CHOCOLATE SQUARES

you know where most of my recipes comes from - this one in mum's old handwritten book - is so badly stained and used it took me quite a while to decipher - but here it is - JUST FOR YOU!

4oz (125g) butter
1 small cup brown sugar
1 egg
vanilla essence
1 cup plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 cup dried fruit (chopped dates, raisins or dried apricots)

Cream butter and sugar; add egg and vanilla, then dried fruit. Sift flour with baking powder and add to mixture. Cook in a Swiss Roll tin in a moderate oven for 30 minutes. When cold cover with chocolate butter icing.

Dossie's Chocolate Cake

Aunty Dossie was one of my first cooking inspirations. When I was younger I would go and stay on her dairy farm where I had my first 'farm to table' experiences. In fact, it was those authentic and truly fresh flavours that ignited my interest in cooking. She is no longer with us, and here is her Chocolate Cake recipe, shared in her memory.

125g (4oz) butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons coconut
1 heaped cup Self Raising Flour
3 level tablespoon Drinking Chocolate

Besat butter and sugar, add milk and vanilla, then chocolate, flour and coconut.

Put into a greased sandwich tin. Bake in a moderate oven.

The recipe is simple and economical and most probably at least 40 to 50 years old.

Boiled Chocolate Cake

It is such a delight to read and cook and taste the recipes from my childhood. These all came from mum's old hand written cookbooks, from recipes that were passed over a kitchen table and a cup of tea, posted from relatives or swapped over the backfence.

Bring slowly to the boil, stirring continuously:
1 cup water
2 tablespoons cocoa
125g/4oz butter
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

Allow to cool.

When cold, stir in 2 well beaten eggs, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 2 cups self raising flour.

Pour into greased tin and bake in a moderate oven for 35-40 minutes.