Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Cake Day No.3

February 20

Today we have sweet on sweet – if cake is not enough, and candy is not enough –have both!

The Gumdrop Cake seems to have burst onto the culinary scene in America and Canada in the 1940’s, and was promoted as a novel alternative to traditional Christmas Cake. This version is from the Lilly Wallace New American Cook Book of 1946.

Gumdrop Cake.
½ cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 ¼ cups flour
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
¾ cup milk
¾ cup raisins
1 pound gumdrops, black ones removed, chopped finely.
Cream butter, while adding sugar and beaten eggs. Sift flour, salt, and baking powder together over chopped candy and raisins. Dredge well. Add vanilla to milk and add flour mixture and milk, to first mixture alternately. Bake in a large greased loaf tin in a slow oven (275 to 300 degrees F) [140-150 degrees C] 1 ½ hours.

Several other versions of the recipe suggest that scissors be used to cut up the gumdrops, which sounds like a fine idea. Removing the black gumdrops sounds like a silly idea. Using unsnipped jelly-babies sounds …. vaguely cannibalistic. Using your imagination … will, I am sure, make you can come up with some fun variations on this theme.

From the same source as the above recipe, for the peppermint fans:

Peppermint Stick Candy Layer Cake.
2 ⅔ cup flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup shortening
1 ½ cups sugar
1 ¼ cups milk
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 egg whites
½ cup finely ground peppermint stick candy
½ cup coarsely ground peppermint stick candy
Sift flour and measure. Sift again with baking powder and salt. Cream shortening. Continue creaming, gradually adding 4/5 cup sugar and 3 tablespoons milk. Add egg yolk and vanilla to remaining milk. Add sifted dry ingredients alternately with milk to creamed mixture. Beat egg whites stiff but not dry. Beat in remaining sugar. Fold into cake batter. Pour into 2 9-inch layer pans with wax paper in bottom. Sprinkle with the finely ground peppermint candy. Bake in a moderately hot oven (375 degrees F)[190 degrees C]. Ice with seven minute icing coloured pink. Sprinkle coarsely ground peppermint candy over the top.

Seven Minute Frosting.
2 ¼ cups sugar
1 ½ tablespoons white corn syrup
7 ½ tablespoons water
3 egg whites
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
Combine all ingredients, except vanilla, in top of double boiler and mix well. Cook over boiling water 3 minutes. Remove from fire but leave over hot water and beat with a rotary beater 7 minutess, or until of consistency to spread. Add vanilla and blend well.

Tomorrow’s Story ...

Cake Day No.4

Quotation for the Day ...

It is the destiny of mint to be crushed. Waverley Root.

14 comments:

T.W. Barritt at Culinary Types said...

Oh, my. You are really tempting me now. That Peppermint Cake sounds over the top - I'll probably make it for Easter!

The Old Foodie said...

t.w - if you dont cook at least one of these cakes (and blog them), I will be profoundly disappointed.
I am a little puzzled by the pink icing in the peppermint cake - surely green is more "minty" - or are all candy canes red and white in the USA?

T.W. Barritt at Culinary Types said...

It would certainly not do for you to be disappointed. I'm off in search of gumdrops ...for starters.

aardvark said...

Thank you for the recipe for gumdrop cake. It let me give my 80 year old mom a treat when she commented, "I'd give anything to have the recipe for my mom's gumdrop cake." (My late grandmother passed away when my mom was young.) My mom happens to be visiting -- so I googled and made it for her!

The Old Foodie said...

Hello aardvark - thankyou so much for sharing this story with me! I am delighted that I had a part in you being able to make this treat for your mother.
Janet

Camille said...

I'm going to try this one in mini-loaf pans to give to my neighbors for Christmas! I'm thinking they'll be super cute for the kiddos. Thanks!

The Old Foodie said...

HI Camille - sounds like a great gift! Have fun!

mom23 said...

My grandma used to make this cake (Gumdrop cake) when I was younger and my dad threw away all her recipes when she died. Glad to have found it again. As for removing the black gumdrops, my grandma would make me sit at the table and remove them all because she said if you didn't, then the whole cake would taste like black licorice lol I'll be making this tomorrow :)

Elizabeth said...

Thank you for this gumdrop cake recipe. I've got one in the oven just now and I can't wait to share it with my children later on today. I have fond childhood memories of gumdrop cake and I am looking forward to my children experiencing it too! :)

Unknown said...

My Grandmother used to read a story about the gumdrop cake when she would make it with my brother. I think the story had something to do with a little boy who collected the different colors of gumdrops as they put them in the cake. Does anyone else have a copy? After her death, we seemed to have lost it.

Unknown said...

My Grandmother used to read a story about the gumdrop cake when she would make it with my brother. I think the story had something to do with a little boy who collected the different colors of gumdrops as they put them in the cake. Does anyone else have a copy? After her death, we seemed to have lost it.

The Old Foodie said...

Hi Michelle - I am sure I have blogged about gumdrop cake before, but I will check.

Susie said...

This is the same recipe I use, I love it and have had it in the family for years,,I use the black ones,( once they used to say if you used the black ones the gumdrops would fall,(OLD WIVES TALE )
I rather like them in the cake, If I make for other people I ask first,,Susie

Christine said...

I am thrilled to have found this recipe my Uncle just turned 73 and talks all the time about how when he was about 10 years old his grandmother would make this gumdrop cake for him! I am going to try and make it today for him for his birthday surprise :)

thank you