OLD FASHIONED “REAL” POUND CAKE

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butter, Cakes, Cold Oven, eggs, flour, Food, Old Fashioned Pound Cake, Real Pound Cake, sugar

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 Lemon Pound Cake w/Clear Lemon Glaze

Saving Butter Wrappers

COLD OVEN METHOD

NOTE- Cold Oven means DO NOT PREHEAT YOUR OVEN! The cake is baked from a cold oven.

I never knew why exactly but from what I have found on the internet that denser cakes have a finer grain, crumb, and texture when started in a cold oven.

Lately I have noticed on the blog statistics many searches looking for Old Fashioned Pound Cake, Real Pound Cake, A pound of everything cake and the search terms are endless.

Having grown up in a home where we made the “Old Fashioned “Real” Pound Cake I decided since I had everything at hand, it was time to make a real pound cake. Which is one of the simplest cakes that you can make.

This is a heavier dense pound cake, which uses NO Leavening what so ever, it rises from the volume of air that is beat into it. As you might have guess already your grandmother had some really good arm muscles built up to make this cake, well before the invention of electricity or electric mixers it was all done by hand.

As you might guess again, I do have a Kitchen Aid Mixer, and you are certainly right in guessing this was NOT mixed by hand!

My mother told me years ago (as in 4 decades) that this was the first cake that young girls learned to make, because it was easy to remember.

To make this cake it is as simple as pound of everything. Butter, Eggs, Sugar and Flour, a pinch of salt, dash of vanilla, and mace or nutmeg, I used freshly grated nutmeg.

OLD FASHIONED “REAL” POUND CAKE

1 Pound Butter (room temperature)

8 Eggs (Large) 7 Eggs (Extra Large) this is what I keep on hand.

3 Cups Flour Sifted

2 1/4 cups Sugar

1/4 to 1/2 Teaspoons Salt

1 to 2 Teaspoons Vanilla

1/2 Teaspoon Nutmeg or Mace (according to personal preference)

With the flat beater of the Kitchen Aid, cream the 4 sticks butter at medium speed, for about 5 minutes, until nice and fluffy. (I stopped twice and scrapped the bowl down)

Gradually add the sugar and continue to cream the butter and sugar, adding the sugar by 1/2 cup increments slowly. (I stopped twice to scrape the bowl down)

When the creamed mixture is nice and fluffy

Add your Eggs one at a time beating on medium speed for about 1 minute each, this is what helps to incorporate the air into the cake, in place of leavening.

Once all of the eggs have been added,  add 1 – 2 teaspoons vanilla (depends on preference) add the pinch of salt probably about 1/4 teaspoon, could be 1/2 teaspoon if you used unsalted butter.

If using nutmeg or mace, add this to the flour just stirring in a bit (it will all get incorporated when adding the flour (I used 1/2 a grated nutmeg in mine)

Slowly add flour in 1/2 cup measures, stirring speed to avoid flour flying all over, and gradually add flour like this until all is incorporated.

You can make this cake in a large 10” tube pan (very nice stately looking cake) or in two loaf pans, (I used loaf pans this time) and will explain why at the end.

Either Grease and dust with flour (I greased with my butter wrappers) and dusted with flour, you could use PAM or other spray coating. and dust with flour.

Pour batter into pans, and place in a COLD OVEN,  then set the oven to 325

 LOAF PANS- the baking time will be about 1 hour (check at about 45 minutes to see how they look as every oven is different.

TUBE PAN- set batter filled pan in COLD OVEN, and bake at 325 degrees for about 1 1/2  to 2 hours (once again all ovens are different and you will want to check at about the 1 1/2 hour mark, and go from there.

What you are looking for is the top will ridge up and break, the cake will be a light brown and insert a knife in the center of the ridge and when it comes out clean it will be time to remove from the oven.

Place the pans on a wire rack and let cook for approx 20 minutes, then remove from pans, or if using the tube pan, it is helpful to run a long knife around the tube, before turning upside down.

This cake is better after it sets for a day, the flavors develop and the cake becomes more moist.

Note:

 I used loaf pans this time because as a child my Mothers favorite way to have a slice of this cake was to slice about the width of a slice of bread and then place a slice in the toaster, and it will brown slightly and serve with butter (like you need more butter) but this was very good.  I have found that sometime if you have a toaster oven this works better as the slice is not as large in size as a slice of bread.

This is also good with either season fruit on top of it (such as strawberries) or other fruits, but it is great alone!

Hot Fudge Sauce–Can Freeze

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butter, Can Freeze, Chocolate, Chocolate Sauce, cornstarch, Dark Chocolate, Desserts, Food, French Vanilla, homemade, Hot Fudge Sauce, Hot Fudge Sundae, Ice Cream, salt., Semi-Sweet Chocolate, sugar, Sundae, Unsweetened Chocolate, Vanilla, Vanilla Ice Cream, water

Do you ever get in the mood for things you should not have?, For instance a nice bowl of vanilla ice cream (my favorite is French Vanilla) with luscious Hot Fudge Sauce gracefully flowing down over the scoops of ice cream? What a treat on these hot days of summer!

Well I have to tell you I do, however over the years since all the fat free craze has simply ruined the ice cream topping that you can buy in the stores. I know my favorite of the past was Evans brand Butterscotch, that was back in the day when they actually used butter in their sauces, I do believe those days are gone forever now. I have not bought store bought in years.

