MOST of us who were children in the 1960s,1970s and 1980s remember birthday party spreads that had little to no pre-made or store bought treats.

Everything was homemade from the raw ingredients.

It was not uncommon for households to have a collection of recipes from a women’s magazine.

My mum wrote her favourite recipes onto index cards and renamed them as the person who’d shared them with her or where they came from.

Then there were the binders filled with carefully torn out pages from recipe sections of magazines.

She still has her index card box and it’s obvious which were her favourites from stains of batter splatter and buttery finger marks.

Right now we are in the middle of Scenic Rim’s Eat Local Month and with it is an opportunity to give some tried and tested recipes by chefs like Glen Barrett a go.

Glen is a pastry chef whose pineapple upside-down cake was a favourite from a Women’s Weekly recipe card box.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

125g (4oz) butter

2 cups self raising flour

1/4 cup castor sugar

1/4 cup milk

2 eggs

1/4 cup pineapple syrup from can

Method

Cream butter and sugar well, add eggs one at a time and beat until light and fluffy.

Fold in sifted flour and combined syrup and milk alternately, beat lightly until smooth.

Upside-Down Topping

470g (15 oz) can pineapple slices

glacé cherries

60g (2 oz.) butter

1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

Method

Blend softened butter with brown sugar (don't over-mix), spread over base of greased deep 20cm (8 in) cake tin lined with greased paper.

Drain pineapple slices (reserve 1/4 cup syrup for cake mixture).

Arrange pineapple slices and glacé cherries decoratively over brown sugar mixture, spread cake mixture over care-fully; bake in moderate oven one hour.

Allow to stand five minutes before turning on to serving plate.

Eat as cake or serve as dessert with whipped cream.

Do you have a recipe in your family that has been handed down over the generations?

If you’re happy to share, email the recipe and a photo of the result

to lara@boonahnewspapers.com.au for a chance to see it published in the

Moreton Border News.