Cake Day No. 2

February 19

Today we have two variations on a theme of multi-coloured cakes.

From yesterday’s source: Cakes, Cookies, and Confections, a little gem from the California Home Economics Association in 1920, a tri-color cake requiring some artful arranging of the batter in the pan – or a more simple marbling technique if you are not up to too much construction work.

Mosaic Cake.
1 c. sugar, ½ c. fat, 1 ¾ c. flour, 2 eggs, ¾ c.milk, 1 ½ tsp. baking powder.
1 tbsp. molasses, 1 tbsp. melted, unsweetened chocolate, ¼ tsp. cinnamon, ¼ tsp. nutmeg, ¼ tsp. allspice, ½ tsp. salt.
Pink coloring and rose flavoring, vanilla
Mix first six ingredients together according to cake method number one.* Separate into three parts. To one add spices, molasses, and melted chocolate. To the second add pink coloring and rose flavouring. To the third add ½ tsp. vanilla.
Into a round cake pan put an outer ring of the white, then a ring of pink, and the innermost ring of the black. On top of that put three more rings, reversing the order and so on till all the batter is used. This makes Mosaic Cake.
For a marbled effect drop into a loaf cake pan alternately a spoonful of each mixture, drawing the spoon through each color two or three times to make the colors lie in patterns.
Bake in a moderate oven about ¾ hour.

[* cream fat and sugar, add yolks well beaten, mix and sift dry ingredients and add alternately with the liquid, fold in beaten whites.]

The next recipe appeared in a California newspaper in 1957. I chose it for three reasons. Firstly, the name. This is no ordinary Marble Cake, this is a Busy Bachelor’s Marble Cake, so it is quite special. Secondly, it includes as an ingredient called ‘black walnut flavoring’ - which I don’t believe I have ever come across before - although but no doubt it is very familiar to those of you in California. Thirdly, the marbling effect is not produced by the two-colours of cake-batter method, but by a cocoa-streaking method, which sounds like it would result in a much finer marble veining effect. If only I could get some black walnut flavour, I could try it.

Busy Bachelor’s Marble Cake.
2 cups sifted flour
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
½ tblsp. shortening
½ cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
¼ tsp. black walnut flavoring
2 unbeaten eggs
¾ cuos nut meats (walnuts) finely chopped.
¼ cup cocoa
¼ cup cold milk plus one tblsp.
Have shortening at room temperature. Line bottom of 10x5x3 [inch] loaf pan with paper. Preheat oven for 350 degrees [Fahrenheit, or 180 Celcius]. Sift flour once before measuring. Stir shortening to soften, then stir in flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
Add the ½ cup milk and beat 2 minutes. Add vanill and black walnut flavoring. Add unbeaten eggs and beat one minute. Add the chopped nut meats.
Mix the cocoa with the cold milk.
Gently stir cocoa, cold milk mixture into batter. This mixing method produces a marble cake with streaks of light milk to dark bitter sweet.
Bake one hour or until cake is done.

Tomorrow’s Story ...

Cake Day No.3

Quotation for the Day ...

How come when you mix water and flour together you get glue ... and then you add eggs and sugar and you get cake? Where does the glue go? Rita Rudner.