I have a lot of weaknesses, when it comes to vintage finds...
Aprons...check
Dresses...check
Chippy Architectural stuff...check
Rusty Metal stuff...check
...and old recipe boxes, recipe journals, recipe books, pamphlets, etc
check, check, check...
I love finding these things, especially when there are notes jotted throughout.
One of my favorite finds was during a trip to Washington state where I picked up a large old Oak Shaw recipe box, stuffed with vintage recipes from the 20s to 40s. This also included all of her Home Economic Classes that she took through her local 'Power and Light' company. She kept all of her 'report cards', all of the printed recipe cards, as well as newspaper clippings regarding household tips, setting a lavish tablescape , hostess must do's , mail order embroidery patterns for dish towels, etc.
This is probably my second favorite find; The Kitten Kapers journal. Chocked full of handwritten recipes (in random order); along with household tips (all of the things your Grandma knew and you wished you did!); newspaper clippings of poems...not to mention, how cute is that little kitten scene where the other is taunting the one sleeping in the bed!?!?! He has a fake spider on a fishing pole!
There are some interesting named recipes in here, that's for sure. I don't know if I would want to be swapping a recipe for 'Burnt Leather Cake with Caramel Sauce'...or 'Girlscout Cake'...made with real Girlscouts ! (Just kidding!)
A recipe that caught my eye was Wild Blackberry Cake...since we had a nice big bowl of freshly picked wild blackberries from my sister's farm (Fletcher's Glory Farm) and yesterday being our anniversary, I decided I would make this cake.
The batter turns a beautiful blue as it calls for blackberry juice. I made a few modifications to it and I think the next time I make it; I'm going to make even more.
In the end, it was a beautiful cake and I think it would be even more tasty to do a light glaze made with the blackberry juice to pour over the top of it.
Wild Blackberry Cake
*compliments of Irene Temple from Berlin Oregon circa 1930s
Pre -heat your oven to 350
Prep a large glass pyrex oblong dish or two cake tins
Wash and pick through blackberries; pat dry and set aside. Put 1 cup of berries in a small saucepan with 1/8 cup of water...bring to boil; mash down (this is for the juice), I used my small screen colander and a rubber spatula to smash/sieve for the juice. Set juice aside.
In a medium bowl; sift 2 cups of flower, 1 tsp of baking soda, 1 1/2 tsp of cinnamon and 1/2 tsp of nutmeg and set aside
In a large bowl, beat two eggs til lemony color; add one cup of sugar and *4 tbs of melted shortening (I don't use butter, margarine or shortening in my cakes or breads; I always substitute these with an equal amount of applesauce). I used a little over a fourth cup of applesauce.
With a wooden spoon, stir in the sifted flour mixture, add one heaping cup of blackberries and 1/2 cup of the blackberry juice (the batter will be thick, just add a bit more juice if it's too thick).
Pour your batter into the prepared pan (I used my long rectangle glass pan).
Okay, instructing time of baking is tricky for me; because I have a really old stove, so I just have to play it by ear...I mean aroma...if your kitchen starts to smell like blackberry cake, it's probably done! (25 to 30 minutes if you are using the same glass rectangle pan). Use a toothpick to make sure it comes out clean...BUT remember you have lots of juicy berries so if it comes out juicy , check it in another spot. Nothing is worse than overdone cake!
No, you don't have to take it outside to snap a photo of it before you eat it...I'm just a show off :)
Enjoy your weekend!