American Cake - Cake #32: Lois's Original Plum Torte

Saturday, October 21, 2023 0 comments

Time Period: 1980-1999

Although the time period this cake was assigned to is in the '80s, the recipe itself dates back to 1960. Lois Levine and Marian Burros put it into their Elegant But Easy Cookbook, and 20 years later, Burros shared it even more publicly via the New York Times. It became one of the paper's most requested recipes, and was eventually re-published annually. Plum tortes used to be made with crushed zwieback (sweetened toast) back in Depression-era America, but evolved into buttery cake batter in the 60s.


I can see why this recipe became so popular; it was really delicious. The plum size and placement can be a challenge, because crowding the cake pan turns this recipe almost into a cobbler, while spacing the plums out makes it feel too sparse. However, when it works out, you have a perfect late-summer, early-autumn dessert that tastes fresh yet comforting all at the same time.

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American Cake - Cake #31: Beet Red Velvet Cake

Thursday, September 14, 2023 0 comments

Time Period: 2000 - Present

While the red velvet cake recipe is inherently American, what's usually even more American about it is the shortcut bakers use by using food coloring. Not so with this one, which is given its coloring via roasted beets, which not only dyes the cake, but contributes some natural sugars. While my cursory internet research suggests that red velvet cake was popularized by the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York, and then spread more widely by Adams Extra and their food coloring, this particular version comes from a pastry chef in Atlanta.


Fun fact: Tiddy hates beets. Loathes them. He didn't even want to be in the house while I was roasting them, due to the smell. I don't mind them as much, but I'm usually only good for a few bites before I'm done with them, too. So how would a cake with a full bundle of roasted beets go over? 

Pretty well, it turns out! While the beets lent plenty of color, their flavor was overshadowed by the other ingredients, and with the addition of a cream cheese frosting, this cake was quite tasty, and actually achieved the impossible: Popularity.

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American Cake - Cake #30: Julia Child's Queen of Sheba Cake

Monday, August 28, 2023 0 comments

Time Period: 1963-1979

Like millions of other food-loving Americans in my, ahem, age bracket, I was a huge fan of Julia Child's work. I watched The French Chef, I own Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and I've watched and read any number of biographical movies, TV shows, and books about the culinary legend. Child brought elevated cooking to American kitchens, and her influence cannot be overestimated. This cake recipe was included in her seminal cookbook, which was published in 1961.

This cake is a relatively flat one, containing no baking powder, and depending on egg whites as its raising agent. I have an open question about how American this recipe really is, if it's so dependent on French techniques, but I can see how it's gotten a cultural twist, with its inclusion of semi-sweet chocolate and rum.


Although the photo in American Cake shows the cake completely covered with icing, there was absolutely no way the quantities given in the recipe was going to make enough to do that, so I just iced the top. I also used toasted whole almonds on top (instead of the slivers pictured in the cookbook), and hoped that these differences wouldn't hurt the flavor. It turned out to be a lot more moist than I was expecting, and tasted very good; the gentle hit of rum in both the cake and the icing was noticeable without being overpowering.

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The American Cake Project

Thursday, June 1, 2023 2 comments
The American Plate Project continues, but even as I explore the wide range of the foods the contributed to modern American cuisine, certain subsets draw me into their gravitational pull. Cake is mentioned twice on the American Plate Project list, and that's no accident. Americans love their sweets, and have been baking cakes since we first set foot on these shores.

It's common knowledge among my friends and loved ones that baking is a particular hobby of mine, so when I received American Cake (by Anne Byrn) for Hanukkah, it was "gently" suggested that I expand my food project by examining the history within. Of course, there's no better way to examine cake history than by baking the recipes in the cake history book.


Much like The American Plate, this book is split into different eras of time:

1) 1650-1799: Baking Cakes in Early America
2) 1800-1869: New Cakes & New Directions
3) 1870-1899: A Scientific Approach: Baking Powder & Fannie Farmer
4) 1900-1916: Birth of the American Layer Cake
5) 1917-1945: Baking in the Good Times & the Bad Times
6) 1946-1962: Tupperware, Bake-Offs, & a New Domesticity
7) 1963-1979: American Cake Times Are a-Changin'
8) 1980-1999: Cakes Born in the USA
9) 2000 to the Present: The Cakes of the New Millennium

Some of these chapters may have overly cutesy names, but this looks like a pretty natural breakdown of history, both food-related and otherwise. The rules for the American Cake project are similar to its cousin:

#1: No need to work from beginning to end. I can tackle these in whatever order is most convenient.

#2: I have to do my best to make these cakes in the spirit in which they were intended. If the people of that time period just couldn't enjoy a cake without walnuts in it, then the cake gets walnuts, even if they're not my favorite addition.

#3: There are some cakes that I can tell from the outset I won't enjoy. Simple solution: Find someone who will. Cakes make great gifts, after all.

#4: I'll do my best to use any specialized ingredients or equipment, but in some cases, it may be impossible. In those instances, I'll either get as close as I can, or will substitute something that isn't in the book, but that I personally feel is an important American cake.

