Mud cakes and chooks, 1940s-1950s

I lived the first seven years of my life on dairy farms in the Richmond River district, New South Wales (NSW), at Ewingsdale (overlooking Byron Bay) and at Coraki (near Casino and Lismore). Byron Bay is about 750 km from Sydney and 170 km from Brisbane.

Lismore district, Northern NSW. Google Maps

In my childhood Byron Bay was not the tourist town it is to-day. Then it was a gritty small town with few amenities and had a whaling station from 1954-1962. One of my earliest memories is rolling down those green hills, with bright sunshine, cattle and chickens around me.

There was no talk of “free range eggs” in the 1950s. You just had chooks and chooks laid eggs. Those chooks had a good life and roamed freely around the farm (as I did). As a three year old chef, I discovered that eggs added to mud and water made the shiniest and firmest mud pies. I soon had to go back to “eggless mud pies” when my mother discovered my recipe.

Barbara feeding the chooks at Ewingsdale, NSW. abt 1953

RECIPES

Another mud cake recipe from Donna Hay.
 

Donna Hay, 2007. Simple Essentials Chocolate. 

Harper Collins Publisher, Australia Pty Ltd., Sydney.

Selena's (Granddaughter's) Chocolate Brownie: 

175g of chocolate

175g of butter 

175g of brown sugar 

3 eggs, beaten 

115g of self-raising flour 

 Preheat the oven to 180*C. Grease and line a cake tin with baking paper. 

Place the chocolate and butter in a large heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water and leave until melted. Cool for 5 minutes then whisk in the sugar and eggs. Sift over the flour and fold in. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until risen and firm to the touch. Leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. 

To serve, cut the brownies into equal pieces and serve with toppings of your choice. Toppings could include walnuts, icing, ice-cream, or fruit.