Vintage Vegan: Eggless, butterless, milkless cake

Thoughts:

With a hand-typed recipe and a name like that, how could I resist? This is the latest recipe from the very cool family cookbook, The Way to a Man’s Heart (link), and like the others, is a quirky look back in time. In my book, the recipe is typed onto a small piece of paper, and pasted onto the back cover. However, my Google-fu skills led me to a very similar recipe in Dr. Price’s New Cookbook, from 1921. That recipe calls for a good deal more baking powder, which I think would not go amiss.

On its own, this cake is not going to win any beauty contests. However, a good layer of icing serves to really spruce it up. The cake itself is also helped by the icing, because as you might expect, it’s a little on the dense side. The raisins and nuts are evenly distributed throughout the cake, giving each bite a little bit of interest and moistness.

Although it’s not going to be a a new staple in my kitchen, it’s a fun historical experiment that’s delicious with tea!

Recipe for Eggless, Butterless, Milkless Cake

Put into a sauce pan the following and boil together three minutes, then cool:

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup water
2 cups seeded raisins
1/3 cup lard or shortening
1/4 grated nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon

When cool, stir in

1 cup English walnuts
1 tsp. soda, dissolved in 1 Tbs. water
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. full of baking powder

Grease a round pan and gently spread the elastic batter in it.

Bake at 300F for 45 minutes to an hour.

If you like, ice the cake with:

1/2 cup confectioners sugar
enough water to bring it together

Love Knots for Tea

Thoughts:

As the cookbook says, “little cakes folded over in the form of love knots are nice for tea”, and I couldn’t agree more. The finished knots are somewhere between shortbread, sugar cookies, and cake. Delicate and doughy, they are not especially sweet on their own, but make an ideal conduit for clotted cream and jam.

I struggled a bit with the obscure directions to “lap across in a true love knot”, but after a bit of experimentation, I think I found a great method. It results in 2-3 bite little cookie-cakes that fit snugly next to a cup of tea on a saucer.

Recipe for Love Knots

Prep: 30 minutes Baking: 10-12 minutes

Makes: 3-4 dozen knots

Cook’s Note: I’ve given instructions for the knot shape I used, but feel free to innovate!

Ingredients:

1/2 tsp. baking soda
5 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter
1/4 cup lard or shortening
2 eggs
3 Tbs. milk
grated nutmeg or cinnamon

Combine the soda, flour, and sugar, then rub in the butter and lard/shortening. When the mixture resembles small breadcrumbs, add the beaten eggs, milk, and any spices you’d like to include. You may need to tweak the proportions a bit in order to get a nice cohesive dough.

Roll the dough out on a floured surface to a thickness of about 1/4″. Slice into strips about 1″ wide and 5-6″ long. Take each of these strips, roll into an even rope about 8-10 inches long.

To arrange in the shape of a love knot, take a rope and tie it into a simple knot. Looking at the knot, you’ll see that one end seems to come out the bottom, and one out the top. Fold the top end over and under the knot, and take the bottom end and fold it up over the curve of the knot and into the hole in the center. It takes some practice, but in the end, you should have a knot with no visible ends, and five strands that all lie in the same direction. You’ll probably get better as you go, and since the dough is forgiving, you can redo some of the uglier knots. :)

Arrange the knots on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 35o F for 10-12 minutes, until bottoms are nice golden brown and the tops are just beginning to color. Remove to cooling rack.

Tying a Love Knot

17th C. Candied Sweet Potatoes

Thoughts:

This recipe surprised me.

I had been looking for likely candidates for fictional and historical Thanksgiving recipes, when I stumbled upon this dish in one of my cookbooks. I had my doubts about the rose water, but decided to try it anyway. It turns out that it’s not that much different from a standard candied sweet potatoes recipe. The rose and orange flavors go surprisingly well together, and with simmering, the syrup takes on a bit of the earthiness of the yams themselves.

The syrup isn’t as thick as in the more common modern version, but is still quite sweet. If anything, its a slightly more delicate and complex series of flavors than I am used to in this dish, and came together quite nicely. I still missed the lack of a spice, but that could be easily remedied. :)

Recipe for Candied Sweet Potatoes

“Boile your roots in faire water untill they bee somewhat tender then pill of the skinne, then make your syrupe, weying to every pound of roots a pound of sugar and a quarter of a pinte of faire water, & as much of rose water, & the juice of three for fowre orenges, then boile the syrupe & scum it, then cut your roots in the middle & put them into the syrup, & boile them till they bee thoughlie soaked in the syrupe, before you take it from the fire, put in a little musk and amber greece.” –Eleanor Fettiplace’s Receipt Book, 17th century

Cook’s Notes: I’ve omitted the musk and ambergris at the end of the recipe, mostly for the sake of expense and availability. I imagine, however, that they would make for a significantly different and much more fragrant dish.

Ingredients:

1 lb. sweet potatoes, cut into large chunks
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup rose water
3/4 cup orange juice

Parboil the sweet potatoes in a pot of water for about 10 minutes, or until they are just shy of tender, then drain and peel. Cut into largeish chunks; any small pieces may fall apart in the syrup.

Combine the sugar, water, rose water, and orange juice in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, and skim off any scum that rises to the top. Turn the heat down to a low simmer, then add the cut sweet potatoes. Cook slowly for another 30-45 minutes, depending on how long they were parboiled. The finished potatoes should be tender and full of sweet, syrupy flavor. If you like, you can let the potatoes sit in the syrup overnight, making this a great dish to prepare ahead of time.

Apple Custard Pie

Thoughts:

I love this recipe. It’s versatile enough to be made into a pie, or into smaller tarts, or even into a crustless custard, in ramekins. I was a smidge distracted the first time I made this, so was surprised that the filling is really enough for two pies.

The filling thickens to a nice smooth consistency, appley in flavor along with the more familiar elements of custard. It’s mildly sweet, not overpoweringly so, which lets all the natural flavor of the apple and the bite of the nutmeg shine. All in all, it’s a simple dish that’s easy to prepare, and easy to appreciate. Plus, it’s a great use for some of those autumn apples you might have lying around!

Apple Custard Pie Recipe

Prep: 10 minutes Baking: 45 minutes to an hour

Makes: 2 pies

Cook’s Note: I use applesauce in the recipe below to simplify things, but if you have proper orchard apples, stewing them down for this custard is a wonderful use for them. Also, although not listed in the original, I added a splash of brandy and a dash of vanilla. Feel free to play, and make the recipe your own!

Crust Ingredients:

3 cups flour
1/2 stick butter (4 Tbs.)
1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt
ice water, just enough

Custard Ingredients:

3 cups applesauce
1 cup white sugar
6 eggs, divided
1 quart milk (4 cups)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbs. brandy
nutmeg to taste

Make the crust by cutting the butter and shortening into the flour, then add the sugar and salt. Pour in just enough water to bring the dough together, and try not to overwork it. Roll out to about 1/4″ thickness, then line two pie pans with it. Crimp the edges decoratively, and prick the bottoms of the pies all over with a fork (this keeps the dough from bubbling up).

Pour the applesauce into a fine sieve, and allow any extra water and juices to drain out; this will help the custard filling set up nicely. Place the drained applesauce in a large bowl, and add the sugar, yolks, and nutmeg. Beat thoroughly, and add the milk, followed by the whites, beating all the while.

Pour the custard into the prepared pie pans; any extra can be poured into ramekins or other oven-safe dishes. Bake for around 45 minutes, or until the center of the pies are set. Remove from the oven, let cool, sprinkle with a little decorative nutmeg, and enjoy!