Simple Love in a Complicated World

Valentine’s Day must have been especially poignant for so many during World War II. Though it seems to have begun as a romantic holiday, over the years its commemoration has branched out to include the many forms of love we share—for relatives, classmates, friends and others.

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Separated by great distances, the ones at home agonized over the safety of their loved ones in battle. Service personnel, for their part, wrestled with loneliness and homesickness in dangerous situations. Often, they were missing out on important events such as the death of a relative or the birth of their own children. Without internet options, correspondence by mail was the primary way people stayed connected.

So, when Valentine’s Day rolled around each year, the long-held tradition of sending cards took on a whole new urgency. Many cards of the era included patriotic scenes and military-related puns like “Tanks for being my valentine” and “Be my valentine—I’d ‘shore-leave’ all the others for you.” These silly, machine-produced cards were embellished by precious handwritten notes that comforted and eased anxiety.

A Valentine’s Variety

Wherever it was possible to celebrate in person, strict rationing of sugar and other baking ingredients threatened to interfere with the usual sweet offerings. To help with this problem, manufacturers and governments shared recipes with substitutions. Cadburys of Bournville—manufacturers of baking cocoa and chocolates—produced a special leaflet for the occasion.

I tried 10 (Yes, 10!) of these recipes and probably used no more of the rationed ingredients than one modern-day dessert would. I ended up with a few duds but mostly with a pleasing array of quick and simple treats to please any wartime palate. These included Chocolate Layer Cake with two fillings, Chocolate Biscuits (dainty, soft sandwich cookies), Teatime Fancies filled with Mock Whipped Cream, Glossy Chocolate Icing and American Pinwheels.

The duds included an oat cookie without enough of anything to bind the oats (chocolate granola, anyone?) and two other versions of Mock Cream that made my head spin with their terribleness. Had I lived during World War II, I would have been upset to lose my butter and sugar on those disasters—but the third mock cream recipe made up for them. I slightly altered these recipes to make the instructions easier to follow, and added some volume conversions, although it is quickest to make these teatime treats using a food scale.

Here are the keepers. They are easy and quick enough to make, even at the last minute, for the ones you love. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Chocolate Layer Cake
8 ounces (scant 2 cups) all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 ounce (1/4 cup) cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 ounces (1/4 cup) sugar
3 ounces (6 tablespoons) butter
1 tablespoon golden syrup (available online; substitute corn syrup if necessary)
1 cup water
Mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Melt butter and golden syrup over low heat; when fully dissolved, stir into dry ingredients along with water. Mix gently; batter will form a very soft consistency. Pour into a greased 10x7” baking dish (or two smaller baking tins). Bake 20-30 minutes at 350°F (180°C). Turn cake out when cold. Cut in half crosswise; then, sandwich halves together with Mock Whipped Cream or Chocolate Spread (recipes below).

Mock Whipped Cream
½ ounce (1½ tablespoons) corn flour
½ cup (4 ounces) milk
1½ ounce (3 tablespoons) butter
1 tablespoon sugar
Few drops vanilla extract
Mix corn flour with a bit of the milk to make a paste. Heat remainder of the milk in a small saucepan; when boiling, add the corn flour paste. Stir well, return to a boil, and cook 3 minutes, whisking constantly. Remove from heat and set aside. Cream butter and sugar; then, whisk in corn flour mixture gradually. Add vanilla extract and mix well. 

Chocolate Spread
1 ounce (1/4 cup) cocoa
1½ tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
½ cup (4 ounces) milk
Mix dry ingredients in a small saucepan. Add milk gradually and bring to a boil, whisking constantly until mixture is smooth. Allow to cool before using.

Chocolate Biscuits/Cookies
2 ounces (4 tablespoons) butter
1 tablespoon golden syrup (available online; substitute corn syrup if necessary)
1 ounce (1/4 cup) cocoa
4 ounces (1 cup) all-purpose flour
2 ounces (1/4 cup) sugar
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Up to 1 tablespoon water, as needed
Melt butter and golden syrup over low heat. Mix in remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly. Add water 1 teaspoon at a time, if needed to get the dough to bind. Roll out about ¼ inch thick on a very lightly floured surface. Cut into squares. Use a thin spatula to move squares onto a baking sheet; then, prick squares light with a fork. Bake 15 minutes at 350°F (180°C). Sandwich with Chocolate Spread (recipe above) or Glossy Chocolate Icing (recipe below).

Glossy Chocolate Icing
2 teaspoons (4 tablespoons) melted butter
1 tablespoon cocoa
1 tablespoon golden syrup (available online; substitute corn syrup if necessary)
Few drops vanilla extract
Mix all ingredients well. This makes only a small amount of icing, about ¼ cup, but it is extremely rich and can be used as a decadent addition to many desserts.

Teatime Fancies
2 ounces (4 tablespoons) butter
2 ounces (1/4 cup) sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa
1 egg
4 ounces (1 cup) self-rising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch salt
2 tablespoons milk
Cream butter and sugar. Add cocoa. Beat in egg. Sift dry ingredients together; then, stir into creamed mixture alternately with milk. Batter should be soft and creamy. Put by spoonfuls into greased and floured mini muffin tin (or, line muffin tin with paper liners). Bake 10-12 minutes at 350°F (180°C). When cold, slice off tops and spread liberally with Mock Whipped Cream (recipe above). Replace tops tilted to show filling.

American Pinwheels
PASTRY
8 ounces (2 cups) all-purpose flour
Pinch salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon cream of tartar OR 1 teaspoon baking powder
2 ounces (4 tablespoons) butter
Milk to mix
FILLING
2 ounces (4 tablespoons) butter
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cocoa
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon milk, if needed
To make pastry, mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Rub in butter. Bind to a stiff paste, using a bit of milk if necessary. Roll out pastry dough into a rectangle no more than ¼ inch thick. Set aside.
To make filling, cream butter and sugar. Stir in cocoa and vanilla. If necessary, add milk; do not make filling too soft or mixture will run during cooking. Spread filling over pastry; then, roll lengthwise as for a jam roll. Cut into ¾-inch rounds. Pack rounds into a baking tin. Bake 20-30 minutes at 350°F (180°C).

References

Patten, Marguerite. Victory Cookbook: Nostalgic Food and Facts 1940-1954. London: Chancellor Press, 2014.

“Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
Psalm 34:8