Old Recipes

I never could get my Grannie to write down a recipe for her fried apple pies.  I could watch her make them, she told me.  I did, and in the fall, I make them—still without a recipe.

We have some of Grannie’s old recipes here, and in the hunt for something to make yesterday, Gabby pulled out the cards. She happened across a recipe for jam cake—it’s one of the few in the box that I actually remember her making, most of her recipes were of that fried apple pie variety.  She often jotted down recipes that she must have only tried once or didn’t make for the family dinners on Sunday afternoons.

The ingredients list wasn’t a problem, so Gabby got to work.  Then she came to me with a question, “It says bake in a cool oven.”

There was no temperature and no time.  I had her set the oven to 325* and check it after 45 minutes—it wasn’t long enough.

Later she came back with a question about the filling/glaze.  It called for ‘butter the size of an egg.’

I guessed 4 Tablespoons, reasoning that is about the right size.  I assume Grannie had been scooping butter or margarine from a tub instead of using sticks.

It was fun to see the recipe and Sherlock Holmes the meanings.

It turned out well too.

Cake:

2 cups buttermilk 

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup butter

1 cup jam or preserves 

1 cup raisins (Gabby subbed coconut, as we had it on hand)

2 teaspoons (baking) soda

1 teaspoon nutmeg 

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

1 teaspoon allspice 

2 teaspoons cocoa

2 cups of sugar

Cream butter and sugar.  Add buttermilk, soda, spices, and jam.  Add flour a little bit at a time.  Stir in raisins. Bake in low oven. (Gabby did 325* for about an hour)

Filling (Glaze):

1 1/2 cups sugar

6 Tablespoons coffee

Butter size of eggs (4 Tablespoons)

Boil until thick.  May add nuts & raisins.