Friday 21 November 2014

FOOD: A Vintage Spice Cake

Cookbooks, especially vintage ones tend to be modest in selling their recipes. Recipe names are simple, straight forward and pretty much to the point. So it's rare for them to state "exceptionally good" within the directions, yet alone the title. As I love all things spice I would have tried this recipe, but an "exceptionally good" spice cake, well that got me baking it all the quicker. 

The recipe comes from an old Calumet Baking Powder booklet, one very well loved and used over the years before I came across it at an estate sale. It's so well loved that the first 13 pages are missing so while I can't precisely age it, it's very 1930's in style. I admit I have issues, I can't throws things like this out, they might be falling apart but if I can save them I will, if I can use them, even better.

Spice Cake Recipe

Vintage recipes can be a little tricky to work with - I mean even this one didn't give me a baking temperature or time but it worked out great. Plus my favorite with vintage recipes - they rarely call for any strange ingredients, sometimes one's that may be tricky to find, but not this one.

So this spice cake is prefect and seasonal what with the nutmeg and cinnamon. It's super moist, so moist you don't even need a frosting on the top. Perfect!

Spice Cake - Exceptionally Good

1/2 cup of butter
1 cup of sugar
2 cups of flour
2 level teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
Pinch of salt
3/4 of a cup of cold water
Yolks of four eggs or two whole ones

Cream the butter and sugar thoroughly and add in the eggs. Sift the flour with the baking powder, spices and salt. Alternate mixing in the water and the flour mix into the creamed butter. Bake in a square pan at 350F for 45 minutes until slightly golden.

Spice Cake Recipe

But was it an exceptionally good spice cake?

Well yes, yes it actually was.

23 comments:

  1. A spice cake, that sounds yummy. I need to go to yard sales and see if I can find an old cookbook. It's nice having free recipes online but I really just want a book to hold with recipes inside. I actually included a cookbook in my Chrismtas wishlist that I gave to my family lol! Hopefully someone will buy me one :P

    Jessica
    the.pyreflies.org

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    1. Yardsales and estate sales are the prefect places for coming across them, especially if the seller doesn't know their worth - some of them a worth a lot of money! I also love finding all the hand written recipe cards that someone spent their time writing out, I just have a hard time reading all the old style of handwriting which is a shame!

      Hope you receive the cookbook you're after!

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  2. I love spice cake, so I just may try this one. While it is hard to go wrong with cinnamon and nutmeg, one that is touted as exceptionally good just seems like a sure win to me! The only way I'd change it up is to make it vegan by substituting applesauce for the eggs. I'm excited to see how it turns out.

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    1. That sounds like it would be an interesting taste with the apple sauce!

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  3. This looks so good! I do love having really old cook books, especially for baking - they always seem to make the best no nonsense cooking! x

    Jasmin Charlotte | UK Lifestyle Blog

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    1. Yeah i'm all for the no nonsense cooking lark! Certainly a great way to save money without having to buy that one special ingredient that you're never going to use otherwise that's for sure.

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  4. I love spice cake - I'll have to add this to my pre-Christmas baking list.

    Lizzie's Daily Blog

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  5. I love the idea of baking from a vintage cookbook! Using the same recipes that people years and years ago did, how cool!

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    1. Especially from well thumbed cookbooks, always makes me wonder who used it before hand. Plus tried and tested - can't go wrong there!

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  6. I love it when the recipe calls for ingredients that I already have! I don't even have to leave the house to make this :) I'm tempted to make it tomorrow or maybe this afternoon. I'll have to test it out and maybe I can make it for my birthday and take it to work on Friday.

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    1. There's nothing more annoying then having you're eye on a recipe and finding out you're missing three ingredients, that puts me right off! Oooo birthday cake! - send me some :D

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  7. Vintage recipes are amazing but also hellish! I made a Charlotte Russe from the Mrs Beeton book aaages ago and it was a total disaster for the very reasons you listed!!

    Owl Girl | A London lifestyle blog

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    1. Hmm i've never actually had any issues with vintage recipes - just a case of googling for suggested temps for say a moderate oven and keeping your eye on it. I have more issues with modern recipes I will be honest.

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  8. Yum! I love spice cakes and would eat an entire cake in one sitting if I had one! :)

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  9. Mmmm this looks so good! I love that there's not a lot in it, it looks doable! And I have a set of cup measures now :) x

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  10. This sounds lovely! I absolutely love anything with cinnamon in it especially at this time of year :)
    Debi x

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  11. Well this looks delicious and perhaps something that I could even attempt to make. x

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  12. You had me at nutmeg. That sounds bloody lovely and, can I say, a tiny bit festive?
    Looks beautifully light and fluffy too.
    M x

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  13. Looks simple enough! It looks delicious actually!

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  14. Popped over from Holly at fullofbeansand sausages and happy I did. I love those old recipes I have a weakness for those old cookbooks myself. I am going to try this today I have to make lunch snacks. Sounds perfect and thank you. B

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  15. Rachel!!! I have just tried this recipe and..it was amazing!! I put a photo of it for you on my blog (along with a delicious baileys recipe)! http://www.fullofbeansandsausages.com/days-16-17-meh-whos-counting-vintage-baileys-recipe/

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