As the festive season arrives, home bakers across Australia are turning to trusted recipes that have stood the test of time. For generations, the Country Women's Association (CWA) has been a guardian of such culinary heritage, collecting and perfecting recipes that define Aussie baking.
A Treasure Trove of Timeless Baking
The CWA, Australia's largest women's organisation, has long championed better conditions for women and children in regional areas. A significant part of its legacy is a vast collection of baking recipes, many of which have been award-winners in competitions run over six decades in ACM newspaper The Land.
From this archive, four festive favourites have been selected by Carole Windley, chairperson of the CWA NSW's Land Cookery Committee. These recipes promise reliability and delicious results for your Christmas table.
Gingerbread People (First Judged in 1987)
Nothing says Christmas like the spicy aroma of gingerbread. This recipe, which yields about 20 biscuits, is flavoured with golden syrup and ground ginger. The dough requires chilling before being rolled out, cut into shapes, and baked for 8-10 minutes at 180°C. Once cooled, they are decorated with a simple icing made from stiff egg whites and icing sugar, and finished with Smarties or chocolate buttons for a festive touch.
Christmas Fruit Cake (First Judged in 1952)
This is the ultimate classic, a rich fruit cake that benefits from serious foresight. The recipe instructs you to combine the sultanas, currants, raisins, glacé cherries, mixed peel, almonds, marmalade, zests, lemon juice, and brandy in a bowl and let it stand for up to one week before baking. This allows the flavours to mature beautifully.
The cake is baked in a deep 20cm tin, meticulously lined with brown paper and baking paper, at a low 150°C for approximately three hours. The result is a dense, moist cake that is the centrepiece of a traditional Christmas.
Melt'n'mix Shortbread (First Judged in 2010)
For a simpler but no less delightful treat, this shortbread recipe offers a fuss-free method. The butter is melted and cooled before being beaten with caster sugar, icing sugar, cornflour, and vanilla. The flour is then stirred in to create a firm dough.
Pressed into a tin, marked into fingers, and pricked with a fork, it bakes for 30 minutes at 180°C until light golden. It's cut while warm and makes 24 perfect, buttery shortbread fingers.
Date Slice
This easy slice combines a sweet date filling with a shortbread-like base and topping. The dates are simmered with lemon zest and water until soft. A simple dough of butter, sugar, egg yolk, and flour is divided, with one half pressed into a tin, covered with the date mixture, and topped with the remaining dough.
After baking for 20-25 minutes at 180°C, it is cooled, iced with lemon icing, and cut into small squares for a crowd-pleasing afternoon tea offering.
Why CWA Recipes Endure
These recipes, curated from the collection Jam Drops and Marble Cake, represent more than just instructions; they are pieces of Australian social history. Each one has been tried, tested, and judged by CWA experts, ensuring they work reliably in home kitchens. In a season often filled with stress, following these never-fail methods can bring both delicious results and a comforting connection to decades of Aussie bakers who have gone before.
