I don’t quite know how to tell you this, but as un-politically correct as it is …I can’t go on any longer without coming out of the kitchen cupboard even further. I have a confession to make…

I love pretty little cakes! …there I said it out loud and proud for all to hear!

When I was in preschool, my mother would leave me with a lovely neighbour, while she went to work. Mrs Sutton was a fabulous cook and I used to watch her decorate multi tiered wedding cakes. She would make life-like roses and edible lace out of icing and all sorts of beautiful creations. She even made a Humpty Dumpty cake for my 5th birthday. I always aspired to be as talented as her.

When she died some of her recipes went to my mother and the other ladies in the street. This recipe for her sponge cake mixture is simple and made with real ingredients. I am extremely proud to say that I can personally trace this sponge recipe back about 40 odd years but I believe it to be much older than that!

My mother used to use it to make her own version of either apple or rhubarb sponge for dessert. Of course, you can forget the fruit and/or use this easy recipe instead of one of those nasty preservative blends in a packet. It has served me well over the years for making birthday cakes, cup cakes and Swiss rolls…I hope you enjoy this treasure. I now share it with you, with love from me and the late Mrs Sutton. I hope you pass it on and enjoy it too.

BASIC FRUIT SPONGE
When making sponge, try not to open the oven door before time and be careful that there are no cold draughts in the kitchen. Mrs Sutton used to go as far as to put towels against the cracks under the doors.

INGREDIENTS
6-8 cups of stewed apple, apricot or rhubarb
8 separated eggs
2 cups of caster sugar
2 cups of self raising flour

METHOD
1. Place the stewed fruit in an oven proof casserole dish.
2. Wisk the egg whites to stiff peak (absolutely no yolk).
3. Gradually add the caster sugar while continuing to whisk.
4. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time to combine.
5. Gently fold in the flour being careful not to knock the air out of the mixture. This step is very important for a light and fluffy sponge.
6. Pour the sponge mixture over the stewed fruit, making sure there is room for the sponge to rise.
7. Cook @ about 190 C for 10 – 15 minutes or until it bounces back when lightly touched with your finger.

Serve hot or cold with whipped cream, custard or ice cream…

• Mum used to cover the sponge with cream and fresh strawberries to make a good old fashioned strawberry short cake for birthdays and it’s been made into fairy cakes on countless occasions.

Mrs Sutton’s Raspberry Jelly Cakes
There is something very camp about Australiana Cuisine in the 1960’s. It was a time of many iconic delicacies such as Iced Vovo’s, Pavlova & Lemon Meringue. The ladies in our street would typically make chocolate crackles, lamingtons and mixed nut brittle toffees for fetes and church fundraisers and we kids would benefit by having lovely sugary baked goodies to scoff into at home and at school. This recipe is one of my favourites.

METHOD
1. Lightly grease a shallow ‘scallop shaped’ cake tray.
2. Make the basic sponge recipe minus the fruit.
3. Make 1 packet of raspberry jelly as per the directions but halve the suggested amount of water to make it more intense. Allow it to cool without letting it set.
4. In another bowl, put 1-2 cups of shredded coconut ( I prefer it to desiccated coconut). Once the sponge has cooled and been removed from the tray, dip each individual cake first in the jelly and let it soak it up momentarily before rolling it in the coconut.
5. Allow to set and then slice each cake on an angle, being careful not to cut it all the way through. Fill each cake with whipped cream in a piping bag and garnish each one with a fresh frozen raspberry.

Rhubarb Raspberry Macaroon Tarts
Mum used to make this dessert as one big family sized tart but I like little tarts, so I adapted the recipe. I haven’t made this for a few years until now. OMG! They are Sooooo delicious, not too sour and not too sweet. Beautiful served hot or chilled and they keep well in the freezer.
If using gluten free pastry be sure that any icing sugar is pure and also gluten free.

METHOD
STEP 1 – THE FILLING
1 bunch of fresh rhubarb (four cups cut up)
½ cup of Low GI Cane sugar
3 cups of water
4 tsp of corn flour
1 ½ cups of frozen raspberries

1. Trim each stalk of rhubarb. Remove absolutely all green leaves as they are toxic to eat. Use a paring knife to remove the ends and carefully try to remove any strings.
2. Cut the rhubarb into fine slices and place in a pan with ½ cup of low GI cane sugar and 2 ½ cups of the water. Simmer and stir occasionally for about 10 minutes or until the rhubarb has broken up and reduced to a sauce. Add the frozen raspberries and return to the boil.
3. Separately, mix 4 tsp of cornflour in ½ cup of water to remove all lumps. Add evenly to the boiling rhubarb while continuing to stir until the sauce is thick. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

STEP 2 – THE BASE
You can buy tart bases pre-made and frozen or you can buy the ready to cut and cook ‘short pastry’ sheets. I prefer to use the sheets because they are way cheaper and I enjoy cutting out pastry as my mother did when I was young.
1. Grease a (large sized) dozen muffin tray and lay out your frozen pastry sheets ready to cut. Allow them to soften as they thaw (about 10 minutes).
2. Cut out 12 circles of pastry 2 or 3cm larger the actual wells in the muffin tray. Keep in mind that the pastry will shrink during cooking. Place each circle of pastry in the well and press into the mould evenly.
3. ‘Dock’ the pastry well, on all sides, with a fork to prevent bubbling during baking. Place in oven @ 200°C for 10 – 12 minutes until lightly browned and then remove the tray, leaving the oven turned on.
4. Divide the rhubarb & raspberry filling evenly between the 12 cooked short pastry shells.

STEP – 3 THE TOPPING
4 cups of shredded coconut
½ cup of low GI cane sugar
3 eggs
1. Mix the ingredients well, in a bowl. Once well blended and sticky, use your clean hands to pinch the mixture into 12 even portions. Place the mixture on top of each filled tart carefully covering the rhubarb mixture. Be careful not to push the coconut down too deeply, causing the rhubarb to ooze out.
2. Return the coconut topped tarts to the oven and bake for a further 5 – 10 minutes or until they are golden brown. Remove the tray from the oven and allow the tray to cool completely before attempting to remove the tarts. You may even wish to refrigerate them because the colder they are, the easier it will be to remove them.
3. When they are completely cold use a palette knife to lever each tart out of its hole and dust them with extra pure icing sugar if you wish.
4. Try not to eat them all!

Steve Anderssen

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