Historical Food Fortnightly 7

Historical Food Fortnightly 2016  Challenge 7:

Pretty as a Picture

The Challenge: Pretty as a Picture
If you’re a fan of cooking competition shows, you know how the saying goes: we eat first with our eyes. Make a dish that looks just as spectacular as it tastes. Extra points for historically accurate plating - and don’t forget to post pictures! 

The Recipe: 

It's my mom's birthday and I offered to make her something from her childhood as a birthday cake. I thought she would pick a pie, which she says is her favorite, or let me choose. She had a craving for gingerbread with cream cheese frosting. It was difficult to find a period recipe from the 50s or 60s for gingerbread, let alone gingerbread with cream cheese frosting. A little digging revealed Betty Crocker produced a gingerbread cake mix and pre-made cream cheese frosting. I went back a little earlier in time, knowing my grandmother could NOT cook when she married in 1944, her mother wasn't well enough to cook, so my grandmother used her mother-in-law's recipes. We did not have one for gingerbread cake in the family files so I turned to the Internet for help. 

The recipe I chose was:  "My Best Gingerbread" as found on A Cake Bakes in Brooklyn.
1940s United States.

For the frosting I chose Philadelphia's recipe. I don't know what year the ad is from but it looks vintage. Cream cheese frosting uses the same ingredients in every recipe, only the proportions change.

How did you make it:

I followed the directions on the card. I used butter instead of shortening for a richer flavor.  

soupy cake batter 

I baked at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.

The cake finally done after baking. The middle sunk a bit.

I followed the directions for the frosting but used a little less powdered sugar. The full amount was just too sweet for this type of cake. 

I then frosted the cake with cream cheese frosting. I decorated with chocolate bits and slivered almonds to make the daisy pattern seen in this ad. 

How Successful Was It?: It took a little longer to bake than the blogger's cake. The center was very wet. 
The frosting is very successful but it would not make enough for two 9" cakes as the recipe says. 

Taste-wise it was a success. My mom said it was exactly what she was wishing for and if she didn't have a dress to fit into she would have a second piece. The other adults gave it a thumb's up and I liked it too. It's a classic dense molasses gingerbread. The children only liked the chocolate chips on top. 

Time to Complete: about 1 1/2 hours total.

Total Cost:  We had to buy more molasses and regular cream cheese. We had everything else on hand.
$11.95
Given the popularity of gingerbread during the colonial times and again during the Depression and World War II, this cake needs little sugar and was less expensive than other types of cakes and fit the wartime rationing rules. 

How Accurate Is It?: 100% down to the plate, which was my paternal grandmother's from the 1950s or 60s.

Historical Food Fortnightly

Historical Food Fortnightly 

Challenge #1: Literary Foods

 

I really wanted to participate in this challenge hosted by Historical Food Fortnightly because I love historical cooking and I have several literary cookbooks. I didn't have much time so I decided to make something using the ingredients I had on hand. I chose to make gingerbread, which is mentioned in many many 19th century books. I chose this quote from Little Women because it was very apt: 

"Don't try too many messes, Jo, for you can't make anything but gingerbread and molasses candy fit to eat. I wash my hands of the dinner party, and since you have asked Laurie on your own responsibility, you may just take care of him." 
I'm  a good baker but cooking is not really my thing, something like Jo. 

For Christmas I got a reproduction copy of The New England Economical Housekeeper and Family Reciept Book by Esther A. Howland. I used this cookbook because Little Women is set in New England and is by a New England author. The novel takes place in the 1860s and this cookbook was published in  1844 so it's just right for Marmee to have been given a brand new copy when she first set up housekeeping. Since the Marches are not rich, I needed a recipe that didn't have a lot of ingredients. 

I chose Family Gingerbread on page 21 of my edition. The Marches are a big, loving family and it did seem like the hard gingerbread Hannah set Jo while Jo was in New York.

The Challenge: Literary Foods

The Recipe: (where did you find it, link to it if possible) Family Gingerbread in
The New England Economical Housekeeper and Family Reciept Book by Esther A. Howland

The Date/Year and Region: 1844 New England

How Did You Make It: (a brief synopsis of the process of creation)

Pretty much like it says to in the recipe. I changed the proprotions and chilled the dough a bit.

Time to Complete:A couple of hours counting chilling the dough

Total Cost: I don't know since I had the ingredients on hand.

How Successful Was It?: (How did it taste? How did it look? Did it turn out like you thought it would?)

This was not successful. There's no actual ginger in it so it doesn't taste like gingerbread. It came out hard and stiff though the dough was very sticky. I used too much flour or not enough. I'm not sure. I probably didn't use the right amount of baking soda. It's not very tasty but I can see it traveling from Concord to New York without harm. My brother said it was good. My dad, who will eat anything, hasn't tried it.

How Accurate Is It?: (fess up to your modifications and make-dos here)

I only had about 1/4 c. of molasses so I looked at a WWI recipe for Hot Water Ginger Cakes that was similar and used the proportions of ingredients listed in the original recipe.  I used baking soda instead of saleratus. They're basically the same thing. I chilled the dough because I couldn't get it off the wax paper I used to roll it out.