These were another of Mum’s afternoon tea and supper delights. They always seemed to me to be a little more fancy that my birthday butterfly cakes. I haven’t made them or eaten them in a long time, but they were great back when I was little.
I always associate these little cakes with my birthday parties. They were a treat Mum would make to put on the party table and I guess after two sons she was more than happy to make something ‘girlie’ for my birthday. She did make them at other times for afternoon tea with her friends and for suppers, but I still think of them as my birthday butterflies.
It looks like Mum’s collected this recipe off the back of the condensed milk tin. I don’t especially remember her making it, but it looks great and I think I’ll try it out myself.
I can remember Mum having these in the biscuit tin when my brothers and I came home from school ravenous. They still taste good and while they’re still great to have in the tin when the kids get home, adults done mind them either.
As you can see this recipe comes from one of Mum’s original handwritten notebooks. It’s hard to read so I’ve rewritten in out down below. These days there’s lots and lots of different Banana Cake recipes, but this old one was way before you could buy sour cream, so you had to make your own sour milk by adding lemon juice to warm milk. Easy to do and it makes a lovely moist cake.
This is one of Mum’s quick and easy potato recipes. The recipe says to quarter the potatoes, but always slice them and pour the French Onion soup & oil mix over them.
Another great family treat was Sweetcorn Patties or as this printed version from a magazine calls them Sweetcorn cakes
I guess these are the old version of American Hash Browns, maybe not quite so crunchy, but just as delicious. Mum’s being making them since I was a little girl and they’ve always been one of my favourites.
The old recipe is a bit faded at the edges but reads:
MOCK FISH PATTIES
Combine potato with onion, flour, salt, pepper & parsley. Add unbeaten egg and anchovy essence. Mix well, drop spoonfuls in hot fat & fry until golden brown on both sides. Flatten each piece with back of spoon as it cooks.
While on the dessert theme, I thought I’d add this one. It’s another of Mum’s great standbys. I can’t count the number of times she made it or I’ve eaten it. I can still see it in the bowl she always served it in. A family classic.
This was one of Mum’s recipes that I made many times myself. In the ’70s dinner parties at home were the way everyone entertained. I thought this was a great dessert, it was quick and easy to make, could be made beforehand and tasted great. What more could you want?
Beb's Recipe Drawer 