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I love the traditions that are connected with this old-established celebration. It is a great excuse to go “home” with hand-made cards, posies of flowers, chocolates and maybe even a home baked cake. Mothering Sunday as we know it now was, in Medieval times, the day you went home to visit your “mother church”, the cathedral of your diocese. It was only in the mid 17th century that the idea of putting aside this special day to honour “human” mothers came into practice.
Young girls (and boys) in service were often allowed to make a Simnel cake (donated from the ingredients in the kitchens where they worked) to take home as a gift for their mothers. Even better than that, they were often given the day off (or half day) to visit their families – a rare treat, as many of them did not see their families for months at a time and sometimes only once a year.
Every year my daughter and I like to bake something from my Mum’s recipe book as a way of including her in the day, even though she passed away over 20 years ago. My mother-in law loved the cake below and we always had to take several when we visited her in her retirement village.
Grandma’s Gingerbread Cake
1/3 cup treacle
1/3 cup golden syrup
85 g soft brown sugar
85 g butter
4 tablespoons milk
170g flour
1 level tsp. ground ginger
1 level tsp. cinnamon
½ level tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp. baking soda
1 egg, beaten
For frosting if required, 120g icing sugar and 1tblsp hot water.
Pre heat oven to 180C and line a 20cm square tin with baking paper. Place treacle, syrup, sugar and butter into large pan and stir over gentle heat until melted. Do not allow to boil. Add the milk and sieved dry ingredients, beating well. Beat in egg and when mixture is smooth pour into prepared tin. Bake 45 minutes approximately. Cool in tin. If using frosting pour over when cake is cooled. Cut into squares (if not using frosting, dust with icing sugar immediately before serving) and serve on your best afternoon tea china.
Happy Mother’s Day to all of our mothers, past, present and future.
