Wine Pudding

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup currants
1/2 cup sago
little cinnamon & cloves
3 cups water
1/2 cup port wine

Method: Place all in a saucepan, boil, stirring often til sago is clear. Serve with whipped cream or icecream.

Source: contributed by Dawn Ellis in The Northern Automotive Restoration Club S. A. Inc. 10th Anniversary Cookbook . Compiled & typed by Lynne Newbold (Clare: Northern Argus, 1984) [Number 0408] - "dedicated to N.A.R.C. from it's [sic] feminine members"; p.45.

Amy Johnson Cake

Pastry:
Rub 2 tablespoons butter or margarin[e] into 1 cup of S.R. Flour, sieved with pinch of salt. Add a little milk to make a firm dough. Roll out and line cake tin, one deeper than a swiss roll tin. Spread with plum and raspberry jam and sprinkle with currants.

Cake:
Beat 2 tablespoons butter with small cup sugar, add 2 eggs, and beat well. Add a little milk and 1 cup S.R. Flour sifted with a pinch of salt. Spread cake mixture over currants and bake in a moderate oven.

When cool, ice with lemon icing and cut into oblong pieces.

Source: Royal Adelaide Hospital Research Fund Recipe Book (Kurralta Park: Colour Printing House Pty. Ltd., c.1985), p.93.

Eggless Plum Pudding

1 cup plain flour, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 level tsp. carb soda. 2 oz. butter, 1/2 cup currants. 1/2 cup sultanas or raisins, 1 cup boiling water.

Method: Mix together flour, sugar and fruit. Pour 1/2 cup boiling water on to butter and dissolve soda in 1/2 cup boiling water. Mix all ingredients together and steam for 2 hours.

Source: contributed by Mrs. M. P. Wakefield in Urania Methodist Guild Cookery Book. Book II. (Kadina: Kadina & Wallaroo Times, 1965), p.43.

Christmas Fruit Rockies

1 cup butter. 1&1/2 cups sugar, 3 eggs, 3&1/2 cups flour, 1 small teaspoon bicarb. soda, 1&1/2 tablespoons hot water, 1/2 level teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 cup chopped nuts, 1/2 cup each of currants and raisins, 3/4 cup sultanas.

Cream butter and sugar, add beaten eggs, and mix well. Add sifted flour and spice, the fruit, and finally the soda dissolved in hot water. Mix to a fairly stiff consistency, adding a little more water if needed. Drop in small spoonfuls 1 in. apart on buttered tray. Sprinkle with sugar and bake in moderate oven for about 15 to 20 minutes.

Source: contributed by Mrs. Syd. Waters (Port Augusta) in The South Australian Country Women's Association Calendar of Cakes: A Cake a Day for 365 Days (Kent Town: S.A.C.WA.; 11th edition, 1973), n.p. "DEC. 18".

Pineapple Christmas Cake

1 cup butter, 1 cup pineapple juice, 1&1/2 cups each of currants, sultanas, chopped tinned pineapple, and brown sugar, 1 cup raisins, 1 cup chopped nuts, 1/2 cup mixed peel, 1 small teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 2 teaspoons allspice, 1 teaspoon ground cloves, 4 eggs, 3 cups S.R. flour.

Mix butter, sugar, and egg-yolks till creamy. Sift 2 cups of the flour, spices, and salt, and add alternately with the pineapple juice. Then add fruit and nuts previously mixed with the remaining cup of flour. Fold in stiffly-beaten egg-whites. Put into prepared tins and bake in a slow oven for about 3 hours.

Source: contributed by Mrs. A. Bradley (Cungena) in The South Australian Country Women's Association Calendar of Cakes: A Cake a Day for 365 Days (Kent Town: S.A.C.WA.; 11th edition, 1973), n.p. "NOV. 29".

Christmas Cake (good and moist)

1 cup brown sugar, 2 cups plain flour, 1 tsp. carb soda, 1/2 lb. currants, few almonds, 1/2 lb. butter, pinch of salt, 1/2 lb. raisins, 1/2 lb. dates, 1 tsp. mixed spice, 6 eggs, little brandy, 1/2 lb. sultanas, lemon peel, 1 tsp. cinnamon.

Cream butter and sugar, add eggs and beat well. Add sifted flours and fruit alternately.

Bake 2 to 3 hours.

Source: contributed by Mrs J. Tyler, Mrs D. Carmichael in Urania Methodist Guild Cookery Book. Book II. (Kadina: Kadina & Wallaroo Times, 1965), p.71.

Heavy Cake

Heavy Cake. made up light.

