Constance
Master Chef
When I was looking for another recipe, I found this hand-written note in her cookbook. I never tasted it, but I remember my mother talking about how good it was.
Berry Cake
2 cups sugar
1 cup berry juice
1 cup berry pulp
4 egg yolks
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
2/3 cup butter
2 teaspoons baking powder
4 cups flour
Cream butter and sugar, add well beaten egg yolks, spices, berry juice and flour. Add soda last.
These are not very good directions, I know. Soda is not even on the list of ingredients, but don't you have to add soda with the baking powder to make it rise?
It also doesn't say when to add the pulp, but I would assume you would add it with the juice. The reason juice and pulp are measured separately is that she probably ran the berries through a colander first. That way, you could regulate the amount of juice that goes in. Every blackberry cake I've tried to make was too soggy.
As for baking directions...your guess is as good as mine. I know this was a pan cake, not a layer cake.
Maybe this is why no one else in the family could bake the cake. I thought perhaps some of you bakers out there might be able to help me fill in the "missing links" in this recipe.
Berry Cake
2 cups sugar
1 cup berry juice
1 cup berry pulp
4 egg yolks
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
2/3 cup butter
2 teaspoons baking powder
4 cups flour
Cream butter and sugar, add well beaten egg yolks, spices, berry juice and flour. Add soda last.
These are not very good directions, I know. Soda is not even on the list of ingredients, but don't you have to add soda with the baking powder to make it rise?
It also doesn't say when to add the pulp, but I would assume you would add it with the juice. The reason juice and pulp are measured separately is that she probably ran the berries through a colander first. That way, you could regulate the amount of juice that goes in. Every blackberry cake I've tried to make was too soggy.
As for baking directions...your guess is as good as mine. I know this was a pan cake, not a layer cake.
Maybe this is why no one else in the family could bake the cake. I thought perhaps some of you bakers out there might be able to help me fill in the "missing links" in this recipe.
And I'm sure you're right--pushing the berries through a mill, strainer, etc., will get out the seeds but keep the juice and pulp.
