Date slices (Jeromy's recipe)

Ingredients:

A Cake mixture

• 6 oz self raising flour (Jeromy says "I use 10 oz")
• 6 oz semolina
• 6 oz butter
• 3 oz demerara sugar (Jeromy says "I use mostly white and a bit of brown)

B Date mixture

• 1/2 lb dates, stoned and chopped
• 4 tablespoons of water
• 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder

Grease a tin, 8" x 12"

Method

1. Mix the B ingredients in a saucepan and heat gently stirring occasionally.
2. Boil it until smooth (2 minutes. Allow to cool.
3. Now do the A ingredients. Heat the butter in another pan with the sugar.
4. When it is melted add the flour and semolina, and mix.
   
5. Press half the A mixture into the tin.
6. Spread the date mixture over.
7. Add the remainder of the A mixture.
8. Bake for 25-30 minutes (NB what temperature?)
9. Cool and cut into bars.

Queen Mother's Favourite Cake

I found a tattered copy of this recipe in Grandma's handwriting on the floor of the study.

8 oz chopped dates

Add one breakfast cup of boiling water and 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
Allow to stand

8 ozs sugar
3 ozs butter
10 ozs plain flour
1 egg beaten
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 ozs chopped walnuts

Mix all the above.
Add this mixture to the date mixture.

Put in a greased tin, 9" x 12"

Bake at 350º F for 35 minutes

Topping

5 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp cream from top of milk

Mix the above and boil for 3 minutes
Spread on cooked cake.
Sprinkle with chopped walnuts.