450g S.R. Flour

125g butter or margarine

300ml milk to mix

a little peel [optional]

175g currants and sultanas mixed

100g lard

100g sugar

1 egg [optional]

a good pinch salt

Method: Rub the fats into the flour. Add sugar and fruit. Add salt and milk, mixing with a knife till it becomes dough. Place on a floured board and roll out 2cm thick. Score the top lightly with the back of a knife. Brush with milk, water or egg. Place on a flat baking tray; cook for 20 minutes at 200C. Cut into good sized squares.

Proper Heavy Cake

225g mixed fruit (threequarters currants, the rest sultanas]

100g margarine

400g plain flour

A little peel [optional]

75g sugar

300ml milk

50g butter

50g S.R. Flour

125g lard

quarter teaspoon salt

Method: Place the flour in a bowl. Rub in the lard and margarine lightly, add sugar, salt and fruit. Mix with the milk. Roll out mixture on a flour board. Dab butter on two thirds of the surface, fold the unbuttered side over and fold again, rest for 30 minutes. Roll out again and fold in three. Rest a little then roll out again 2cm thick into a large round or square. Score crisscross lines on the top. Brush with egg or milk wash. Bake 200C for 20 minutes.

Source: Australia's Little Cornwall. Cornish Cook Book (Moonta, S.A.: National Trust of South Australia Moonta Branch, n.d. [post-1998]), p.10.

Easy Pudding

1 dstspn. dripping

1/4 tspn. carb. soda

2 tbspns. currants

3/4 cup milk

2 tbspns. sugar

1/4 tspn. nutmeg

3/4 cup S.R. flour

Method: Cream dripping and sugar, add nutmeg and currants. Sift carb. soda with flour, add to other ingredients, stir. Mix with milk. This is a thin mixture. Tie in cloth and boil 1&1/2 - 2 hours. Can also be cooked in pudding basin.

Source: Mantle of Safety Cookbook 2 (The Port Augusta Women's Air Branch Auxillary of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia, c1987), p.113.

Broken Hill Pudding

(use as Xmas pudding)

2 cups S R flour

1 cup raw sugar

1 dstspn carb soda dissolved in 1 cup boiling water

1 cup currants/dates or figs

little lemon essence & peel

1 lge tblspn butter

2 tblspns jam

Method: For richer pudding add sherry[,] mashed banana or grated apple. Mix all together & boil or steam for 2&1/2 hours.

Source: contributed by Judy McIntyre in Cook Book: St Joseph's School, Clare (Clare: St Joseph's School, 1991), p.69.

Plum Pudding for Christmas (Eggless)

2 cups plain flour

1 cup raisins

2 cups boiling water

piece of butter the size of an egg

dash of brandy (to own taste) (optional)

1 cup sugar

1 cup currants

1 tspn. carb. soda

almonds/walnuts to taste (optional)

Method: Pour one cup of boiling water onto the butter and one cup of boiling water onto the soda. Mix well all the ingredients and steam for 3 hours or boil in a cloth for 2 hours. This is a thin mixture. (It can successfully be halved, and will serve 4 generously).

Source: Mantle of Safety Cookbook 2 (The Port Augusta Women's Air Branch Auxillary of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia, c1987), p.118.

Party Mice

[Childrens Munchies for Parties]

1 pkt. jelly crystals

1 tin of pear halves

some snake lollies

currants and sultanas

Method: Make jelly and pour into a wide shallow container. Leave to set. Place pears on jelly, 1 pear per child. Cut "heads" of snake lollies. Use the body for tails and the heads for ears, currants for eyes and sultanas for nose. Head to be positioned at narrow end of pear.

Source: Mantle of Safety Cookbook 2 (The Port Augusta Women's Air Branch Auxillary of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia, c1987), p.131.

'Uncooked' Flan Filling

Fill uncooked flan with mixture of mixed dried fruits (sultanas, raisins, currants, mixed peel, cherries). Just about cover with cream (good way to use leftover which needs using). Sprinkle with sugar, and optional coconut. I add a dusting of mixed spice before adding cream. Special occasions add chopped nuts and stir rum through the fruit before putting into the base. (Very rich - only need a sliver served). Then cook as usual or until slightly golden.

Source: Mantle of Safety Cookbook 2 (The Port Augusta Women's Air Branch Auxillary of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia, c1987), p.121.

Easter Biscuits

"Cooking Children Can Do With Supervision"

100g margarine

100g caster sugar

200g plain flour

1/2 level tspn. mixed spice

100g currants

1 egg

Method: Cream margarine and sugar until creamy. Sift the flour and mixed spice into the creamy mixture and mixed well. Add the currants and egg and beat to form a dough. Turn the dough onto a floured table and knead it with your hands. Roll out the dough to the thickness of a 20 cent coin. With a biscuit cutter cut out circles and place on a greased tray. Use scraps of dough for more biscuits. Put them in the oven and cook for 10 minutes. Cook until lightly golden. Put onto a wire rack to cool.

