Food - Ginger Buns

Diana · Post by **Diana** » 08 Jun 2006, 16:33

What exactly are the Ginger Buns that Enid Blyton's characters eat? I am looking for an authentic recipe from the 1920s-1950s. Are they a yeast bun? Something like a hot cross bun? More like a rock cake? Do they have icing on top? How big are they?

Would appreciate any information. I am hoping someone here used to eat them as a child! I've looked online and there are all kinds of recipes for different kinds of ginger buns, but most seem to be contemporary recipes and are probably not the ones featured in the books. I would really like something that can "authenticate" the recipe as British and from the right period.

Thanks in advance
Diana

Post by **Anita Bensoussane** » 08 Jun 2006, 18:34

Hi Diana,

I think they're small, round, ginger-flavoured sponge cakes in paper cases, a bit like Jamaica ginger cake but individual buns. I've had them in the past, but I've just done a quick Google (Google buns, perhaps?!

) and couldn't find quite what I was looking for. The recipes I came across were too fancy, with nuts and peel and things in them.

Anyone got a recipe for good old-fashioned ginger buns?

Anita

Raci · Post by **Raci** » 08 Jun 2006, 20:40

Anita Bensoussane wrote:I think they're small, round, ginger-flavoured sponge cakes in paper cases, a bit like Jamaica ginger cake but individual buns. I've had them in the past.

I'd always assumed they were the texture of an iced finger but more of a round shape like a hot cross bun but with no icing and of course tasting of ginger.

It's amazing what the imagination will do if you haven't actually had one!
I would never have imagined ginger fairy cakes

Viv of Ginger Pop · Post by **Viv of Ginger Pop** » 09 Jun 2006, 09:55

Ginger Buns

1/2 lb flour
1/2 oz ground ginger
Almonds, sultanas OR chopped peel
2 oz lard
2 oz soft brown sugar
1/2 lb syrup (or a little less)
1/2 gill water (a gill is 1/4 of a pint)
1 egg
1 level teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda

Method

Mix the flour, ginger, and fruit or nuts. Melt together the lard, sugar and syrup with some of the water, but do not allow to boil. Mix the flour etc to a batter with the syrup etc.

Add the egg and beat all together. Add the bicarbonate of soda dissolved in the remainder of the water. The mixture should be a thin batter. Three quaarters fil the greased bun tins. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes with the Regulo at mark 3

This recipe comes from the recipe book that my grandmother recieved with her new cooker when she was married in 1931. This is a 14th edition of a book first published in 1927.

It sounds quite nice - I might give it a go too!

(Yahoo people will be amused to learn that the manufacturer of said cooker was "Arden Hill")

Post by **Anita Bensoussane** » 09 Jun 2006, 11:11

Very interesting, Viv. Sounds as if nuts and peel - not to mention sultanas - are quite in order after all, then!

Anita

Diana · Post by **Diana** » 09 Jun 2006, 14:47

Thank you so much for the posts so far, and especially for the vintage recipe, which I was thrilled to see. Is there any indication how big the tins are? I have some different sizes of muffin tin I could try out, filling the tins to the level indicated.

I was also surprised to see almonds listed. Never would have guessed that ingredient.

Thanks again

Diana

Viv of Ginger Pop · Post by **Viv of Ginger Pop** » 09 Jun 2006, 15:33

Rosie suggests that you use those small paper cases, the Fairy Cake (individual mince pie) size.

She also suggests you reduce the cholesterol by using a white fat such as Flora or Trex instead of lard....

The recipe should read "sultanas OR chopped peel"

I notice that the next recipe in the book (Raspberry Buns) has the oven on at regulo 6

Happy cooking....

Best wishes

Viv

Moonraker · Post by **Moonraker** » 09 Jun 2006, 16:54

Looks to me as if we should have a Recipe or Cookery section. Perhaps we could have a load of recipes from the 40s and 50s. I was always fascinated by the Home-Made Lemonade that was made - it sounded like plain water, sugar and lemon juice. Not that tasty?