Time to get cracking! I sense a lot of flour purchases in my immediate future.

Cakes Accomplished

Cake #1: American Gingerbread
Cake #2: Chocolate Stout
Cake #3: Martha Washington Great Cake
Cake #4: Classic Pound Cake
Cake #5: Shoofly Pie
Cake #6: Strawberry Shortcake
Cake #7: Lemon and Molasses Spice Marble Cake
Cake #8: Granny Kellet's Jam Cake
Cake #9: Scripture Cake
Cake #10: Chez Panisse Almond Torte
Cake #11: 1-2-3-4 Cake
Cake #12: Wacky Cake
Cake #13: Angel Food Cake
Cake #17: Cowboy Cake
Cake #18: Ocracoke Fig Cake

Cake Ranking

#1: American Gingerbread
#2: Martha Washington Great Cake
#3: Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
#4: Chez Panisse Almond Torte
#5: Louisiana Syrup Cake
#6: Lois's Original Plum Torte
#7: Ocracoke Fig Cake
#8: Mary's Cherry Upside-Down Cake
#9: Strawberry Shortcake
#10: 17th-Century Cheesecake
#11: Shoofly Pie
#12: Moosewood Cardamom Coffee Cake
#13: 1917 Applesauce Cake
#14: Fraunces Tavern Carrot Tea Cake
#15: George Washington Carver's Peanut Cake
#16: Beet Red Velvet Cake
#17: Julia Child's Queen of Sheba Cake
#18: Chocolate Stout
#19: Bangor Brownies
#20: Hershey Bar Cake
#21: Lemon and Molasses Spice Marble Cake
#22: New Orleans King Cake
#23: Wacky Cake
#24: Granny Kellet's Jam Cake
#25: Cinnamon Flop
#26: Cowboy Cake
#27: Brown Derby Grapefruit Cake
#28: Malinda Russell's Washington Cake
#29: Classic Pound Cake
#30: 1-2-3-4 Cake
#31: Scripture Cake
#32: Angel Food Cake
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American Plate - Bite #47: Beer and Pretzels

Saturday, April 1, 2023 0 comments

Though my family is not German, this Bite speaks to me in a more personal way than a lot of the others, because I live in a city that German immigrants had a heavy influence on. German lager was one of the cornerstones of St. Louis, as this is where Eberhard Anheuser set up shop, and later passed the business to his son-in-law, Adolphus Busch. Germans brought a method of brewing that took out a lot of the unpredictability of beer, and thus it became much preferred over the earlier, murkier American brews. German pretzel recipes also took over, and it's little wonder why.

The food and drink themselves weren't the only things that helped these two establish dominance. Particularly in the case of beer, technology gave it helping hand. The invention of refrigerated railroad cars in the 1870s meant that beer could be shipped nationally, and the crimped cap on the bottle prevented it from exploding. Budweiser became the first national beer, and for generations, it and other big brands ruled the roost in bars, saloons, and beer halls.


Nowadays, as you can tell from the photo, people like to drink local again. Soft pretzels are the perfect accompaniment to beer, and I even tried my hand at making them from scratch, with tasty if not wonderfully photogenic results.

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American Cake - Cake #29: Brown Derby Grapefruit Cake

Monday, March 27, 2023 0 comments

Time Period: 1917-1945

The legacy of the Brown Derby restaurant in Los Angeles is based on three things: Being the in place to spot celebrities eating back in the heyday of Hollywood, the Cobb salad, and this cake. Though the recipe used to make this particular cake didn't derive from that restaurant's kitchen, they did serve grapefruit chiffon, allegedly because the clientele requested a healthier alternative to other desserts. Insisting that a restaurant create a brand new menu item so that you can pretend you're not still eating cake is the most American thing I've ever heard, so this fits right into this project.



This cake has another significance as well. Grapefruit is one of Tiddy's favorite things to eat, so given that this incorporates grapefruit sections, grapefruit juice, and grapefruit zest, I could think of no better birthday cake to make him. I wish I could have made the final product look a bit prettier and photogenic, but this cake was a rousing success where it counted. It was a little bitter for me, but the birthday boy loved it.

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The American Plate Project

Saturday, December 31, 2022 0 comments
Over at the Slice of Lime, I have something called the Pop Culture Homework Project. Its purpose is to fill in cultural gaps, and to finally experience the movies, books, television, and other works of entertainment that everyone else has already embraced. That's an ongoing goal for me, but the world of entertainment is not the only sphere that benefits from a good project.

Recently, I read (and very much enjoyed) a book called The American Plate: A Culinary History in 100 Bites, by Libby H. O'Connell. It charts the foods important to American history, from the days before the New World explorers arrived to the time I'm writing this sentence. As I read the fascinating stories of how certain foods and drinks wove themselves into the American experience, it occurred to me that I had an exciting opportunity on my hands.

