Emily Lou's Pound Cake

 

 Emily Lou's Pound Cake made in a tube pan.

This is my absolute, all-time, favorite pound cake. Oma got the recipe from a friend at church and it was her "go to" recipe because it turned out every time, no surprises. I still have fond memories of those pound cakes she made when I was a child, with my most favorite part being the top crust which had plenty of sugar in it and just the right texture to suit my fancy.

Once Oma moved to a different house and no longer had a gas stove, she was afraid the cake wouldn't turn out as well and didn't make it often, if at all. We revived the recipe over the Christmas holidays because Opa's request, when asked what he wanted for a birthday cake, was "pound cake" (with ice cream, of course!). Immediately, Emily Lou's cake came to mind and we dug up the old recipe.

As you can see in the recipe below, there are not a lot of ingredients, so this is fairly easy to make. It also freezes well, so you can make a few and keep them for when you need to pull a really good cake out in a hurry. Being a pound cake, you can eat it plain or dress it up as you wish - ice cream, whipped cream, berries, anything else you like on pound cake, or "all of the above"!

 

Original Recipe 

Baker's Notes:

• Do NOT skimp on the 3 minute "beat slowly" time. Once you have ever made this cake and see the "before 3 minute batter" and the "after 3 minute batter", you will understand why. This is one of the most beautiful batters .... very smooth and silky (the pound cake texture is 'fine').

• Buttermilk: The cake is just plain delicious and you'll never know 'buttermilk' is in it by the taste. - don't let this ingredient scare you off.

• Vanilla: Use real vanilla, please - no imitations.

• Pan: A tube pan is my preference after making it in a tube and a bundt pan. The recipe does well in either pan so it's going to be personal preference. There is a picture of cakes made in both pans on this post.

• Time: For my oven, 1 hour 10 minutes was perfect. Your oven may vary ..... just use a cake tester to check it.

This is just a "classic", timeless recipe that I think you will enjoy and appreciate having in your recipe book for at least as many years as we've had it in ours.

 

 As a bundt cake .....

♥♥♥

 

Fresh Apple Cake

The ancient apple tree at Cedar Hill (with Eva's tennis balls)

 

It is fall 'apple season' so what better than a fresh apple cake recipe. Today is Thursday and since last Saturday, we have made this cake three times! When I read the directions, I thought 'weird, very weird' .... who would think you would mix the apples and oil/egg mixture and then add the flour? Well, it works. This cake is mostly apples with a little batter to hold it together which is why it is so good. The directions say you can add walnuts if you wish - Oma added walnuts to cake #3 and in my opinion, the strong taste of the nuts overwhelmed the apples. Pecans might do better, but I doubt if I add nuts to this recipe in the future ..... it's just fine without them.

Ingredients:

2-1/2 cups finely chopped cooking apples (3 medium Granny Smiths are about right)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
     Vanilla ice cream
     Purchased caramel sauce

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8 x 8 x 2-inch baking pan.
• Peel apples before chopping if desired. In a large bowl, mix apples with 2 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon; let stand 10 minutes.
• In a medium bowl, stir flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
• Stir oil, egg and vanilla into apple mixture. Add flour mixture and stir just until all ingredients are moistened. Stir in nuts if desired. (Mixture will be stiff.)
• Spread mixture in pan.
• Bake 45 to 55 minutes until medium brown and apples are tender when pierced with a wooden pick. Cool slightly.
• To serve, cut into squares and top with ice cream and caramel sauce.

Notes:

1. I did peel the apples since Granny Smith peels are on the tough side.
2. I mixed the oil, eggs & vanilla together first, then mixed with the apples.
3. We found this cake to be just fine plain .... haven't tried it with ice cream or ice cream/caramel sauce yet, but I am sure that would be delicious!

Summer Zucchini Spice Cake

This recipe comes from Marian Morash's Victory Garden Cookbook and has become our favorite recipe for using zucchini.  The cake is very moist and lightly spiced, dark and rich.  We have made this over and over again this season and if you no longer have zucchini, it is worth going out and buying some in order to make this recipe!  We haven't had a chance to freeze any yet because it disappears almost immediately, but I suspect it would freeze well.

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1-1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 packed cup dark brown sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups grated summer squash


Directions:

1. Sift together the dry ingredients.
2. Beat the eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla together.
3. Beat in the dry ingredients.
4. Stir in the grated squash.
5. Pour into a greased 8 x 8-inch pan.
6. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for approximately 45 minutes.

