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.
A “VE Day 75” Celebration Party Menu for at Home
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 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.
Planning your VE Day 75 Menu
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.
The Lavender & Lovage VE Day 75 Party Menu
- Proper Pot of English Tea
- Egg and Cress Sandwiches
- Watercress Sandwiches
- Herb Garden Tea Sandwiches with Cream Cheese
- Ration Scones
- Homemade Strawberry Jam
Watercress Sandwiches 
Ration Scones 
Homemade Strawberry Jam 
Proper cup of Tea
- Drop Scones (Scotch Pancakes)
- VE Day Condensed Milk Cake
- Queen Cakes
- Fresh Strawberries & Cream
- Mum’s Two Ingredient Strawberry Mousse
- Jelly and Fresh Fruit
VE Day Condensed Milk Cake 
Drop Scones (Scotch Pancakes) 
Mum’s Two Ingredient Strawberry Mousse 
Queen Cakes
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 Wartime and Ration Book Recipes:
Step By Step Instructions
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.
- 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.
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VE Day Condensed Milk Cake Recipe
VE Day Condensed Milk Cake
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
- 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.
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 slices Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 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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Jayne says
Looks amazing. AND there would definitely be condensed milk left in the tin, in case the cook was weak with hunger after all that stirring… Why is it my shorts don’t fit again?
Karen Burns-Booth says
Hahaha! Yes some left over for a banoffee pie maybe? Oooops! Karen
Alison says
Loving the substitution of condensed mil for sugar, very clever and it looks lovely too. Will have to give this a go – adding condensed mil to the shopping list for the next time I brave the shops!
Karen Burns-Booth says
It’s a really lovely cake Alison and very easy to make too! Karen
sherry says
what would we do without condensed milk? such a handy item in the pantry…
Karen Burns-Booth says
It’s great for so many things isn’t it? I always have a tin or two in the pantry. Karen
Ron says
Looks terrific Karen,
A great idea and like you commented we can use the leftover condensed milk for banoffee pie. I haven’t had banoffee pie in ages so that alone will motivate me to make your VE Day cake.
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks Ron! Yes, good old banoffee pie it is a terrific cake and with not many ingredients too. Karen
Lisa says
Hi Karen, Just added all ingredients to shopping list, looks amazing
Karen Burns-Booth says
That’s brilliant! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do here! Karen
Hannah says
Very interesting looking at the WW2 advice leaftets!xx
Karen Burns-Booth says
I should photograph or scan more and share them here
Amanda says
Thanks Karen for this brilliant recipe. At the lunch club I run with my friend we had planned a party for VE Day and we were going to use some of your excellent wartime recipes and now you’ ve planned it all for us!
As we can’t get together now, we are planning a celebration when we are able to reopen our theme will be We’ll meet Again and we’ll certainly use some of theses lovely recipes. Best wishes Amanda
Karen Burns-Booth says
Hi Amanda,
What a great idea and I’m so pleased you’ve found inspiration from my VE Day 75 menu too.
I hope you all enjoy the occasion and the food when you finally get together.
Karen
Eb Gargano | Easy Peasy Foodie says
Oh wow! How clever to use condensed milk in place of sugar. It sounds delicious… and perfect for celebrating VE day 😀 Eb x
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks so much Eb! We LOVE this cake here at Chez L & L 🙂 Karen
Nicki says
Hi Karen, I have hunted for condensed milk everywhere today but can’t find any anywhere. Could I substitute something else instead?? I wanted to make it on Friday.
Karen Burns-Booth says
Hi Nicki – you could try evaporated milk mixed with 2 tablespoons of sugar, or whole milk. Or add milk mixed with 2 tablespoons of golden syrup. Hope that helps, Karen
Terry Farnworth says
Hi! I was looking into WW1 &2 recipes to celebrate Memorial Day
and found your site! I was thrilled to see it was possible to use dried eggs . I have some for emergencies that I’ve never used … yet. Do I need to rehydrate them? Or add some additional liquid to the recipe?
And do you have a good recipe for banoffe pie? Heard about that on Great British Bake-off, & was registered for a class that had a lot of recipes from the show, but … sigh … Covid.
Karen Burns-Booth says
Hello Terry,
firstly sorry for the late reply, but I have been away and then very busy for the PLatinum Jubilee!
I do have a recipe for Banoffee Pie which I will share here soon,
As for dried eggs, in baking just add them, but for cooking it is best to rehydrate them with water – the tin will tell you how to do this.
Karen
Louisa says
Thank you so much! You´re recipes are marvellous!
Karen Burns-Booth says
My pleasure Louisa 🙂