Anyone want a little giggle-I’ve found a cake book from the 1970’s

[retainertrainer]

I’ve been sorting out my mum’s cupboards and came across the woman’s weekly birthday cake special. I’m going to take my inspiration from it for all family birthdays in the future.

Who knew you could make such masterpieces out of buttercream!

@PhilomenaButterfly a nice set of buns will set you right

Although we had the Good Housekeeping cookbook at home, which I pretty much learned to cook (or at least bake) from, my mum made amazing birthday cakes for us, and her bible for this was a scrapbook with recipes cut out of actual Woman's Weekly (UK edition) pasted in.

I remember a butterfly, crinoline Sindy, a castle and a space rocket for my brother, and, possibly her piece de resistance, a gypsy caravan.

I've carried on the tradition, and have made a lemur, a train, a pirate ship, a frozen lake with skaters on, and, this year, Stick Man for DS2 (one of the easiest ever!), and a roller boot for DS1.

There is nothing you can't make with enough sponge cake, a sharp knife, a laptop open at Google Images, a vat of luridly coloured buttercream, a packet of Smarties and a bottle of wine

I had the swimming pool cake for a birthday once!! I begged and begged my grandma to make me it after I saw it in one of her old books (probably this one!!). Pretty certain I had the doll one too 😂

PerisFord I know, my mum cooked everything from those books and still does now.

I think I’m going to photocopy the best recipes. I think we had most of the birthday cakes.

There was a section on food for all ages, I was so happy when I got to the “teen” party food.

I wonder if my mum still has them?

I remember the teenage party food! Reading it longingly as a 7 year old and feeling like I would never ever be old enough!

I’m worried that if I order a second hand kids cookbook from amazon it will be encrusted with layers and layers of buttercream and orange jelly though

BertieBotts you're an absolute for posting that linkIn fact I might just buy a tin of mackerel tomorrow and recreate some of these fishy fantasies. Just because I can.

@PersisFord

Oops, sorry, missed your post.

These are for you, hope you can read them!

Who wouldn't be without convenience fish, though, Aviator? :o

Yep! And a fish with balls that big would feed the 40,000 no probs.

Wow imaginary thanks! Looks like it’s chocolate buttercream! I bet my mum called it something else so I would eat it!!

Love stork cookbook and dm had a blue cookbook I used to use. Don't forget Delia Smith

Some of our all time favourite curry recipes come from this 1987 gem https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=madhur+jaffrey+marks+and+spencer&client=safari&hl=en-gb&prmd=smniv&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj3vie0fLdAhXIKMAKHaCyAE8QAUIFCgE&biw=414&bih=622#imgrc=SdXBvi_tdI7SCM

Remember the pudding bowl skirt cake with doll on top?

Football pitch square cake and train made by dm

Awwww I love the women’s weekly book! I still use it now as it tells you how to make all the different shapes. Although all the recipes just say to use cake mix - sign of the times 😂

My faves growing up were pool cake and the piano. They really did inspire a whole generation of birthday parties.

Haverhill some of the photos look like the food's been sprayed with a plastic coating.
It probably was. It was sprayed to keep it looking 'fresh' under the hot studio lights. No digital flash in those days, the studios lights were on full throughout the photography session and food melted. So did humans.

Omg. I have this. I used to look through this for months before my birthday and then I'd choose a special cake for my dad to make me. My fave was the green jelly pool one. I still love looking through it now. Happy days.

My Bero book is later than that one, so perhaps early 80's? I had that Dairy Cookery Book as well and gave it away!

I make the kids’ birthday cakes (with their help now) and despite the fact that they are absolute train wrecks of cakes, they do look quite unusual next to the immaculate, professional fondant jobs.

renovatenotstagnate what a wonderful dad you had!

OP you have to share the doll one. Always reminded me of those doll toilet roll covers

Dairy cookbook here too plus Tupperware ones were good.

DM had a freezer cookbook

I still have a recipe book I write in, trained from o-level cookery

I used to have the Hamlyn book, but lost it, along with most of the rest of my cookery books, when a flood brought down the kitchen ceiling while we were on holiday a few years ago.

I do still have Marguerite Patten’s Step by Step Cookery, 1977 edition despite the fact that many of the pages have fused together, as it was the book I learned to cook from when I left home that year.

I also have the 1977 edition of The St Michael (ie M&S) All Colour Cookery Book, Delia’s Complete Cookery Course (1982) and the 1978 Penguin Cookery Book by Bee Nilson, which opens automatically at the (badly stained) Gingerbread recipe - definitely the best gingerbread ever. I’ve just remembered that it also has an excellent cheese straw recipe, which I must do again sometime soon.

I have a 70s dairy book of home cookery and dairy book of household management . Family fruit cake and rock buns still a go to .

My mum has this book! Brought so many memories back 😊

Aviator, my folks worked hard but never really had a lot of money. But they always did special things like that. Didn't cost a lot but so precious. I guess its that presence vs presents thing.