Post by **Anita Bensoussane** » 09 Jun 2006, 17:28

Hi Moonraker,

There was a recipe for home-made lemonade in The Daily Mail's "Weekend" magazine last Saturday:

Makes 625 ml (21.5 fl oz)

70 g (2.5 oz) caster sugar
one long strip lemon rind, pith removed
juice of 2.5 lemons (about 125 ml/4 fl oz)
500 ml ice-cold sparkling (or still) water

Put sugar, lemon rind and 3 tablespoons tap water in a small pan. Bring to the boil, stirring so the sugar dissolves. Boil for a few mins so the lemon rind flavours the syrup. Add the lemon juice (leave in some fleshy bits that have got through, but no pips) and let that bubble up for a minute or two. Pour into a large jug and cover with a cloth or lid. Leave to cool. When ready to serve, pour in the sparkling (or still) water and mix. Ladle into glasses and add ice.

If anyone has got copies of Green Hedges Magazine (an Enid Blyton fanzine which was edited by the late Michael Rouse), several of them contain some excellent recipes by Helen Deakin. I've used her wonderful gingerbread recipe lots of times, as well as her recipes for shortbread and rock buns. One of the magazines also contains Enid Blyton's own recipe (or perhaps her cook's!) for cherry cake, which is simple to make and delicious. Again, it's a favourite with my family. I'd love to post some of Helen's recipes here (she gave them suitably Blytonian titles like "Gingerbread from the Land of Goodies," or "Joan's Fruit Cake") but I don't like to do that without her permission and I don't have contact details.

Anita

Post by **Anita Bensoussane** » 09 Jun 2006, 17:51

I often make almond macaroons, using the following recipe:

2 egg whites
a few drops of almond essence
150 g/5 oz ground almonds
150 g/5 oz caster sugar
rice paper
glace cherries (cut in half) to decorate

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees C/Gas Mark 4. Whisk the egg whites till frothy, add the almond essence, ground almonds and sugar, and mix. This should make about 12 macaroons. Put spoonfuls of the mixture on to rice paper on a baking tray, leaving a reasonable gap between the macaroons because they spread out while cooking. Decorate each one with half a glace cherry. Bake for about 20 mins. Allow to cool before cutting around the rice paper.

To enhance the flavour, read a Find-Outers book while tucking in - preferably The Mystery of the Strange Bundle

!

Anita

Lulie · Post by **Lulie** » 09 Jun 2006, 18:54

My grandma used to make her own lemonade which was simly boiling water poured over sliced lemons and sugar, then left to cool and strain. Very refreshing served ice cold on a hot day like today

Viv of Ginger Pop · Post by **Viv of Ginger Pop** » 10 Jun 2006, 09:05

One of my school friends mums used to make a lovely lemonade. I'll try and get the recipe. Another good one is elderflower; the "champagne" is lovely, but the cordial is freezable!

Viv

Rob Houghton · Post by **Rob Houghton** » 10 Jun 2006, 13:43

Wouldn't it be a good idea to have a typically 'Blytonian' recipe included in each issue of 'The Journal', if there was room? We could have lemonade, rock cakes, buns, etc etc.

I particularly like the idea of macaroons - Fatty's favourite cakes!

Diana · Post by **Diana** » 11 Jun 2006, 21:08

Thanks Viv. Tthe cookbook you mentioned sounds very interesting (I collect baking books as well as EB books!). Would you mind listing the title / author please?

I think raspberry buns - whatever they are - sound delicious too!

Thanks in advance

Diana

Viv of Ginger Pop · Post by **Viv of Ginger Pop** » 12 Jun 2006, 09:00

It's just called "Radiation Cookery Book" and no author is listed. It seems to be given free with "New World" cookers.

The Radiation "New World" ovens seemed to have been incorporated into the cookers made by six other companies; Arden Hill, Davis, Fletcher Russell, Richmond, Wilsons & Mathiesons and John Wright.

Hope that helps

Viv

Food - Ginger Buns

Food - Ginger Buns

Thank you!

Ginger Buns

Cooking Good, Very Good Cooking!

Mouthwatering Macaroons

Lemonade

Viv's Cookbook

Cook book