Hive Top Chef! - Flop Proof Golden Cake

Old recipes I have a ton of, as I have been cooking and baking for many moons already!

I started from a very young age, standing on my Ouma's kitchen chair, and asking for the 'decipe' before I could even read! Mom Lily and Ouma were excellent cooks, and the perfect role models; not just in the kitchen, I must add!

I will show you how to make 'Golden Cake', a rich sponge cake with a coconut meringue topping. The recipe is from an early-1970s recipe book, called Flop Proof Baking.

Before we get baking, I have to share a little story about this battered and bruised old recipe book.
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𝙄 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝘾𝙤𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙪𝙩!
I was a learner draughtslady, (that's what my job title was back then) working for a small firm of Land Surveyors, and wanted to treat the office with cake for teatime.

Mom Lily was more into pastries, but I wanted to make a sponge cake, and found a recipe in her old recipe book, which eventually fell apart from over-use!

I cannot blame the recipe for the disaster that followed! I decided to add coconut, and more coconut, to the sponge batter!
The cake did not rise as I foolishly expected and felt a tad heavy, but I iced it, and proudly took it to the office.

When I started slicing the cake, it was not a light and fluffy sponge, but everyone was waiting for a slice of home-baked cake.
My old boss, Mr. Watt, a dear man with a wicked sense of humour, came through to the drawing office, pretended he was biting into the side plate, and told me he wasn't sure if he was biting into the cake or the plate ;)
I was mortified, my coconut sponge cake was a total flop!

𝙁𝙡𝙤𝙥-𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙛 𝘽𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜
Guess what Mrs. Watt gave me at my kitchen tea? (That's what we called a bridal shower back in 1974)
Yes, a recipe book called Flop Proof Baking, published by Stork, manufacturers of baking margarine!

I did end up making a delicious sponge cake with coconut, a recipe from that old book, and as I told you at the beginning, it was called...
𝙂𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙣 𝘾𝙖𝙠𝙚

𝙍𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙥𝙚
𝘚𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘐𝘯𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴

125 gram (Stork) Baking Margarine or Butter, softened
125ml Sugar
3 Egg yolks
250ml Cake Flour
10ml Baking Powder
Good pinch of Salt
5ml Vanilla Essence
125ml Milk

𝘊𝘰𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘶𝘵 𝘔𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘦 𝘛𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐𝘯𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴

3 Egg whites
125ml Sugar
250ml fine desiccated Coconut

𝙇𝙚𝙩'𝙨 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙗𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜!

Cream margarine or butter with sugar, add the egg yolks, beat till creamy.
Sift flour, baking powder & salt, add to the creamed mixture, alternately with milk & vanilla, then mix to a smooth batter.

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Spoon dough into 20-23cm springform baking tin, smooth top.
Beat egg whites till stiff peaks form, add sugar & beat further.
Fold in coconut & spoon on top of dough.

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Bake at 160°C for approx 40 - 50 min. Test with a skewer if the dough is cooked.

Carefully remove from pan & leave to cool on wire rack.

This has been my contribution to Qurator's: Hive Top Chef! | Old Recipes, I hope you enjoyed reading, and will possibly try out this flop-proof recipe for the Golden Cake from my 1974 Flop Proof Recipe Book;)