Trish rises to the challenge

A baker has risen to the challenge to bake a cake to celebrate Britain.

Tulip Events, ran by Jan Whitbourn, put a competition online asking for people to bake their best cakes inspired by the recent VE Day celebrations.

The winner was Trish Bristow of Sutton St Edmund who entered a British Victory Cake from a 1950s recipe made using ingredients available with the rations each family was allowed.

She herself made a ration book cover when aged around eight in 1952.

Jan said: “It was a pleasure to take a prize to Trish who was very passionate about the whole competition and enjoyed making the cake from the ingredients.

“It was amazing to go and see her and give her a gift, she was so surprised but I don’t know why, she was brilliant and the cake was lovely.”

“Trish felt so proud to be able to do it and sent over lots of information regarding what happened and what we ingredients they had way back then.

“When taking the prize to Trish she had lots of stories to tell regarding what they did in those days and what they paid for the ingredients or how the changed things around because they couldn’t get what they needed to make their cakes.”

Trish’s recipe is:

Special Equipment: 10-inch (25-cm) cake pan
INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons butter (42 g), plus more for the pan
405 g plain flour, plus more for the pan
300 g seedless raisins
475 ml cold water
400 g granulated sugar
6 g baking soda
4 g baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
16 g cocoa powder
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C). Butter and flour a 10-inch (25-cm) pan.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, raisins, water, and sugar. Bring to
a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, spices, and cocoa
powder.
Add the dry mixture to the cooked raisin mixture and stir to thoroughly combine. Pour into the
prepared pan.
Bake for 1 1/2 hours, covering with foil during the last 30 minutes to prevent burning.
Let cool slightly, then invert pan and shake gently onto cooling rack