Classic Cakes That Need Resurrecting

[maggiethecat]

And Boston Cream Pie...see related thread. And Burnt Sugar Cake? And Orange Chiffon Cake?

Tomato Soup Cake? Damn, it was good.

Remember the recipe booklet that came with your mother's Sunbeam Mixmaster? I used it for The Jiffy Two Egg Cake; probably the first thing I ever baked. It wasn't very good, but it gave me the confidence to move on to the Good Stuff, like Devil's Food with Seven-Minute Frosting.

Oh...and Queen ELizabeth Cake.

Any others you would like to see on a dessert platter, as an alternative to something dusted in Green Tea?

[claire797]

What about red velvet cake? Would you consider that a retro-cake or something that's just sort of kitschy?

Alton Brown says he hates it, but I don't know why. The 2 ounces of red dye perhaps?

[jackal10]

Battenburg (four squares of coloured sponge enclosed by marzipan)

Stuffed Monkey (Cinnamon pastry enclosing and almond filling)

Black forest Gateau (chococolate and cherries)

But greatest of all, at 11am or 11pm, with a glass of Bual...

Madeira Cake (doesn't contain any wine but is a light lemon sponge made to go with a glass of Madeira)

Edited April 23, 2003 by jackal10 (log)

[TrishCT]

Pineapple Upside Down Cake & Baked Alaska

[hjshorter]

Pineapple-Rhubarb upside down cake, the kind with marshmallows. My grandmother used to make

it all the time.

Lady Baltimore cake. Real Devil's Food cake. My mother's one bowl spice cake. German Chocolate cake.

Anything homemade, really. I seem to be the only person I know who bakes from scratch anymore. I'm sick of going to birthday parties and getting cake mix with canned frosting. Or even worse - supermarket bakery cakes with shortening in the frosting. Blech!

[maggiethecat]

I seem to be the only person I know who bakes from scratch anymore.  I'm sick of going to birthday parties and getting cake mix with canned frosting.  Or even worse - supermarket bakery cakes with shortening in the frosting.  Blech!

Yes, what's up with that? One is not aspiring to the heights of pastrychefdom with any of these cakes. They are not that hard to bake.

And I don't think I've had anything but a grocery store sheet cake at a birthday party for the last couple of years. I just pass on it.

Ah...Lady Baltimore Cake!

[Jaymes]

Harvey Wallbanger Cake?

Pina Colada Cake?

[hjshorter]

Harvey Wallbanger Cake?

Yum! Someone submitted a recipe for that while I was compiling recipes for the cookbook my daughter's preschool is putting out. I kept it.

[hjshorter]

I seem to be the only person I know who bakes from scratch anymore.  I'm sick of going to birthday parties and getting cake mix with canned frosting.  Or even worse - supermarket bakery cakes with shortening in the frosting.  Blech!

Yes, what's up with that? One is not aspiring to the heights of pastrychefdom with any of these cakes. They are not that hard to bake.

You got that right!

It really isn't hard, but no one does it. The round of birthday parties for my daughter's friends has just begun...more nasty cake.

On a related note, no one has their kid's birthday party at home anymore (well, except us). No pigs in blankets, English muffin pizzas, pin the tail on the donkey, homemade punch and cake...the party is farmed out to Gymboree or Chuckie Cheese with crappy food and canned "games." The sad thing is, those parties cost big bucks. Same with supermarket cake. With a little time and thought you can have something wonderful for much less money.

[tsquare]

And Orange Chiffon Cake?

I made one of these last weekend as a late birthday/Easter Egg hunt party for a 3 year old and her and her parents guests. Party at their home, included hand made egg pinata and dyed eggs (along with store bought treats.) Cake was mostly the recipe from Village Baker's Wife with a touch of Cake Bible (cream of tartar and vanilla added to cake). Topped with homemade candied orange peel. The cake was quite good, IMHO, and the sun was shining. A good day.

[TrishCT]

In my class called "Let's Party," I asked for a volunteer to come forward who thought it was hard to make a cake from scratch. I had her make this one all by herself in front of the class. She admitted it was just as easy and as fast as making a cake mix... and a whole lot better tasting. I share this classic with you.

