With so much emphasis on healthy eating, we rarely see the golden oldies; perhaps not low fat, the simple cakes which were made with love, with simple ingredients, by mothers to provide a treat for family and friends.

I can remember the time where available cooking ingredients were much more limited.  Couverture chocolate definitely was not available and frugal housewives made use of cocoa powder for their chocolate cakes.  Butter was easily available, as was sugar, flour and vanilla essence (no vanilla beans in sight).

Back then, the Marble Cake with rose pink icing (and many cakes like it) would have taken pride of place for a lovely afternoon tea.  This cake reminds me of school fetes and old fashioned cake shops.  Luckily supermarkets still stock these cakes from another era.

Two NSW organisations that support these recipes so that they are not lost are the Country Women’s Association of NSW(CWA) and the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW.  These organisations champion the arts and crafts and also to support regional communities in Australia.

While the cakes appear to be simple it is quite challenging to get a perfect result.  My recommendation is to find a good recipe (try the CWA book ‘Jam Drops and Marble Cake’) practice and also to join a local branch of the CWA, you can talk to experienced bakers who can pass on valuable tips.