My grandmother taught me how to make 'granny cake,' which has been a family favorite for more than 50 years and is the easiest recipe I've ever followed
- Growing up, my grandmother made a cake which she referred to as "granny cake."
- The cake is a simple sponge cake with raisins, and is usually served with custard.
My grandmother's "granny cake" was one of the most enjoyable parts of my childhood.
Looking back at my childhood growing up in Glasgow, Scotland, one of my stand-out memories was my granny's sponge cake made with raisins. She made it for special occasions, like birthdays, and whenever my sister and I would come to visit.
I always assumed she named it "granny cake" after herself, but I recently discovered that wasn't the case.
Speaking to her over the phone this week, my granny told me that the recipe was given to her in 1965 by her husband's grandmother, Esther Brown, who was a confectioner.
The cake originally didn't have a name, as Esther introduced the recipe as a cake to fill up the "wains," which is a Scottish word for children. My grandmother made it for her kids, and named it "granny cake" after Esther.
After getting the recipe from my granny, I decided to make the cake by myself for the first time this week.
I decided to make the recipe following instructions from my granny, who gave me her recipe and method over the phone.
Here's the ingredient list:
- 2 cups of self-raising flour
- Half a cup of sugar
- 2 ounces of butter
- 2 eggs
- 3 quarters of a cup of milk
- A pinch of salt
- 3 quarters of a cup of raisins or sultanas.
After preheating the oven, the first step is to rub the flour and butter together.
My granny recommends pre-heating the oven to 320 degrees Fahrenheit if it's a fan oven (like mine) or 355 degrees Fahrenheit for a regular oven. After that, the first step is to use your hands to rub the self-raising flour with the butter until both ingredients are combined.
After mixing the raisins, sugar, and salt to the mixture, add the eggs and some of the milk.
My granny said it's best to add only half of the milk at first just in case you don't need it all. After that, she said it's best to add it in slowly and mix well in order to avoid a batter that's too runny.
This is what the mixture looked like before I put it in the oven.
I did as granny instructed, and found that she was correct about the milk. Although I ended up using most of it, there was a small portion left over (just less than a quarter of a cup).
After greasing a cake pan and going a little overboard with baking paper, I put the cake in the oven.
Granny recommended baking the cake for around an hour to 95 minutes, or until it's golden brown. She said a good rule of thumb is to place a skewer or a fork in the middle, and if it comes out dry then the cake is ready.
The cake was ready after 45 minutes.
I checked the oven after around 45 minutes, and noticed that the cake already looked golden brown and fully baked. I inserted a fork in the middle just to be sure, which came out dry.
My grandmother recommends serving the cake with custard.
I had no idea just how simply "granny cake" was to make. I can understand why the recipe has been passed down through the generations — it's both delicious and simple.
Granny recommended serving the cake with custard, but she said if you don't have custard you can serve it with anything, such as jelly, ice cream, or icing. I opted for custard, as cake and custard was one of my go-to comfort foods as a child.
Trying the cake again as an adult brought back a wave of nostalgia, and I'll definitely be passing the recipe down to future generations in my family.
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