Cake Filling Recipe That No Longer Seems To Work Well - Why?

[wordyone]

I have a cake recipe which I have used for many years, and successfully. For quite some years now though, when I mix up the filling for this orange sandwich cake it seems much runnier than it ever used to. Instead of sitting nice and thickly between the two halves of the cake it runs over the sides and looks rather thin. The recipe is as follows for the filling:

2 ozs soft margarine ; 3 ozs sifted icing sugar ; 1 tablespoon thick honey and the finely grated rind of half an orange.

Are oranges bigger than they used to be thereby making the mixture more moist? Is thick honey no longer as thick? Have the contents of soft margarine changed over the years to affect this? Can anyone help please?
How can I safely adjust the recipe to regain the thick consistency? The cake size is 7 inch round.
Thanks.

[ubasses]

You seem to have a low ratio of margarine and sugar, the recipes I have used
always have at least double the weight of sugar to fat.

[Old_Geezer]

All the ingredients are variable in nature. You may have happened to strike lucky previously and unlucky this time. (In which case the art is knowing as you go what it should be like and adjusting to suit.)

Apart from that I'm not thinking of anything else obvious. Maybe something has noticeably changed. For example are you using the same brand of margarine ?

[wordyone]

Hello Old_Geezer - I am using the same margarine I have always used over the years.
Thank you 'ubasses' I will try adding up to an extra ounce of icing sugar next time I make this cake, see how that works.

[Mrsspagnoli57]

I never go by measurements for fillings, preferring to judge by eye and feeling while mixing them. Some soft margarines are really soft when you beat them and they don't seem to regain their firmness once softened further for buttercream etc. Extra icing sugar shouldn't alter your filling much. :)

[Prudie]

What kind of honey are you using? I seem to remember that bog standard Gales used to be very stiff and thick, would tear the bread as you spread it. Can't say I've noticed that honey is like that anymore.

[EDDIE51]

^^ Yes Honey used to be about as thick as peanut butter. The modern stuff is liquid.

[wordyone]

Just caught up with a few more answers to my question. I do tend to agree with Prudie and EDDIE51 about thick honey not being as thick as it used to be. This recipe dates back to the 1970s by the way. Mrspagnoli57 - I think soft margarines have changed somewhat since the 1970s and some do seem softer than others, yes, and when you say extra icing sugar should not affect the filling much do you mean the taste or the texture? Thanks for your help everyone.