Baking note:

• As an option, I have added 1/2 cup (each) of nuts & raisins ..... really good additions! I've used both pecans and walnuts and like them both.
• One medium zucchini provides 1-1/2 cups grated squash.

Evelyn's Rum Cake

When I posted the 'It's Just Apples Darlin' (Rum Cake), I mentioned it was similar to one that was in a very old church recipe book. I am posting that recipe in memory of Evelyn M. who has been “in my life” as long as I can remember.  When I was little, she was one of my Sunday school teachers ….. the only one I remember rather vividly because she required us to memorize Bible verses. I went to HS with her son, and she's someone I enjoyed seeing at church and the local hospital where she worked the reception desk ….. you could always count on her for a cheerful greeting. She was a tiny mite of a woman physically, but her energy & enthusiasm were boundless and she had many, many friends from all the volunteer work she did. She and her husband did everything together. She commented once that he was 'stuck to her like velcro' and from the way they were with each other, it was no mystery why they were happily married for 61 years.


People tend to acquire 'signature' dishes, something you can always expect them to bring to a family gathering, a potluck or church circle meeting. Her signature contribution was rum cake -  she was famous for them and she always had a couple in the freezer that she could pull out on short notice. It's nothing fancy and easy to make …. we know because she shared her recipe in the church cook book. This wonderful lady died the day before Easter  -  I found out at the Easter breakfast at church and it made the day all the more meaningful to know that she was rejoicing with the angels in Heaven.

Evelyn's Rum Cake

(Evelyn M. - Taste of Trinity Cookbook)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup pecans, chopped small
• 1 pkg. Duncan Hines Golden Yellow Butter Cake Mix
• 1 small package Vanilla Instant Pudding
• 1/2 cup rum (Jamaican is best)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs

Directions:

1. Sprinkle pecans in the bottom of a small greased and floured tube pan (or 4-5 small loaf pans)
2. Put cake and pudding mix into a large mixing bowl.
3. Add rum, water and oil and mix well.
4. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each.
5. Pour batter over nuts in the pan.
6. Bake at 325 degrees for an hour (or more) until done.
7. Cool in pan for 20 minutes.
8. Turn onto plate and top with glaze.

Glaze:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 Tablespoons rum
• 2 Tablespoons water

 Stir together butter, sugar, rum and water and simmer for 3 minutes.

It's Just Apples Darlin' (Rum) Cake

This recipe came from a friend of mom's and is just the best thing ..... it's probably my very favorite cake recipe although Marian Morash's carrot cake (The Victory Garden Cookbook) is a close second. The recipe originally called for a tube pan, but a Bundt pan is the only pan I had so that is what I used. Without the apples, this recipe is very close to a basic rum cake recipe posted by The Pioneer Woman .... and an old recipe from our Trinity Church cookbook (so what I'm saying here is I think the apples could be optional if you don't feel like doing all the chopping).

Back in 'the day', in one department where I worked, we made birthday cakes for our co-workers & this was the cake one of the guys wanted every time .... in fact, I always made him two - one for everyone to eat and one for him to take home. 

IT'S JUST APPLES DARLIN' (RUM) CAKE

(Alice Lynn)　

Pre-heat oven at 325°

Grease and flour a Bundt pan well

Nuts - sprinkle in bottom of Bundt pan:
1 cup of pecans or almonds, chopped fine or grated in blender.

Apples - mix together & set aside:
4-5 large cooking apples - peel & slice 1/4 - 1/8 in. thin

3 teaspoons cinnamon

7 teaspoons brown sugar

5 teaspoons heavy cream

fresh nutmeg (grated over all apples)

Cake batter - mix together following ingredients about 1 minute:
1 box yellow cake mix (Duncan Hines or pound cake mix)

1 (3½ - 3¾ oz.) package instant vanilla pudding mix

4 whole eggs

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup rum (dark rum is best)

1/2 cup cold water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

ASSEMBLE:
Pour a little batter in the Bundt pan - about 1/2 inch

Layer 1/2 apple mixture over batter.

Pour rest of batter over apple layer.

Layer the remaining apple mixture over the batter.

BAKE:
For 1 hour - 1 hour 15 minutes at 325°

Cool cake and glaze

Glaze:
1/2 stick margarine

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup rum

Melt together in a small pan and simmer 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Drizzle over cooled cake.