Source: Mantle of Safety Cookbook 2 (The Port Augusta Women's Air Branch Auxillary of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia, c1987), p.137.

War-time Plum Pudding

Half oz. flour, 6 ozs raisins, 6 ozs currants, 4 ozs suet, 4 ozs brown sugar, 4 ozs mashed carrot, 4 ozs mashed potatoes, 1 tablespoon treacle, 1 oz. lemon peel, 1 oz. citron peel. Boil as usual for a pudding of this size.

Source: contributed by Mrs. J. S. Pearce, Kapunda in The Barossa Cookery Book: 1000 Selected Recipes from a District Celebrated Throughout Australia for the Excellence of its Cookery. Every Recipe of Proved Merit and Signed as such by the Donors (33rd edition, 2006), p.42.

Eggless Cake (Good for shearing)

2 cups sugar

2 cups water

1 cup currants

2 cups plain flour

1.1/2 cups SR flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon bicarbonate soda

1 dessertspoon golden syrup

1/2 lb. butter

1 cup raisins

1 cup nuts (optional)

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon spice

1 teaspoon cinnamon

a little salt

1 tablespoon vinegar may be added

Method: Cook in a saucepan for 5 minutes, water, sugar, butter, fruit, cool a little and [sic = add?] flour etc. Mix well. Put in 2 x 7" round cake tins. Bake one hour.

Source: Memory Lane Cookbook (Rotary Club of Naracoorte, 1986), p. 89.

Mock Yeast Cake

2 tbsp. Butter

2 cps. S. R. Flour

1/2 cp. Sugar

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/2 cp. Sultanas or Currants

1 cup Beer

TOPPING:

1 tbsp. melted Butter

1/2 cp. Sugar

1/2 cup. plain Flour

Method: Rub butter into sifted flour, sugar and salt. Add sultanas or currants and mix together with beer. Put into baking dish approximately 12" x 10" and spread evenly. Rub topping ingredients together until crumbly, then sprinkle over cake mixture. Bake in a moderate oven for 20-25 minutes.

Source: contributed by K. Marsson (Sevenhills) in The Lunchbox: A Selection of Tried Recipes (Clare, S.A.: The Bihar Mission Auxiliary; 1975 [Second Edition]), p.33.

Little Christmas Puddings

500g mixed fruit (currants, sultantas, cherries, raisins & chopped almonds)

1 tbs cocoa

1 tbs butter, melted

1 tbs sherry

Method: Mince fruit, nuts and mix together with other ingredients. Roll into small balls. Allow to set. Drizzle with white chocolate or cut small pieces of white fondant icing to represent top of fruit pudding with custard. Place in small truffle patty cases to serve.

Source: Recommended by D. Spencer in The Wentworth Private Residential Care Cookbook (Adelaide, ?2008)

Note: this is a new find, from a local nursing home:

It refuses to turn the right way...

Jellied Plum Pudding

A little something from the archives... 

Place in a saucepan and bring to boil 1&1/2 pints milk and 3 tbls cocoa. Add 1/2 cup raisins, 1/2 cup currants, 1 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup chopped peel, 1/4 cup nuts, 1/2 cup dates or figs, 1/2 tsp vanilla, pinch salt and 1 tbls brandy. Allow to cool considerably, then add 3 dsp powdered gelatine dissolved in 1/4 cup hot (not boiling) water and add to mixture. Place into wetted mould and set firmly in a cold place. Serve with wine sauce. 

Source: contributed by M. Zwar in Booleroo Centre Primary School 1885-1985 Centenary Recipe Book (revised edition 1985 of 1970 edition), p.6.

Jellied Plum Pudding

Place in a saucepan and bring to boil 1&1/2 pints milk and 3 tbls cocoa. Add 1/2 cup raisins, 1/2 cup currants, 1 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup chopped peel, 1/4 cup nuts, 1/2 cup dates or figs, 1/2 tsp vanilla, pinch salt and 1 tbls brandy. Allow to cool considerably, then add 3 dsp powdered gelatine dissolved in 1/4 cup hot (not boiling) water and add to mixture. Place into wetted mould and set firmly in a cold place. Serve with wine sauce.

Source: contributed by M. Zwar in Booleroo Centre Primary School 1885-1985 Centenary Recipe Book (Revised edition 1985 of 1970 edition: "All new recipes are included at the end of each section and can be recognized by the inclusion of the Christian name of donor"), p.60.