Classic Cakes That Need Resurrecting

[Varmint]

Coca Cola Cake, of course.

[Sandra Levine]

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

I'd love that recipe....

It's very similar to my Chocolate Sour Cream Cake in the Archives, with an additional 2 oz. of unsweetened chocolate, and instead of the amount or sugar listed, 1 cup of white sugar and 1 cup of brown sugar (or, you could use 2 cups of light brown sugar.

Bale at 375 degress F. for 25 minutes in 2 8 or 9 in. cake pans.

I used to ice this with the following

1 can of sweetened condensed milk

3 oz unsweetened chocolate

2 oz. unsalted butter

1 egg yolk

Melt chocolate, add milk, stir until blended. Add butter cut into small pieces. Keep stirring until thickened slightly. Off heat, add egg yolk. Stir until blended.

Allow frosting to cool. It will thicken upon standing. If it gets too thick to spread easily, add a little coffee or water to thin it to the proper consistency.

I guess I should have put this in the recipe archives with a link. Maybe I'll do that later or some other kind person will.

[hjshorter]

Coca Cola Cake, of course.

Do you have a recipe, Varmint? I've never heard of it.

[claire797]

Coca Cola Cake, of course.

Do you have a recipe, Varmint? I've never heard of it.

Yum. Coca Cola Cake.

Just make sure you have a dose of insulin handy.

[jersey13]

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!

Nope, you're not the only one (name's Renee, by the way). My mom baked exclusively from scratch when we were kids and I developed a love of cake mixes purely out of fascination that a cake could be produced in such a simplistic manner. Gotta love that chemical taste!

I got over that when I started doing more baking and eventually took over the dessert duties from my mom. My best buddy never knew what homemade baked goods were until he came to our house. That was over 20 years ago and he hasn't missed a family celebration since!

I LOVE producing cakes in particular from scratch but confess to the use of shortening in frosting for kiddy cakes just to get the icing to be pure white. While I'm here, any hints on making pure white frosting out of butter? Can it be done?

[claire797]

Cake mix cakes are fine so long as you appreciate that they are a separate species from actual scratch cakes. No matter how much "doctoring" you do, you can (at least I can) always tell when a mix was involved. But that's not always a bad thing. In fact, several of the Cake Mix Doctor recipes are pretty good if you appreciate them for what they are.

Still, it would be nice if more people took the time to experiment with different scratch recipes.

[Xanthippe]

Coca Cola Cake, of course.

Do you have a recipe, Varmint? I've never heard of it.

Yum. Coca Cola Cake.

Just make sure you have a dose of insulin handy.

Oh, yeah! I'm another Coca Cola Cake lover; I believe I do have a recipe (given to me at the tender age of nine by Annabel, my grandmother's next-door neighbor) for it somewhere. I'll look, and will post if I'm successful.

Other classics on my "revival list" include: Coconut Layer Cake, Chocolate Buttermilk Cake, Beet Cake, St. Louis Orange Ring Cake, and the afore-mentioned Red Velvet (my grandmother called it "Red Rose") Cake.

[Marlene]

Here is a recipe for Harvey Wallbanger Cake.

[Marlene]

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

I'd love that recipe....

It's very similar to my Chocolate Sour Cream Cake in the Archives, with an additional 2 oz. of unsweetened chocolate, and instead of the amount or sugar listed, 1 cup of white sugar and 1 cup of brown sugar (or, you could use 2 cups of light brown sugar.

Bale at 375 degress F. for 25 minutes in 2 8 or 9 in. cake pans.

I used to ice this with the following

1 can of sweetened condensed milk

3 oz unsweetened chocolate

2 oz. unsalted butter

1 egg yolk

Melt chocolate, add milk, stir until blended. Add butter cut into small pieces. Keep stirring until thickened slightly. Off heat, add egg yolk. Stir until blended.

Allow frosting to cool. It will thicken upon standing. If it gets too thick to spread easily, add a little coffee or water to thin it to the proper consistency.

I guess I should have put this in the recipe archives with a link. Maybe I'll do that later or some other kind person will.

Thanks to whoever put this in! (It wasn't me this time ) here's the link

[TrishCT]

I have the recipe for Cola Cake from Cake Doctor if no one else has a recipe. Is it ok to reproduce it here or do I need permission of some kind? (Author is Anne Byrn). Her recipe, of course, uses a mix.

I am sure I have a homemade version of it as well. I have a decent size collection of fundraiser cookbooks (I even edited one for my church many moons ago). Pulling one out at random, oh looook ...."Wacky Cake," "Mississippi Mud Cake," "Banana Split Cake..."

A Bygone era...

[Fritz Brenner]

My mom always would make, for large picnic-type gatherings and random potlucks, something called Pistachio Ice-cream Pie. I don't know of other families that ate this particular dessert, and I have no idea where she got the recipe... but it's oddly yummy!

[Marlene]

I have the recipe for Cola Cake from Cake Doctor if no one else has a recipe.  Is it ok to reproduce it here or do I need permission of some kind? (Author is Anne Byrn).  Her recipe, of course, uses a mix. 

I am sure I have a homemade version of it as well.  I have a decent size collection of fundraiser cookbooks (I even edited one for my church many moons ago).  Pulling one out at random, oh looook ...."Wacky Cake,"  "Mississippi Mud Cake," "Banana Split Cake..." 