Pineapple Nut Cake

Cake:

2 Cups all purpose flour

2 Cups crushed pineapple, drained

2 Cups sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 Eggs

1 Cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

Icing:

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

1/2 Cup butter, softened

1 Tablespoon vanilla

1 1/2- 2 Cups confectioner's sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 13 x 9 x 2 baking pan. Stir all cake ingredients together and pour in the pan. Bake 40 minutes. Cool.

Make frosting by mixing cheese and butter together until smooth, add vanilla and enough sugar to make icing spreadable.

Variation: Add grated lemon/orange peel to icing.

[hjshorter]

Battenburg (four squares of coloured sponge enclosed by marzipan)

Stuffed Monkey (Cinnamon pastry enclosing and almond filling)

Black forest Gateau (chococolate and cherries)

But greatest of all, at 11am or 11pm, with a glass of Bual...

Madeira Cake (doesn't contain any wine but is a light lemon sponge made to go with a glass of Madeira)

Could you provide some recipes? I like the sound of Stuffed Monkey.

[kitwilliams]

On a related note, no one has their kid's birthday party at home anymore (well, except us). 

I agree, Trish, no one but you and some friends of mine who just had a party for their 3-year old. Barbecued marinated steak, chicken, carnitas served with guacamole and warm flour tortillas and killer salsa. And, for dessert, I was asked to make seventy Panna Cotta. I've certainly never seen birthday disappear as quickly as that Panna Cotta did! Different and very delicious!

Bake to the old cake recipes...I was just given a booklet put out by General Foods in 1941, promoting Swans Down Cake Flour, and I can't wait to dig in and try some of these:

Burnt Sugar Cake is in here too

Lazy Dazy Cake

Lord & Lady Baltimore Cakes

Arabian Ribbon Cake

Prune Cake with Mocha Creole Frosting

and many more! Probably many of you have or had this little book. Any recommendations are sincerely appreciated!

[nightscotsman]

I agree there are a lot of "old fashioned" cakes that need revisiting - especially chiffon cakes, which I love. One great book that I highly recommend if you're into cakes is The Perfect Cake by Susan Purdy. This is actually a newly revised, reorganized, and retitled edition of Susan's classic "A Piece of Cake" which has been out of print for years. Lots of clear and easy to follow basic recipes with classic variations like Orange Velvet Cake, Lord Balitmore Cake, Lane Cake, Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake, Williamsburg Orange Wine Cake, Scripture Cake, and Jeannette Pepin's (Jacques's Mom) Pear Cake. Next to the Cake Bible, this is the book I reach for the most when I want to bake a homey cake.

[Aquitaine]

Madeira Cake.....as in "Have some Madeira, my dear?" (Flanders and Swann; only song I know of that has the word "enveigled" in it) -- what's a good recipe source, Jackal10? And what makes a good Madeira cake -- presuming that you have tasted many and could give pointers? Is this Edwardian or Victorian era, so cookbooks from those times would be good places to start? Upstairs or downstairs, or both?

Edited April 24, 2003 by Aquitaine (log)

[snowangel]

And Burnt Sugar Cake?

I make this one once a month. Although I've memorized the recipe, I still have the card, written by my great, great grandmother. It's my kids favorite.

I've put it in the recipe archive: Burnt Sugar Cake

About a year ago, Peter was at the grocery with me. We were in the baking aisle. He asked "Mom, what are in these boxes," and I replied "cake mixes." His response "Wow. How do those work?"

Edited April 24, 2003 by snowangel (log)

[Marlene]

Here's TrishCT's cake in the archive Pineapple Nut Cake

[maggiethecat]

IThe Perfect Cake by Susan Purdy. This is actually a newly revised, reorganized, and retitled edition of Susan's classic "A Piece of Cake" which has been out of print for years. Lots of clear and easy to follow basic recipes with classic variations like Orange Velvet Cake, Lord Balitmore Cake, Lane Cake, Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake, Williamsburg Orange Wine Cake, Scripture Cake, and Jeannette Pepin's (Jacques's Mom) Pear Cake. Next to the Cake Bible, this is the book I reach for the most when I want to bake a homey cake.

