Trench cake – A Taste of World War 1 and Remembrance

World War 1 was a hell-hole of mud, blood and fear. Only a package from home could help lift the spirits, especially if it contained a Trench cake.

That first Christmas in 1914 must have been bewildering for young soldiers of all nationalities.

The British force in France had been shattered by heavy defeats at Ypres, and a steady influx of newly drafted youngsters were arriving to shore up the regular army.

The dullness of trench warfare left these young men plenty of time to think, and they were so close to the enemy they could hear their conversations and smell their cooking.

Even before the famous Christmas truce, there were shouted exchanges and the swapping of gifts – although there was no guarantee you wouldn’t get a sniper’s bullet if you ventured too far into no man’s land.

Every little package from home would have been welcome – and that’s where the Trench cake came into its own.

History of Trench cake

It was a simple home-made fruit cake, with long-lasting ingredients.

Baked with love by families back home, it was sent out (for the princely sum of 1 shilling and fourpence) along with hand-knitted mittens and socks to the troops on the front-line.

A slice, eaten in a rare moment of calm, or shared with brothers-in-arms, brought a taste of home and memories of happier times.

The recipe itself reflected the shortages of the time. Butter, eggs and milk were scarce and often reserved for hospitals or the most vulnerable. Home bakers became inventive, using vinegar and baking soda to replace eggs and to give the cake its lift. Dried fruit, when available, was used sparingly, and cocoa or a little spice added warmth and flavour.

These small cakes became more than just food; they were tokens of affection, reminders that someone cared, and that home was waiting. The humble Trench cake came to symbolise the resilience of both those who fought and those who kept life going at home.

World War 1 Memorials

To really understand what World War 1 was like, a trip to the Somme Battlefields is a sobering experience.

The Somme Battlefields

The Somme Battlefields in northern France remain one of the most moving places to visit for anyone wishing to understand the scale and cost of the First World War. The peaceful countryside today gives little hint of the devastation that took place there in 1916, when more than a million men were killed or wounded in just a few months of fighting.

Visitors can walk through preserved trenches at the Newfoundland Memorial Park near Beaumont-Hamel, stand beneath the towering Thiepval Memorial to the Missing, or spend time at the Lochnagar Crater, left by one of the great mines exploded on the first day of the battle.

The Somme 1916 Museum in Albert and the many small cemeteries scattered across the rolling fields each tell their own quiet story of loss and endurance. It is a landscape that has become a lasting memorial to courage, sacrifice and the hope for peace.

In the UK, the Imperial War Museum in London is an excellent memorial, but there are others across the country, worth visiting all year round – not just on Remembrance Sunday.

In West Sussex, at Shoreham Fort, volunteers have created a Memorial Trench for school and public visits. And on special heritage days, they will serve you a slice of authentic Trench cake.

Trench cake recipe

No eggs – because anyone with chickens in the backyard was expected to surrender their eggs to the war effort.

The farming magazine Poultry World launched the national Eggs for the Wounded campaign, announcing, ‘Every British hen should be on active service.’

Instead, the recipe uses vinegar and baking soda – working together to provide the necessary lift – and no more than a pinch or two of spices and a little dried fruit.

It was made to last and, provided it was well-wrapped in waxed paper, it could survive the long and winding road to the trenches.

The recipe may be simple, but when we baked it, a warm, sweet and spicy smell pervaded our home.

It cut well and held its shape, but was less moist and fruity than we would expect of a fruit cake today.

But I’d like to think a few slices would have brought some cheer to the troops so far from home in that 1914 Christmas.

Remembering them today

More than a hundred years later, we still pause to remember those who fought and fell in the Great War and in the conflicts that followed. Each November, people across the UK wear a red poppy, inspired by the flowers that grew on the battlefields of Flanders, as a simple act of remembrance.

The poppy became a lasting symbol after the war, inspired by the poem In Flanders Fields by Canadian doctor John McCrae. The sight of poppies growing among the graves of fallen soldiers came to represent both loss and renewal. The first silk poppies were sold in 1921 to raise funds for veterans, and the Royal British Legion soon adopted the flower as its emblem.

Remembrance Sunday, held on the nearest Sunday to 11 November, brings together communities, veterans and families to honour those who gave their lives. The two minutes’ silence at 11am remains one of the most poignant traditions of national life.

The Royal British Legion, founded in 1921, continues to support serving and ex-service personnel and their families, ensuring their sacrifices are never forgotten. Through their Poppy Appeal, they help to keep alive the memory of those who fought for our freedom, and the importance of peace.

Just as those simple Trench cakes once carried the love and gratitude of a nation across the sea to its soldiers.

Want more information about World War 1?

Read ‘How the world went to war in 1914‘ on the Imperial War Museum’s website

World War 1 images courtesy of Wiki Commons and PICRYL. We understand these to be public domain and available for reproduction. All other images copyright ©rosemaryandporkbelly.

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Other recipes you may like:
• Langues de Chat biscuits
• Eliza Acton’s Plum Pudding
• Curried egg pie