Terrific Timely Tips from WWII booklet

Mom and I were out and about collecting goodies for our store and boy did we find some wonderful goodies at the estate of a 95 year old woman who still had many of her mother's belongings. Many of these items will be added to our inventory soon but they are just so neat that I wanted to share some of them with you!

One of these goodies is a great promotional Swans Down cake flour booklet filled with wartime recipes called "How to bake by the Ration Book". This little booklet features recipes that make do with less. For example there are cakes with little or no eggs or sugar and biscuits with only a tablespoon of shortening. Not only is it interesting to see how creative people were with what they had but these are recipes that are just as good for us today helping both our waistlines and our wallets.

Here are a couple of recipes for you to try:

One-Egg Wonder Cake

2 cups sifted Swans Down Cake Flour
1 cup Sugar
2 tsp. Calumet Baking Powder
1 egg, unbeaten
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup milk
1/4 or 1/3 cup shortening
1 tsp. vanilla

Sift flour once, measure, add baking powder and salt, and sift together three times. Cream shortening, add sugar gradually, and cream together well. Add egg and beat very thoroughly. Add flour, alternately with milk, a small amount at a time, beating after each addition until smooth. Add vanilla. Bake in two greased 8 inch layer pans or in greased large cup-cake pan in moderate oven (375 degrees F.) 20-25 minutes. Spread with topping...


Wartime Drop Biscuits

2 cups sifted Swans Down Cake Flour
3/4 cup milk
2 1/2 tsp. Calumet Baking Powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tablespoon melted shortening or oil

Sift flour once, measure, add baking powder and salt, and sift again. Add milk and melted shortening. Then stir quickly and lightly until all flour is dampened. Drop from tip of teaspoon in small mounds on lightly greased baking sheet. Bake in hot oven (450 degrees F.) 15 minutes or until done. Makes about 18 biscuits.

Bon Appetit!
Kerry