A cake that butters itself?

[WashAsDelicates]

Wasn't sure whether to post this here or in Food! But I also want to know what the book was.

Every time I butter my bundt pan I remember something I read in a childhood book. Along the lines of a woman saying that she had no time for buttering cake tins: a cake that did not butter itself was not worth making. So I'm always wondering, is there such a cake?

It was one of those childhood utopia books: set in early to mid 20th century, camping on a farmer's land and getting milk and eggs from them, no other adults. Vaguely Swallows and Amazons-ish, but no boats. Maybe horses?

The main characters were 2 or 3 girls, though 1 or 2 boys appeared intermittently. One of the girls might have been called something like Riga. One of the girls taught the others to make toy or model animals (again, horses?). One of the boys might have been from a circus.

Any ideas on what the cake recipe might be or on what the book might be?

Bumping for you!

I picture some kind of very greasy cake!

No idea but the book sounds right up my street so following!

No help with the book but I find cakes made with oil (chiffon cakes and loaf cakes) rather than butter tend not to stick. Lol

The cake and the book sound great. Hoping someone can identify!

I suppose the book was written before silicone baking trays were invented!

I’ve made a very scrappy apple cake where everything was mixed in dry (cubed butter, apples, brown sugar, cinnamon and SR flour) to whisked eggs. I’ll see if I can find it.

Don't know about the book.
But I use nonstick papers liners in my cake tins, they work for both bread and cakes!

Two books that spring to mind from your description are The Far Distant Oxus by Katharine Hull and Pamela Whitlock, and Fell Farm Holiday by Marjorie Lloyd. I don't think there's a Riga in either book though.

No luck finding the recipe, I’m afraid.
I never butter cake tins, just use scrunched-up baking paper.
And the Bundt tin I bought was thrown away after two unsuccessful attempts.
Life’s too short.

This isn't the recipie I use, but looks very similar.
You get a chocolate sauce at the bottom of this dish, so can run a knife round the edge, and the bottom hasn't stuck. There is a lemon version too.

www.nigella.com/recipes/sticky-chocolate-pudding

Definitely before silicon cake tins (which I dislike because they still stick IME).

Maybe the girl was called Rita? Or Reena? Definitely Ri- or Ree-something-a.

The cakes were supposedly delicious, not greasy.

I don't think it's either of those books - though they now on my to-read list!

Fell Farm Holiday is lovely but doesn’t have a Riga/Ria as far as I recall. It does bizarrely have a child called Hyacinth though.

I don't know but I love the idea. I think I've seen a recipe for a cake that frosts itself.

I'd also be interested in hearing about a home that cleans itself, clothing that mends itself, and, best of all, bills that pay themselves.

The cake could be a wacky cake - you mix all the ingredients in a ceramic or glass baking dish which the cake's baked in so no need for buttering. It uses vinegar and bicarb as the raising agent, and is surprising nice!

surprisingly

I think it was a book by Monica Edwards in her Romney Marsh series, possibly either Wish For A Pony or the Midnight Horse, there was a character called Rissa in those.

The cake was just made with fresh butter and farm eggs so was rich and greased the tin itself if I am recalling it correctly.

I know I'm not the OP but I've so wanted the answer to the question and I had been researching to no avail. It is definitely Midnight Horse: archive.org/details/midnighthorse00edwa/

Oh I love Mumsnetters 😁😍

I definitely have to read that book now - and maybe try and bake the cake too!

I was just about to leap in with “Mrs Merrow!” but I see that PP solved it already. Love the Romney Marsh books!

This is the very edition I had! www.abebooks.co.uk/book-search/title/the-midnight-horse/author/monica-edwards/first-edition/ I wonder whether my parents still have it...

I also wonder, seeing as it was published in the late 40s, whether pre-war cake recipes were more generous. We're use to the standard sponge cake recipe being equal weights of eggs, butter, flour and sugar. But maybe this is the result of wartime cookery (like crumble topping instead of a pastry crust) or modern dietary ideas. Maybe earlier cooking was more generous and used more buttery proportions.