Nightscotsman: I will buy that book! Thanks for the recommendation. Really.

[claire797]

Madeira Cake.....as in "Have some Madeira, my dear?" (Flanders and Swann; only song I know of that has the word "enveigled" in it) -- what's a good recipe source, Jackal10? And what makes a good Madeira cake -- presuming that you have tasted many and could give pointers? Is this Edwardian or Victorian era, so cookbooks from those times would be good places to start? Upstairs or downstairs, or both?

Aquitaine,

Nigella Lawson has a Madeira cake recipe in her How To Be A Domestic Goddess book. I haven't tried it yet, but it sounds like a pretty basic poundcake.

Nightscotsman,

I must get my hands on the Susan Purdy book! Thanks for the tip. Orange Velvet Cake?

[NeroW]

What is Harvey Wallbanger cake?

I thought that was a shot.

[nightscotsman]

Nightscotsman:  I will buy that book!  Thanks for the recommendation.  Really.

You're very welcome . I'm sure you and clair797 will love the book as much as I have.

I haven't made the Orange Velvet Cake, but it looks like a strongly orange flavored, fine grained butter cake. There are also a huge number of fillings, frostings and glazes including a "traditional Kentucky" Sour-Cream Nut Icing that sounds really good. I have the original version of the book and there a few diagrams and illustrations, but no photos. I don't know if the new edition now includes pictures.

[Jaymes]

What is Harvey Wallbanger cake?

I thought that was a shot.

I think it first appeared in a cookbook put out by Galliano with recipes using that liqueur.

There are quite a few recipes floating around, but they all basically call for a box of orange cake mix, some pudding, and some booze.

For a while there, I couldn't go to a single party that someone hadn't brought it. And it was pretty good, as I recall - all citrusy and boozy.

Here's a typical recipe:

Harvey Wallbanger Cake

1 box orange cake mix

1 box (3 1/4 oz.) instant vanilla pudding mix

1/2 C vegetable oil

4 eggs

4 oz Galliano Liqueur

1 shot Vodka

1/2 C OJ

1 tsp orange zest

Glaze:

1 cup confectioners powdered white sugar

1 tablespoon Liqueur Galliano

1 tablespoon orange juice concentrate

1 tsp orange zest

1 teaspoon vodka

Beat together the cake ingredients. Pour into greased and floured bundt pan and bake at 350 for Preheat the oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Let the cake cool in the pan 10 minutes. Then remove cake from pan and place in center of serving platter.

Glaze: Combine all glaze ingredients and blend until smooth. Pour over well-cooled cake.

There are other recipes - including for sheet cake, where you poke holes in the warm cake and pour glaze over it while warm, also layer cakes, that kind of thing.

But you get the gist of it here, I suspect.

Edit - actually, I am pretty sure I still HAVE that original Galliano cookbook and I can dig it out and look at it if anyone is interested.

Edited April 24, 2003 by Jaymes (log)

[hjshorter]

Nightscotsman:  I will buy that book!  Thanks for the recommendation.  Really.

You're very welcome . I'm sure you and clair797 will love the book as much as I have.

I haven't made the Orange Velvet Cake, but it looks like a strongly orange flavored, fine grained butter cake. There are also a huge number of fillings, frostings and glazes including a "traditional Kentucky" Sour-Cream Nut Icing that sounds really good. I have the original version of the book and there a few diagrams and illustrations, but no photos. I don't know if the new edition now includes pictures.

Nightscotsman, thanks from me too. I just put it on my Amazon wish list.

The sour cream nut icing sounds yummy. I make a sour cream spice cake it might be good on.

[Sandra Levine]

Brownstone Front Cake -- a fairly basic chocolate cake using brown instead of white sugar. Delicious.

[TrishCT]

Brownstone Front Cake -- a fairly basic chocolate cake using brown instead of white sugar.  Delicious.

I'd love that recipe....