Story Published:
Oct 11, 2007 at 9:00 AM PDT
Story Updated:
Oct 11, 2007 at 12:52 PM PDT
From George Washington's pepper pot soup to pioneer bread, the new cook book America's best lost recipes is chock full of oldies but goodies! Here to help us make some wacky cake was Cook's Illustrated Jack Bishop.
From the book: "America's Best Lost Recipes"
Here are some of the recipes:
WACKY CAKE (page 101)
This cake is a magic trick and is based on WWII when eggs and butter were not always available. This chocolate cake is made with flour, cocoa powder, water, vinegar, sugar, baking soda, and vegetable oil plus a few flavorings. The trick is in the making. Make one large hole and two small ones in the dry ingredients in the baking pan, pour in the oil into the large crater and the oil and vanilla into the two smaller craters. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. It is very chocolaty since there is no dairy to mute the chocolate flavor.
• Whisk dry ingredients and pour into an 8-inch baking pan.
• Make three depressions in the mixture.
• Add oil, vinegar, and vanilla in separate places.
• Pour water into the pan and roughly mix.
• Place in oven.
• Taste cake (a double)
WAUKAU (page 166)
This is a Wisconsin recipe and is a cross between a pancake and a cobbler. It is very simple to make and a huge hit in the test kitchen. In essence, you make a pancake-like batter, melt butter in a skillet, add the batter, sprinkle with berries, sprinkle with sugar, and bake for almost an hour in a 375 oven. Perfect way to use all the great local berries in Portland.
• Pour batter into skillet with melted butter.
• Add berries.
• Add sugar.
• Place in oven (take finished one out of oven at same time).
• Cut and serve.
OTHER DISHES TO HAVE ON SET FOR TASTING, BUT NO DEMO (is this too many?)
Grandma Sylvia’s Salt Butter Cookies (page 188)
These sandwich cookies are made with salted butter and whisky. Cookies have very delicate texture and simple chocolate filling.
Pecan Crunch Pie (page 150)
Super-simple, unique take on pecan pie. You don’t make a crust. Rather you fold graham cracker crumbs into the filling (eggs, sugar, and nuts) and pour the whole mixture into a pie plate and bake. Serve with big scoop of vanilla ice cream. From a CC reader who lives in Portland.
Pioneer Bread (page 91)
Nice Northwest angle. This 19th century bread was made by cooks traveling West across the Great Plains in covered wagons (hence the name). Made with whole-wheat flour, raisins, and dates. From CC reader who lives in Spokane. Recipe has been a family holiday tradition for more than a century.
For more detailed instructions, visit our recipes page!
