VE Day Condensed Milk Cake - Lavender and Lovage (2024)

This recipe for VE Day Condensed Milk Cake is my slightly adapted version of the original recipe which was published in The Ministry of Food leaflet.

This recipe for VE Day Condensed Milk Cake is my slightly adapted version of the original recipe which was published in The Ministry of Food leaflet 21, “Making the Most of Sugar” from December 1946. The original cake is simply called Condensed Milk Cake, but as we approachthe 75th anniversary of VE Day,I thought it would be a lovely addition to anyVE Day celebrations you may be having at home this year.

It’s a very easy cake recipe and uses condensed milk in place of sugar, with very little fat added to the cake too. It’s a light fruit cake which is very moist, and is also lovely when sliced and buttered. Condensed milk cakes were very popular during the second world war, as they took the place of sugar, and sometimes eggs and fat, although this cake recipe does have eggs in it. My mum used to make a celebration fruit cake at Christmas time with a tin of condensed milk, and we all loved it.

I have always loved just how innovative wartime recipes were, even with sustained rationing for over 15 years, housewives of the time more than “made do and mend” on the culinary front. And, the Ministry of Food leaflets were a fabulous source of inspiration which have never been more relevant than for today. But, they were especially helpful when it came to eking out your meagre rations during the both world wars.

I have several of the original Ministry of Food leaflets, as well as numerous wartime cookbooks, and I find myself referring to them more frequently during this global pandemic. From how to make the most of your meat ration to inspiring recipes using cheese, eggs and potatoes, I suspect these leaflets were a godsend to housewives and cooks of the time.

I thought it might be nice to share a VE Day 75 menu today, as well as the recipe for my VE Day Condensed Milk Cake. If you are lucky enough to be in lock-down with some members of your family, then there is a FABULOUS party planner that is shared by English Heritage here: VE Day 75 Party Pack, where you can all get involved.

As well as some wartime songs, invitations and some very WW2 dance moves, there are also some party recipes, such as Ginger Beer and Cheese & Marmite Swirls. I’ll be sharing some of my wartime recipes below, as well as my menu ideas for a proper VE Day 75 party. You can have a picnic outside or a picnic at your kitchen table, or an afternoon tea wherever you happen to be on the 8th May 2020.

• Proper Pot of English Tea
• Egg and Cress Sandwiches
• Watercress Sandwiches
• Herb Garden Tea Sandwiches with Cream Cheese
• Ration Scones
• Homemade Strawberry Jam

• Drop Scones (Scotch Pancakes)
• VE Day Condensed Milk Cake
• Queen Cakes
• Fresh Strawberries & Cream
• Mum’s Two Ingredient Strawberry Mousse
• Jelly and Fresh Fruit

I have shared my recipe for VE Day Condensed Milk Cake at the bottom of this post. It’s a really lovely old-fashioned style cake that makes the most of fewer ingredients that are usually suggested in recipes nowadays. The cake makes 8 medium sized slices, and it keeps well in an airtight tin for future cake grazing!

Here’s a few handy tips for baking this cake plus substitutions etc:

• To check if the cake is cooked, insert a skewer into the middle of the cake, and the skewer should come out clan if the cake is cooked.
• Use mixed dried fruit with peel in place of the sultanas or raisins.
• You can also use golden syrup in place of the marmalade.
• This can be baked in a loaf tin, but is more celebratory when baked in a round cake tin.

I hope today’s recipe for VE Day Condensed Milk Cake and the special VE Day 75 menu has inspired you to have a go. Life is certainly not normal right now, but if you can’t meet up with family and/or friends, then why not embrace technology and have a “Zoom” party or FaceTime your loved ones.

We plan to mark the day with cakes, scones, sandwiches, sausage rolls, salad and a proper pot of tea WITH some bubbles too. I’ll be back later this week with more wartime recipes, as well as some new home-style cakes, bakes and healthy recipes that I’ve been creating over the last few weeks. Have a lovely day, stay at home and stay safe, Karen

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More RATION BOOK Recipes:

More Wartime and Ration Book Recipes:

ANAUTHENTIC WWII RECIPE:“WHIT SALAD”

Steamed Jam Pudding (Eggless)

Old-Fashioned Granny Loaf (Egg-Free and Fat-Free) Recipe

“A Nice Supper Dish”

See Also

Parmesan Drop Biscuits Recipe - w/ Mayo, No Butter!

You’ll find the full and printable recipe at the end of this post.

• Rub the margarine or butter into the flour and add the baking powder if using.
• Add the dried fruit and mix to a soft consistency with the marmalade, milk and beaten eggs.
• Spoon into a greased and/or lined 6″ (15cm) cake tin and bake in a moderate oven (180C to 190C/350F to 375F/Gas mark 4 to 5) for 45 minutes.
• Cool on a wire rack and serve in slices when cold.

VE Day Condensed Milk Cake

Yield: 8 slices

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

This recipe for VE Day Condensed Milk Cake is my slightly adapted version of the original recipe which was published in The Ministry of Food leaflet 21, "Making the Most of Sugar" from December 1946. The original cake is simply called Condensed Milk Cake, but as we approach the 75th anniversary of VE Day, I thought it would be a lovely addition to any VE Day celebrations. It's a very easy cake recipe and uses condensed milk in place of sugar, with very little fat added to the cake too. It's a light fruit cake which is very moist, and is also lovely when sliced and buttered. Condensed milk cakes were very popular during the second world war, as they took the place of sugar, and sometimes eggs and fat, although this cake recipe does have eggs in it. My mum used to make a celebration fruit cake at Christmas time with a tin of condensed milk, and we all used to love it.

Ingredients

• 3ozs (75g) Margarine (I used Butter)
• 8ozs (225g) Self-Raising Flour, OR
• 8ozs (225g) Plain flour with 4 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 3ozs (75g) Raisins or Sultanas
• 1 tablespoon Mamalade
• 6 tablespoons Condensed Milk made up to 1/4 pint (150ml) with water
• 2 eggs, beaten, fresh or dried

Instructions

1. Rub the margarine or butter into the flour and add the baking powder if using.
2. Add the dried fruit and mix to a soft consistency with the marmalade, milk and beaten eggs.
3. Spoon into a greased and/or lined 6" (15cm) cake tin and bake in a moderate oven (180C to 190C/350F to 375F/Gas mark 4 to 5) for 45 minutes.
4. Cool on a wire rack and serve in slices when cold.

Notes

To check if the cake is cooked, insert a skewer into the middle of the cake, and the skewer should come out clean if the cake is cooked.

Use mixed dried fruit in place of the sultanas or raisins.

You can also use golden syrup in place of the marmalade.

This can be baked in a loaf tin, but is more celebratory when baked in a round cake tin.

Nutrition Information

Yield 8 slicesServing Size 1
Amount Per ServingCalories 234Total Fat 3gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 1gCholesterol 51mgSodium 283mgCarbohydrates 47gFiber 2gSugar 19gProtein 7g

Nutrition information is an approximate calculation based on the ingredients listed and it can vary according to portion sizes and when different ingredients are used.

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