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Slab cake

Vivienne14

Vivienne14

Kentish Brummie Moderator
Staff member
Anyone remember buying a piece, by the weight from most grocery shops ? I was just cutting a slice off our Christmas cake which I made in a square tin this year and it reminded me of the cake we used to buy. Mum didn’t have time to make cakes so it was a good option. The size of the piece of slab cake you wanted would be sliced off a large slab, wrapped in greaseproof paper and weighed to work out the cost. Expect most bakeries supplied their local grocery stores. Viv.

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Source: British Newspaper Archive
 
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Eric Gibson said:
I used to buy a chunk of cherry cake on my way down from the Villa Cross to work in Villa Street, there was a shop in the road leading down, can't remember the name of the road or the shop. :confused:
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eric its george st that runs down from villa cross and joins up with villa st

lyn
 
In 1939 households were encouraged to buy ready-made slab cake rather than producing homemade cake as it was more economical with the rising costs of ingredients.

Most slab cake came in a choice of 3 varieties: cherry, Genoa or Dundee (fruit). Some bakery delivery vans could offer slices, like Garratts in Lichfield.

Viv

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C2060582-B26D-4911-9107-CC0DB642C87F.jpeg
Source: British Newspaper Archive
 
NOTSHARP said:
Is my memory correct? I seem to recall that Wrensons also sold slab cake. I was always fascinated by Battenberg cake, but it was way over our family budget. In fact, any bought cake, was over budget. :laughing:



Steve.
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I also remember Wrensons selling this cake. My mum used to buy it occasionally, but most of the time she made coconut or jam cupcakes, or a large fruit cake on a Sunday. Nothing better than home made.
 
school dinners, if the cook like you you got a large slice of Choclate concrete slab cake with lot of pink custard:yum

A sheet cake or slab cake is a cake baked in a large, flat, rectangular cake pan. cakes are usually 2 inches deep, although they are sometimes 3 inches deep.​

 
mw0njm. said:
school dinners, if the cook like you you got a large slice of Choclate concrete slab cake with lot of pink custard:yum

A sheet cake or slab cake is a cake baked in a large, flat, rectangular cake pan. cakes are usually 2 inches deep, although they are sometimes 3 inches deep.​

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I remember those concrete cakes, they were ok unless you got a corner and almost broke your teeth eating it. We had yellow custard!
 
My memory of concrete was of a very thin cake, maximum 1” thick at most. Although probably still called a ‘slab’ (of concrete !) it was quite a different product to the slab cake sold by the weight in grocery/bakery shops.

The pudding (cakes) we had at school were cooked in long, deep pans and great ‘slabs’ of the stuff would be cut up in front of you. Then sploshed with a big ladle-full of pale, yellow custard (non-lumpy - if you were lucky).

Oh the gastronomic delights of the school kitchen !

Viv
 
Vivienne14 said:
My memory of concrete was of a very thin cake, maximum 1” thick at most. Although probably still called a ‘slab’ (of concrete !) it was quite a different product to the slab cake sold by the weight in grocery/bakery shops.

The pudding (cakes) we had at school were cooked in long, deep pans and great ‘slabs’ of the stuff would be cut up in front of you. Then sploshed with a big ladle-full of pale, yellow custard (non-lumpy - if you were lucky).

Oh the gastronomic delights of the school kitchen !

Viv
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Yes! 1” would be in the high side. The smell of some of that stuff was terrible. Particularly the meat balls were terrible, took me a long time before I could even look at one of those. Off topic, sorry!
 
i never saw any out side of the school kitchen, i dont suppose the scales could manage the weight
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Had no idea there were Slab Cake Reps. Seems the cake producer could expect a salesman to bring their former customers as new clients. It doesn’t say it in the ad, but I expect these sales reps were selling ‘large’ slabs on to other businesses eg shops, factory canteens perhaps.

Viv.
C8534718-0932-4638-9C81-AD49D701E97B.jpegSource: British Newspaper Archive
 
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Yes, buying cake by weight from a grocery shop or bakery used to be a common practice. It's often referred to as "slab cake" or "sheet cake" where a large cake is baked in a sheet or slab, and customers could request a specific weight or size of the cake, which would then be sliced and sold to them accordingly. This was a convenient option for those who didn't have the time or inclination to bake a whole cake themselves. It allowed people to buy just the amount of cake they needed for a particular occasion or as a treat. It's a nostalgic memory for many people who remember this way of purchasing cake. On a related note, if you're looking for a quick and easy dessert, you might want to try making 3 ingredient peanut butter cookies, which are a simple and delicious treat!
 
frieda.ritter said:
Yes, buying cake by weight from a grocery shop or bakery used to be a common practice. It's often referred to as "slab cake" or "sheet cake" where a large cake is baked in a sheet or slab, and customers could request a specific weight or size of the cake, which would then be sliced and sold to them accordingly. This was a convenient option for those who didn't have the time or inclination to bake a whole cake themselves. It allowed people to buy just the amount of cake they needed for a particular occasion or as a treat. It's a nostalgic memory for many people who remember this way of purchasing cake. On a related note, if you're looking for a quick and easy dessert, you might want to try making 3 ingredient peanut butter cookies, which are a simple and delicious treat!
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Welcome to The Forum Frieda, enjoy!

Here they sell those cake by size, half and full sheet cakes. The price varies by content or complexity.
 
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