From The Archive: 1916 Gingerbread


100 year old gingerbread recipe

Ingredients

  • ½lb flour
  • 2oz sugar
  • ½tsp soda
  • ½tsp ground cloves
  • ½tsp mixed spice
  • ¼tsp ground ginger
  • 3oz margarine
  • 2oz ginger chips
  • 1oz almonds
  • 2tbsp syrup
  • 1 egg
  • Pinch of sale (salt), and milk to mix

June 5 is National Gingerbread Day! To celebrate, we’ve been back pouring through our Archive looking for some delicious recipes from days of old.

The year is 1916. World War I has already been raging in Europe for two years. William J Newton and Morris Goldberg have just invented the toggle light switch . . . and “The People’s Friend” has just printed this recipe for Gingerbread!

At that time, Cookery Editor Kitty must have spotted it’s delicious potential. What we definitely do know is that it’ll give you a real taste of history.

Try it for yourself!

How to make 100-year-old Gingerbread recipe:

  1. Rub margarine into the flour, then add soda, sugar and spices.
  2. Cut ginger chips into dice and add, along with the syrup, egg well-beaten, and milk to make it a soft consistency.
  3. Beat until smooth.
  4. Pour the mixture into a greased and floured cake tin, sprinkle the almonds, which have been blanched and shredded, on the top.
  5. Bake in a slow oven for 40-45 minutes.

It’s as easy as that!


And if Gingerbread is your thing, we’re betting you’d like some of our other sweet recipes.

Why not check out these chocolate chip brownies, or a take on a wild raspberry bakewell?