I am a huge lover of cake. I would pick cake on a menu over any other dessert. But, it better be a good cake. I am a cake snob. I almost never eat cake mix cake, and almost never bakery cakes, either. But, homemade cake, mmmmmm.
I am not picky about my cake. I love chocolate, white, butter, spice, and anything in between. And, for some reason I have been craving cake lately. Maybe all the thinking about baking has me thinking about my favorite dessert.
So, today I bring you two of my favorite cakes. But, since I have not baked either in the last month or so, I have no pics. Use your imagination -- they are not hard-to-make cakes.
This first cake is one my grandma made my entire life (well, she probably doesn't bake it anymore, but I have good memories). It is called a Poor Man's Cake because when she was young, butter and eggs were dear, and raisins and nuts were plentiful. Today the reverse is true, so it's really a rich man's cake, but I love the name, so I'm not changing it. You could really leave this cake unfrosted, but I like it with a simple buttercream, or even just a powdered sugar glaze. It stays good for a while and I usually end up slicing it and freezing the slices to pull out for an afternoon tea treat. Mmm.
Poor Man's Cake
3 cups flour
2 cups water
⅓ cup shortening
½ lb. raisins
1 cup brown sugar
1 t cinnamon
1 t cloves
1 t baking soda
½ t baking powder
1 cup walnuts
Grease and flour angel food or tube pan.
Heat oven to 325 degrees F.
Place water, shortening, raisins, sugar, cinnamon and cloves in saucepan over medium heat. Cook to boiling and boil for 5 minutes.
Cool completely. Mix flour and baking powder in a large bowl.
Dissolve baking soda in 1 t. water.
Add raisin mixture and baking soda mixture to flour mixture.
Add nuts. Bake for 1 hour.
Cool 15 minutes.
Turn out of pan and cool completely on a baking rack.
Frost with butter or cream cheese frosting.
This next cake is Banana Cake. If you like bananas, you'll love this cake. My kids don't like bananas (I don't get it) so this is another cake I usually slice up and freeze in individual bags. Either that or Doug takes it to work for the teachers snack on. It is a firm cake, not like banana bread. Not too sweet, so the frosting is a good balance. I have no record of where this recipe came from -- I've had it in my collection too long to remember. You could use another buttercream frosting or a cream cheese frosting instead of the Banana Butter Frosting.
Banana Cake
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ cups sugar
1½ t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
½ cup shortening
1 cup mashed ripe banana
⅔ cup buttermilk or sour milk
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease and lightly flour two 9-inch round pans.
In mixer bowl, combine dry ingredients.
Add shortening and banana; beat on low speed until combined.
Add buttermilk, eggs and vanilla; beat two minutes on med. speed.
Turn batter into prepared pans.
Bake for 30 minutes or until done to the touch.
Cool 10 minutes on wire racks and remove from pans.
Cool completely. Frost with Banana Butter Frosting.
Banana Butter Frosting
2 c. powdered sugar
2 T. softened butter
1/4 c. mashed banana (1 small)
1/2 t. vanilla
Whip together sugar, banana, butter and vanilla.
If necessary, add more powdered sugar and beat to spreading consistency.
.
2 cups water
⅓ cup shortening
½ lb. raisins
1 cup brown sugar
1 t cinnamon
1 t cloves
1 t baking soda
½ t baking powder
1 cup walnuts
Grease and flour angel food or tube pan.
Heat oven to 325 degrees F.
Place water, shortening, raisins, sugar, cinnamon and cloves in saucepan over medium heat. Cook to boiling and boil for 5 minutes.
Cool completely. Mix flour and baking powder in a large bowl.
Dissolve baking soda in 1 t. water.
Add raisin mixture and baking soda mixture to flour mixture.
Add nuts. Bake for 1 hour.
Cool 15 minutes.
Turn out of pan and cool completely on a baking rack.
Frost with butter or cream cheese frosting.
This next cake is Banana Cake. If you like bananas, you'll love this cake. My kids don't like bananas (I don't get it) so this is another cake I usually slice up and freeze in individual bags. Either that or Doug takes it to work for the teachers snack on. It is a firm cake, not like banana bread. Not too sweet, so the frosting is a good balance. I have no record of where this recipe came from -- I've had it in my collection too long to remember. You could use another buttercream frosting or a cream cheese frosting instead of the Banana Butter Frosting.
Banana Cake
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ cups sugar
1½ t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
½ cup shortening
1 cup mashed ripe banana
⅔ cup buttermilk or sour milk
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease and lightly flour two 9-inch round pans.
In mixer bowl, combine dry ingredients.
Add shortening and banana; beat on low speed until combined.
Add buttermilk, eggs and vanilla; beat two minutes on med. speed.
Turn batter into prepared pans.
Bake for 30 minutes or until done to the touch.
Cool 10 minutes on wire racks and remove from pans.
Cool completely. Frost with Banana Butter Frosting.
Banana Butter Frosting
2 c. powdered sugar
2 T. softened butter
1/4 c. mashed banana (1 small)
1/2 t. vanilla
Whip together sugar, banana, butter and vanilla.
If necessary, add more powdered sugar and beat to spreading consistency.
.
1 comment:
My mother grew up during the Depression and used to make this for us as children. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Thank you too for your lovely blog. I enjoy it very much.
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