Why not eat my way through this remarkable book? Why not try and enjoy all of what America has to offer, not only today, but from its very beginnings? It's tough to see a downside. I can learn more about these remarkable foods, and pass along nuggets of information from the book and from my encounters. I can explore foods and techniques I've never had before. And since eating and cooking can be such a social experience, I can use this project to invite others to participate in the journey as well.

Every project needs rules and guidelines, and although some will have to be defined and refined along the way, there are a few I can set up front:

#1: No need to work from beginning to end. I can tackle these in whatever order is most convenient, and even wipe out multiple entries in a single meal.

#2: I have to do my best to eat these foods in the spirit in which they were intended. For instance, it would be beyond simple to grab a pack of Oscar Mayer lunchmeat at Shop 'n Save and be all "Done with turkey! BAM!", but that's not what turkey has come to mean to the American experience. It's cheating. Some of these foods are simple on purpose, and in those cases, it's fine. But otherwise, no cutting corners.

#3: Some of these bites are easier to eat by myself, and some are even specifically designed to be a solitary experience. That's acceptable, but for a lot of these entries, I should make an effort to share the experience with other people.

#4: I'll do my best to track down the rarer bites, but in some cases, it may be impossible to find a source. For example, I don't hold out much hope that the corner store is well-stocked with beaver tail. In those instances, I have a few options open to me. I can pull from the extra bites listed below in the "America Today" section. I can attempt to do something that mimics the original bite as closely as possible. I can substitute a bite that I personally feel is intrinsic to American eating but that isn't covered in the book. I can substitute something that is important to local eaters, but that may not apply to the country as a whole. This is one of those things that might just need to be decided along the way.

That's all I can think of for now! As each bite is eaten, I'll write a post about it, and link it back to the list below. Wish me luck! And if you live in St. Louis and would like to join me for any of these foods so essential to our national identity, leave a comment or drop me an email. I'd be happy to have you.


America Before Columbus

1) Maize
2) Beans
3) Squash
4) Venison
5) American Bison
6) Blueberries
7) Maple Syrup
8) Wild Rice
9) Red Peppers
10) Salmon

The Old World Meets the New

11) Jamaican Pepper or Allspice
12) Atlantic Cod
13) Pork
14) Beaver Tail
15) Sassafras
16) English Garden Herbs and Vegetables
17) Cow's Butter
18) Eel
19) Perry
20) Turkey

From Colonies to Independence

21) Corn (Again)
22) Doughnuts, Waffles, and Cookies
23) Wheat Flour
24) Oxtail Stew
25) Sugar
26) Syllabub
27) Pie
28) Rum and Whiskey
29) Tea and Coffee
30) Green Peas

The Rise of America

31) Oysters
32) Roast Turtles
33) Ice Cream
34) Brunswick Stew
35) Cake and the Era of Andrew Jackson
36) Spanish California Rabbit Stew
37) Hangtown Fry
38) Irish Potatoes
39) Mint Juleps
40) Chitlins

From the Civil War to the Factory Age (1860-1875)

41) Lincoln's Favorite Cake
42) Soldiers' Rations
43) Fried Catfish
44) The Rise of Thanksgiving
45) Railroad Workers and Chop Suey
46) Borden's Canned Condensed Milk
47) Beer and Pretzels
48) Pasta with Red Sauce
49) Lunch Pails
50) Rhubarb

The Gilded Age to the Turn of the Century (1870-1900)

51) Baked Alaska
52) Oysters Rockefeller
53) Beef Tenderloin
54) Cold Cereal
55) Cracker Jack
56) Chicken Paprikash
57) Scrapple
58) Bagels and Bialys
59) Celery
60) Barbecue

The Progressive Era, World War I, and Prohibition (1900-1928)

61) Hot Dogs
62) Bananas
63) Commercial Canning
64) Peanut Butter
65) Home Canning and Food Conservation
66) Doughboy Rations during World War I
67) Lace Cookies and Oreos
68) Cocktails and the Roaring Twenties
69) Canapes
70) Tostadas

The Great Depression and World War II

71) Mulatto Rice
72) WPA Soup
73) Lamb's Quarters
74) Eleanor Roosevelt's Scrambled Eggs
75) SPAM
76) Meatloaf
77) Hershey Bars
78) Peach Cobbler
79) Navajo Fry Bread
80) Frozen Food

Post-War into Cold War

81) Jell-O
82) Iceberg Lettuce
83) Coca-Cola
84) Pizza
85) TV Dinners
86) Cuban American Food
87) Jack Kennedy's Fish Chowder
88) Crème Caramel
89) McDonald's

From Childhood to a New Millenium (1969-2000)

90) Southern Fried Chicken
91) Microwave Popcorn
92) Wonder Bread
93) Granola
94) Mesclun Greens
95) Ginger Carrot Soup
96) Quiche
97) California Vintage Wine
98) American Cheese
99) Salsa
100) Sushi

America Today

101) Chili Con Carne
102) Super Foods and Diets
103) Molecularly-Modified Foods
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