Holiday Baking #22

Fairbury Nebraska 1930’s through 1955

X-mas Cooking                               

Genoa Cake

1 lb. butter, butter soft

1 lb. sugar

Creamed together

8 eggs, beaten 1 at a time

1 ½ lbs. flour

2 small teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon cream of tartar

2 lbs. sultana raisins

½ lb. mix peal, (lemon, orange& citron)

1 cup milk (no more)

Bake 2 ½ hrs. in very slow oven. 

Green Tomato Mince Meat Pie                

1 pk. Chopped green tomatoe, scalded twice, drained & cooled

Add

5 lbs. sugar

2 tablespoons salt

2 lbs. raisins

2 lbs currants

1 qt. or more of chopped apples

1 or 2 lemons (the juice)

1 cup chopped suet

1 tablespoon of each;

Cinnamon

Cloves

Allspice

1 grated nutmeg.

Glenburn Maine 1880’s

Fruit Cake #1                   

4 eggs

¾ lb. butter

1 lb. sugar

1 lb. flour

1 lb. raisins

1 gill milk

1 teaspoon (?) saleratus

All kinds spice

Fruit Cake #2

5 eggs

1 cup butter

1 lb. raisins

1 ½ cup sugar

1 ½ cup molasses

1 teaspoon sal (saleratus)

Salt – spice

4 cups sifted flour

Cracker Pie                                                   

3 crackers

2 cups water

1 cup sugar

1 cup molasses

1 cup butter

½ cup vinegar

2 eggs

Spice & raisins to taste.

For those of you who can not eat sugar here are a few recipes for you.

Sugarless Cake                                

1/8 cup butter (warm slightly & cream)

Add 1 cup corn syrup

1 egg beaten

1 ½ cup flour

½ cup milk

¾ teaspoon B Powder

Salt – pinch soda – (big as pea)

Sugarless Gingerbread                                         

One egg, ¼ cup shortening, ½ cup molasses, ½ cup sour milk, ½ teaspoon each of ginger, cloves, salt, 1 teaspoon soda dissolved in milk.

Sugarless Gingersnaps

One cup molasses, ½ cup lard, 2 teaspoons ginger, 2 teaspoons soda in ¼ cup of boiling water, flour to roll.  These will be much improved if they are allowed to stand before cutting.

Mrs. Chilion Kennett. Riverton, N.H.

Saleratus – From the Latin sal aerates, meaning “aerated salt”.  A precursor to baking soda, it hit the market in 1840 and was a chalky powder used for the chemical leavening needed to produce carbon dioxide gas that gives the rise in your baked goods.  It was made by adding carbonic acid to pearlash, changing the potassium carbonate into potassium bicarbonate.  

It had replaced pearlash as the choice of leavening by 1850 but was soon replaced by baking soda in 1860; although baking soda was also called saleratus for a while; I have found recipes into the early 1900’s using the word saleratus instead of baking soda.   

To substitute; per 1 teaspoon of saleratus, 1 ¼ teaspoons of baking soda. 

https://www.cooksinfo.com/saleratus

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_bicarbonate

I have found several references that explains the equivalents to our modern measurements.  Just a few examples are;

Gill – Pronounced Jill; equal to a quarter of a pint; or four fluid ounces which equals ½ cup.  

Lump of (something) the size of a Turkey’s egg – equals 4 ounces

Lump of (something) the size of a chicken’s egg – equals 2 ounces.

Lump of Butter the size of a walnut – equals 1 ounce. (can also be 1 rounded tablespoon)

A Victorian measurement of a wine glassful, will not be the wine glass we think of today.  They were much smaller, about ¼ cup to ½ cup.  So, when using a recipe that askes for a wine glass full be sure to use a lot less than you would think about using from today’s size of glass.

Quite a few of these recipes call for; a coffee cupful. A teacup full, and a wineglass full. 

A coffee cupful = 1 cup.

A tea cupful = 1/3 cup, I have also found it to be ¾ cup.

A wine glassful = ¼ cup, ½ gill or 4 T.

A Tumbler = ½ pint or 1 cup

Oven temperatures are seldom given in the old books and recipes; most times the only say something like a slow oven or quick oven.  These are the equlivent to today’s oven temperatures;

A very slow oven equals 250 to 275 degrees.

A slow oven equals 300 to 325 degrees.

A moderate oven equals 350 to 375 degrees.

A hot or quick oven equals 375 to 400 degrees.

A very hot oven equals 400 to 450 degrees. 

Visit my ebay store to find some great kitchen utensils and collectables to go along with these vintage and antique recipes.

https://www.ebay.com/str/ozziesattic720?_trksid=p2047675.l2563