A Bygone era...

If you can put the method into your own words, it can be posted.

[Varmint]

There are lots of variations of Coca Cola Cake. One version can be found here: Click for Cake

[awbrig]

There are lots of variations of Coca Cola Cake. One version can be found here: Click for Cake

What do you drink with this cake? Milk or Coke? Wait, isnt this how Mikey died?

[TrishCT]

There are lots of variations of Coca Cola Cake.  One version can be found here: Click for Cake

Yes this one is very much like the one calling for a cake mix and since Varmints' is from scratch, its better... ... I just realized I am tallking about coca cola cake...

[Varmint]

Awbrig:

What do you drink with this cake?  Milk or Coke?  Wait, isnt this how Mikey died?

You, of all people, should love this cake, as it comes from the Favre Family Cookbook.

Karen Barker, the pastry chef at Durham's Magnolia Grill, serves a great version of this, combining it with a peanut brittle like icing. It's her take on the southern tradition of dropping peanuts into the bottle of one's Coke.

Edited April 25, 2003 by Varmint (log)

[awbrig]

Youre right Varmint...

I took a few pics for that book, actually. There is a pic of Allison pregnant with Emory in the book too!

[Xanthippe]

You, of all people, should love this cake, as it comes from the Favre Family Cookbook. 

Karen Barker, the pastry chef at Durham's Magnolia Grill, serves a great version of this, combining it with a peanut brittle like icing.  It's her take on the southern tradition of dropping peanuts into the bottle of one's Coke.

Just found the recipe given to me so many years ago, and it's identical to the one from the Favre Family Cookbook. Can't remember Annabel's last name, but I don't think it was Favre!

Ever since my mama left Durham and moved to New Hampshire, I unfortunately have no reason to find myself in the Triangle area. I enjoyed a number of great meals at the Magnolia Grill, and always saved room for one of Karen Barker's terrific desserts.

[Jon Tseng]

Second black forest gateau

i believe there is a recipe in Simon Hopkinson's The Prawn Cocktail Years

another one are the sponge cakes filled with strawberry jam and whipped cream you used to be able to get in the freezer at the supermarket. they used to be ubiquitous but had a look recently and none to be found

J

[hjshorter]

Other classics on my "revival list" include:  Coconut Layer Cake

I am almost sure I will make that on Saturday for my baby boy's first birthday. I can't wait to see what he does with the coconut frosting.

[hjshorter]

I am sure I have a homemade version of it as well.  I have a decent size collection of fundraiser cookbooks (I even edited one for my church many moons ago).  Pulling one out at random, oh looook ...."Wacky Cake,"  "Mississippi Mud Cake," "Banana Split Cake..." 

One of the very few things I have from my grandmother (my Dad's mom) is a handwritten recipe for Mississippi Mud cake. She was a fine down-home cook from Oklahoma. I wish I had more of her recipes.

What's in the Banana Split Cake?

[Varmint]

Other classics on my "revival list" include:  Coconut Layer Cake

I am almost sure I will make that on Saturday for my baby boy's first birthday. I can't wait to see what he does with the coconut frosting.

Ohmygod ohmygod ohmygod. We have a neighborhood pharmacy that has a restaurant at one end. The food is OK, but not great. Solid shakes. Vanilla and Cherry Cokes with real syrup. Freshly made orangeade. But the reason to go to this place is for their desserts, particularly their coconut layer cake. It is the single richest, most decadent dessert I have ever eaten. I often go there for a side salad and coconut cake. You don't need much else.

One other aspect of a cake that I'm not sure has been mentioned is sea foam icing. Very popular down here.

[claire797]

I am sure I have a homemade version of it as well.  I have a decent size collection of fundraiser cookbooks (I even edited one for my church many moons ago).  Pulling one out at random, oh looook ...."Wacky Cake,"  "Mississippi Mud Cake," "Banana Split Cake..." 

One of the very few things I have from my grandmother (my Dad's mom) is a handwritten recipe for Mississippi Mud cake. She was a fine down-home cook from Oklahoma. I wish I had more of her recipes.

What's in the Banana Split Cake?

My grandmother used to make banana split cake. From what I remember, it was a thin yellow sheet cake with a fluffy/creamy topping cream cheese, pineapples, bananas and maraschino cherries. I think I've seen it with graham cracker crumbs instead of cake too.

[Rhea_S]

Another tried and true recipe that's in Purdy's A Piece of Cake is the Crazy Mixed Up Chocolate Cake. It's one of those cakes you mix right in the baking pan - no messing up bowls, whisks, etc. You just need a spoon and the baking pan. I have other recipes for this type of cake, but Purdy's tastes the best to me. Not too sweet and a good chocolate flavour. It takes 4 minutes to put together plus baking time -- about the same time as a cake mix. Also, it's lowfat and no cholesterol -- no eggs and uses only about a 1/3 cup vegetable oil. It still amazes me that a cake can be good with so little fuss.

[NeroW]

My mom always would make, for large picnic-type gatherings and random potlucks, something called Pistachio Ice-cream Pie.  I don't know of other families that ate this particular dessert, and I have no idea where she got the recipe... but it's oddly yummy!

Word.