One Year Ago ...

......today, I entered the foodie blogosphere and it has been a blast. Foodies Rock!

My first post was a lemon and fruit dessert, and in honor of my "birth-blogday" I am going with another great lemon and fruit dessert. My dear friend Janie An Obsessive/Compulsive Plant Collector knows I collect cookbooks, especially the vintage ones and she sent me two cookbooks from the 40's, Meta Givens (1947) I immediately found a Butter Sponge Layer Cake and Lemon Butter Jelly that I had to make. I spread the lemon butter jelly between the two layers of cake. The food critic and I are not much for those too sweet creamy frostings, a light dusting of confectioners sugar and some locally grown raspberries are just to our taste. I have transcribed the recipe exactly as it is written. If you are looking for that perfect cake to make for summer fruit shortcakes, look no further. This cake is delicious, moist and light.

Butter Sponge Layer Cake

Looks like pie, tastes like cake

Recipe:

1 3/4 cups cake flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder or 1 1/2 tsp.
tartrate or phosphate type
3/4 cup lukewarm milk
1 1/2 Tbsp. butter
3 eggs, room temp
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla
1 1/2 cups sugar

Line bottoms of two 8-inch layer cake pans with waxed paper, grease paper lightly. Start oven 10 minutes before baking, set to moderate (350 degrees).

Sift flour, measure, resift 3 times with baking powder. Scald milk in top of double boiler, remove from heat, add butter and cool to luke warm.

In a 3-qt mixing bowl, beat eggs with salt and vanilla until thick and lemon-colored, gradually add sugar and beat until thick and spongy. Then quickly stir in milk. Add flour all at once, then beat until batter is smooth. Turn into prepared pans. Bake 30 minutes or until cake tests done. Cool in pans on cake racks 5 min, then turn out on racks, loosen paper and turn right side up to cool.

Lemon Butter Jelly

This rich, lemony filling made with whole eggs or yolks keeps well. It may be made 3 to 4 days before using. Delicious for layer cakes, filled cookies and tarts.

1/2 cup butter
3 eggs or 2/3 cup yolks, beaten
2 cups sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp. lemon juice, 3 lemons
1/2 tsp. grated lemon rind, pkd

Melt butter in top of double boiler. Blend sugar and flour, add eggs and beat well, then stir into melted butter. Now stir in lemon juice. Cook over gently boiling water, stirring constantly until mixture is thick and clear, from 10 to 12 min. Remove from heat, stir in rind. Cool, then pour into a clean jar. Cover and store in refrigerator. 2 1/2 cups filling. Enough to spread between and over tops of three 9-inch layers of cake, or fills fourteen 2 1/3 inch tarts.


May your mornings bring joy and your evenings bring peace
...May your troubles grow less as your blessings increase!