doing this for my creative homework too! How long does it take? I hope that 4SO (my class name) like this cake. Thanks Carolyn
Love Mia x
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Maybe you could add some raisins to make it seem more like a cake
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salad oil is a special type of oil http://www.flickr.com/photos/jasonliebigstuff/5566824163/
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http://www.copykat.com/2010/04/17/what-is-salad-oil/
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I am trying to make Ration food for my homework and everyone has to try it so i thought about trying this 🙂
Carolyn Please Tell Me How Long It Takes!
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This is an easy recipe and doesn’t take much time at all. It takes about 5 minutes or so to mix everything up together and then you just have to wait for it to cool down so I’d say an hour or two in the fridge…
I hope it comes out well for you!!
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I used this recipe for my homework. Everybody loved it and asked for the recipe i’m 9 years old and i’m definitely going to do it again.
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wow! this recipe is great! I have to make it for homework and this ww2 recipe is IDEAL!
Thanks!
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Sounds really good might try it how long dose it take and Carolyn how do you know all these recips it amazing
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this is beaut love it
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Did this for yr 6 WWII VE day! Yr 6 person made it all by himself – v easy, just don’t overcook the mixture or it goes a bit chewy. All went! We saved some for ourselves as it is so delicious and now making it regularly with cheap cornflakes instead of breadcrumbs.
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mine came out too crumbly 😦 since i didn’t had breadcrumbs at hand so I used grahm crackers, and unsalted saltines
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is there an alternative to using breadcrumbs:) im doing it for my homework x
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Was wondering what kind of breadcrumbs you are using to make this??
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I made this last night. In U.S. no golden syrup or corn syrup so I used honey. Did not know if you were talking about fresh breadcrumbs I had the one in the can but I did not toast it. I thought it was good. Hubby not a big fan of the honey so will make with corn syrup. Thought it tasted like a chocolate cookie crust. Thought about pressing into a pie pan and using pudding for a pie. A keeper.
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Fantastic recipes! GP sent me over to say “thanks.” xo
PR
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I’m ten too Sarah friend! Found this recipe when looking for wartime homework stuff. Have yet to make it but looks great. 🙂
Love from Rose Blanche
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did this for homework it was awesome!
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