Now this recipe my mother and grandmother made and it is their recipe, the wonderful thing about this is that it contains no milk, and you can make a large batch and freeze it if you wish. (we always made a large batch and froze it)

Also a note here, my mother loved it with semi-sweet  chocolate, I have made it that way, as well as 1/2 semi-sweet and 1/2 unsweetened, I have also made it with Dark chocolate, this is a recipe that you can experiment with the ingredients to find what you like.

HOT FUDGE SAUCE – CAN FREEZE

2 cups Sugar

6 Tablespoons Cornstarch

4  1 ounce  Squares Chocolate

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups Boiling Water

6 Tablespoons Butter

2 teaspoon Vanilla

In a medium size sauce pan,

Mix Sugar and Cornstarch together

Add Chocolate, Salt, and Boiling Water

Cook until it thickens.

Remove from heat and add Butter, and Vanilla

This can be frozen and when ready to use thaw and heat what you want in the microwave.

 

Homemade Maple Syrup

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breakfast, cooking at home, Crescent, Crescent Mapleine, flavoring, french toast, homemade syrups, Maple Flavor, pancakes, recipes, saving money, sugar, waffles

Have you ever stopped to consider how cheaply you can make maple syrup like you buy in the stores right in your own kitchen?

These are tough times economically for us all, yet I still see people putting several bottles of bottled maple flavored syrup in their carts at the store each week.! We all love pancakes, waffles and french toast. I noticed in the store the other day imitation maple flavored syrup for $3.00-5.00 per bottle that really adds up if you have a family to feed.

Literally for decades we have been making ours right at home for a fraction of the cost, if you feel better about it, or it makes it feel like you bought it at the store wash out the old syrup bottles and pour your own right into the bottle.

You can find a nicely written History of the Crescent Co., and Mapleine was made.

 

A bottle of Mapleine runs about 3.00  in the grocery store, each 2 oz bottle makes 3 gallons. The recipe follows along with a cost break down compared to some store bought syrups and the cost you are actually paying, save some money by trying this at home today.

HOMEMADE MAPLE SYRUP

1 cup Boiling Water

2 cups Sugar

1/2 tsp Mapleine Imitation Maple Flavor

In a sauce pan, place 2 cups of sugar, add 1 cup of boiling water, (we simmer ours a bit to make thicker) not long just several minutes. Add 1/2 tsp Mapleine Flavoring.

Put into syrup bottle and store in the refrigerator.

Note: I remember my mother experimenting often with the syrup she was making and you can too. sometimes she used light brown sugar for a thicker textured syrup, sometimes 1/2 of each, and sometimes even put some butter with the syrup. She usually made at least a quart at a time.

Now the cost. (figured at todays prices)

2 cups sugar = .60 cents

1/2 tsp Mapleine = .12 cents

Total Cost per pint .72 cents, depending if you get your sugar in bulk like I do the price will be cheaper,  This price was based on a 5 lb. bag at 3.00 bag in the store.

Needless to say I was shocked when I looked today at the prices of store bought syrups. I will never buy store bought as long at I can make it at home.

 

Tomato Gravy

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bacon, bacon drippings, breakfast, breakfast recipe, butter, colonies, cornstarch, drippings, eggs, gravies, gravy, Mennonite-Amish, Old Order Mennonites, recipes, Roux, stewed tomatoes, sugar, Sunday Recipes, thickening, Tomato Gravy, tomatoes, V-8 juice

Over the years I have had tomato gravy many times; it is always nice to have when company comes. Tomato Gravy is very simple to make, it goes with a variety of dishes but mainly when growing up it was a morning dish served with eggs.

It is kind of like you would make for stewed tomatoes but you start with juice (now having said this about stewed tomatoes it is is also good to use this recipe for stewed tomatoes. I think the addition of bacon drippings in the gravy or stewed tomatoes adds a bit of variety to the dish.

This dish is popular in Old Order Mennonite homes especially when they have company from visiting colonies, I have had it many times in homes for Sunday breakfast.

Tomato Gravy

in a skillet take some of the drippings that you got from frying bacon (or start with saved drippings) I am attempting to create a recipe for which no recipe exists in our family like so many things we don’t have written recipes you just make it.

 

4 servings.

 

4-6 Tablespoons Bacon Drippings or butter

4-6 Tablespoons Flour (you are making a Roux)

1 quart Tomato Juice, V-8 Juice or whole tomatoes (crushed by hand)

Salt and Pepper, and sugar to taste

 

Add Flour to dripping in a skillet over medium heat, brown slightly, then add,

a quart of tomato juice, V-8 juice (ours is home canned) or quart of whole tomatoes that have been crushed by hand.

Stir into the Roux, and continue to stir, taste and add salt and pepper as desired

Add a tablespoon of sugar or so according to preference (this helps smooth the acidic nature of the tomatoes and also as we always said helps take the green taste out)

As the mixture thickens keep stirring until desired thickness is achieved, if too thick thin with a bit of water or more juice, if too thin reduce  some, or you can add a thickening of a tablespoon of cornstarch dissolved in water, and stir that in.

Serve with fried eggs, boiled or poached eggs, this is also a good side dish with any meal,. or over toast or biscuits or as said before a good way to make stewed tomatoes.

Note:  In many Old Order Mennonite homes when they have over night company for Sunday Breakfast the tomato gravy is made, placed into a baking pan, a well is made at regular intervals and an egg is broken into each well, then the pan of gravy and eggs are placed into the oven and baked just until the eggs are done, this is a quick and easy way to prepare this dish for a group of hungry people.