The History of the Matter O’ Money Cake
Once there was a little lad in Barnsley, (or if you’re posh, Harrogate), who said to his mother, ‘Ma … (or ‘Mother’, if in Harrogate), ‘…why can’t we have big iced buns, with cream, and a cherry on top, like other folk? (‘People’/Harrogate).
And his Ma/Mother said: ‘It’s a matter o’/of money, our Tom’ (Thomas/Harrogate). So she made him this for his tea.
I’ve just made that up. But it’s not a bad explanation, don’t you agree? This is a cake that would use ingredients from the kitchen cupboard and not cost a right lot to make, so a ‘matter o’ money’, see.
But what about the taste? Surprisingly good, I’d say, and it can be eaten warm as a dessert, or cold as a cake-slice. There is a pleasant rustic-oatie-sweetness to this cake, with a satisfying crumbly texture, particularly when served as a dessert, topped with cream. Definitely worth a go.
Now, this business of ‘cups’. In ye olden days cooks used a cup of fairly generous size to measure out ingredients, and you can do the same. But if you are of a more scientific disposition a cup of flour would be around 4 oz (113 g). So for the recipe below it will be around 7 oz (200 g approx.) of flour, and the porridge oats (organic type) would be nearly 3 oz (80 g) per cup, so using just over 4 oz (113 g) would hit the spot.
Ingredients
- 1.5 (One and a half) cups of porridge oats
- 1.75 (one and three-quarters) cups of self-raising flour
- 4 oz (113 g) margarine
- 2 oz (50 g) moist brown sugar
- 6 oz (170 g) cooking dates
Method
- Boil the dates in sufficient water to make a jam
- Mix oats and flour, rub in the margarine and mix in the sugar until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs
- Press half the mixture into a cake tin lined with greaseproof paper
- Spread the date jam over the mixture and spread the remainder of the cake mixture on top
- Bake in a moderate oven for around 30 minutes.
Source: Traditional Yorkshire Recipes Collected by Mrs Appleby (1984) Dalesman Books.
7 Responses to Matter O’ Money Cake
Great recipe but you ve forgotten the margarine from your list of ingredients
Thanks Christine; I’ve corrected this. it wouldn’t be much cop without the marge, so well-spotted.
In the US, particularly in the Midwest, this is made in a large baking tray and when cool, cut into squares. Some people cut them into diamonds which I think looks nicer – and once upon a time they were even known as “matrimonial diamonds.” They were very common in farmhouse cooking.
I add a little bit of lemon juice and zest when making the date jam, to cut the sweetness and brighten it up.
Thank you for the recipe! I love the name and the idea of making it in a cake tin.
Thanks Melissa. I think the addition of lemon juice and zest a very good idea, to give it a bit of a taste ‘edge’.
Hi Colin,
Regarding my earlier comment – I just realized that “Matter o’ Money” and “matrimonial” sound quite alike. I wonder if these jumped the pond. They are quite popular in Canada as well: https://canadianfoodfocus.org/canadian-food-stories/delicious-squared-history-of-date-squares/
I like this connection of names, Melissa, and it’s great how recipes become adapted to local situations and by the imaginative and creative thinking of cooks.
Sounds like just what I’m in the mood for, thanks Colin.