Name that food

It isn’t chocolate. It isn’t burned either but just about everything else happened during the making. I ran out of baking powder and so I added a mix of baking soda and cream of tartar which is what baking powder is anyway. I could have paused to research correct substitution amounts, but what the hell, hence the depression in the top where it fell during baking. It’s black because the recipe calls for molasses and if a little molasses is good, more is better. Besides, I seemed to remember that molasses also has leavening properties. It’s dense because I poured the corn meal in and then remembered that I had used an empty round cardboard corn meal container to store what was left of a bag of polenta, i.e. grits. I decided an extra egg would help it hold together if the grits were so coarse that the crumb ended up, well, all crumbs. So into the oven with it all and this is the result. The original recipe is very simple, really.

(The Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, vol. 1, 1918)

Molasses corn cake, just as its name indicates, is corn cake containing molasses. To those who find the taste of molasses agreeable, this recipe will appeal. Others not so fond of molasses will, without doubt, prefer the plain corn cake. Besides adding flavour, the molasses in this recipe adds food value to the product.

MOLASSES CORN CAKE

(Sufficient for One Medium-Sized Loaf)

1 c. corn meal

3/4 c. flour

3-1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

3/4 c. milk

1/4 c. molasses

1 egg

2 Tb. melted fat

Mix and sift the corn meal, flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the milk, molasses, and well-beaten egg and stir in the melted fat. Pour into a well-greased loaf pan, and bake in a moderate oven for about 30 minutes.

Verdict: It doesn’t taste like anything I’ve ever tried before. It’s very moist and dense. It has almost a burned taste initially that resolves into a strong molasses flavor. It might be foundation for a unique spice cake. My daughter tried it and pronounced it disgusting. She could be right; I think the dog is having corn cake for dinner.


(Two points to anyone who caught the clue that this book is Canadian.)