Maple-less Cake

It’s band practice tonight and I usually provide food, but I’m not feeling so well, so I simplified things. I made a big pot of chili in the crockpot, bought some chips and nacho cheese, and made the following cake to go with it. This is thanks to the Antioch women again. I adapted the recipe by adding chopped apples into it, but I didn’t have to adapt it to get in some “Menu Magic”, also known as walnuts. The recipe lied about the time, it was closer to 45 minutes baking at 350.

Maple Nut Cake

Cream 1/3 c shortening with 1 c light brown sugar; add two egg yolks; mix well and add ¾ c milk; sift together 1 ½ c flour, ½ t salt, and 2 t baking powder. Mix in 1 c finely chopped nuts and 1 t vanilla. Bake in greased loaf pan in moderate oven 35 minutes.

--Dorothy Reagan

I took it all over to my partner’s house, set things out on the table and tried a slice of the cake before heading back home to go to bed early. Uh, oh, can’t say I liked it. I didn’t know why it was called maple when there is no actual maple in it, so I substituted maple flavoring for the vanilla. It’s kind of weird with the apple. The Menu Magic didn't do the trick this time. It seems like an old fashioned fruit cake, but without the benefit of being awash in bourbon.

Maybe I should call and suggest they pour beer on it.

Two thumbs up on this morning's baking excursion though. I picked up some homemade peach jam at Sunday's market gig. That called for making some scones and, since I happened to have some leftover mashed potatoes, the chance to try a totally different scone recipe. Mashed potatoes appear as an ingredient in breads a lot in these old books. This time from the Household Searchlight Recipe Book, 1936. (I really like this book.)

Potato Scones

1 1/2 c flour

3/4 t salt

1 egg, well beaten

1/4 c shortening

4 t baking powder

1 c mashed potatoes

Sift flour, baking powder, and salt. Add mashed potatoes and shortening which have been creamed together. Add egg and sufficient milk to make a roll dough. Very little milk is necessary. Turn onto lightly floured board. Pat into sheet 1/2 thick, or divide into 3 parts, roll into rounds 1/2 inch thick, cut each of these into pie-shaped sections, and bake in hot oven (450) 12-15 minutes. Serve hot. 

--Mrs. T.M. Purdon, Santa Ana, CA

I actually followed this recipe without additions. Unless you count potato skins. I leave them on my mashed potatoes because I'm either a) health conscious and want the additional vitamins and fiber or b) lazy. I thought potato skins in the scones would seem weird but they weren't noticeable at all, and the scones themselves were tender as could be. I think I might have to switch to this as my go to recipe for scones--but I don't usually have mashed potatoes hanging around.

Speaking of scones, soon I'll have to do a lengthy post about baking powder. I couldn't figure out why my scones sometimes had a nasty bitter undertone...never again now that I am baking powder wise.

The cockatiel and the dog liked them too.