Recently, I made Busy Day Cake from Handwritten Recipes, and I was so taken with it, I decided to search out the original cookbook. The recipe’s name was easy enough to search out, but another important clue was in the ingredient list: Swan’s Down Cake Flour.
After little bit of searching on eBay, I discovered that Swan’s Down Cake Flour, made by Ingleheart Brothers, Inc., had produced several recipe booklets that included the Busy Day Cake Recipe. I purchased a lot from a seller that included two different Ingleheart Cake Secrets booklets: One from 1925 and one from 1931. Busy Day Cake was in the 1931 version, New Cake Secrets.
The booklets arrived and are completely adorable. Each recipe includes a note under the title about how many eggs it uses: Apparently in 1931, this was critical, sub-title-worthy information. After some discussion with The Child, we decided we should make another cake, and we chose Favorite Two-Egg Cake. It was somebody’s favorite, so obviously, that was the place to start.
It didn’t seem quite right, though, because the other recipes are fancier – but I don’t have the energy for fancier. I want a cake to lift my spirits without requiring too much extra exertion on my part.
Basically, what I want is funfetti. Funfetti makes me happy.
It’s easy enough to make any cake a funfetti cake – just toss in some sprinkles, right? All I have is some leftover Christmas sprinkles, and although it’s not quite how I visualize things, I tossed them in. Christmas also makes me happy.
Christmas + Funfetti = The Happiest Cake On Earth.
When the cake was baked, a funny thing happened: The red sprinkles because sort of pink-ish, and the emerald green lightened into a kelly green color. I started with dreams of Christmas Funfetti and ended up with a preppy polka-dot cake.
It was awesome, and totally brightened my day.
As cake recipes go, I preferred the Busy Day Cake for it’s spongy, almost angel-food texture. This cake was a bit simpler, oddly a bit more dry, and cried out for frosting. The child loved it, though, and it was easy to make.
Favorite Two-Egg Cake
2 1/3 cups sifted Swans Down Flour
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon orange extract
Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together three times. Cream butter thoroughly, add sugar gradually, and cream together until light and fluffy. Add eggs and mix well. Add flour alternately with milk, a small amount at a time. Beat after each addition until smooth. Add flavoring. Bake in two greased 9-inch layer pans in moderate over (375°F), for 25 minutes.
The recipe suggests using Orange Filling between the layers and White Mountain Cream frosting. We went with a simple lemon frosting, and I think in this case, a moist fruit filling would work really well, as the recipe suggests. The cake is a bit dry without it.
This is my contribution to Weekend Cooking, hosted by Beth Fish Reads. Why not swing by and see what other simple pleasures await?
Pink and Izod-y green? Totally early 1980’s awesome!
I had completely forgotten that Swans Down was a staple in my mom’s pantry… it makes the absolute best cakes. She made the 2-egger a bunch… but soaked it in grand marnier and marmalade for company.
“I wonder if I can go poke at her to make me one….”
Grand Marnier sounds perfect…
If you’re going to make 80’s Awesome Cake, remember to use proper etiquette: flip up your polo collar when you eat it!
Oh I love your preppy cake. It does make me smile! Some of the recipe booklets published by food manufacturers from the 1930s through the 1950s are great fun to read. Eggs were probably expensive during the Depression and thus blurb worthy.
It’s funny to read those old cookbooks and get some insight into how things were. Lots of recipes had the word “economical” in the title, too.
Your cake is definitely cheery and fun. Thanks for the great idea :).
This does look like a cake a child would love, or anyone at holiday time. I do like learning about historic recipes and enjoyed seeing this one.
What a cheery cake! I love those old recipe booklets. I’ve picked some up at book fairs — although not as old as yours. Mine are from the fifties and feature nifty cocktails and creamed spinach.
cocktails and creamed spinach… now THERE’s a party!
Creamed spinach … I think I’d need a nifty cocktail (or several) to get me to eat that!
It is very cheerful! Glad it brightened your day!
sprinkles on or in anything make it much better. As a party favour, I gave small jelly jars of different sprinkles to my guests . They loved them.
Oh what a fun idea! I am considering funfetti cake mix in a jar as a gift idea for the holidays, or maybe a kids’ party.
oh yes, I would vote for the orange filling!!
We don’t have funfetti – and I wasn’t sure what it was til I saw your post. I think we call the equivalent thing “hundreds and thousands” – and a childhood treat was fairy bread which is bread, butter sprinkled with hundreds and thousands!
Have a great week.
I’ve actually eaten that! When The Child was born, her father made it with pink sprinkles to celebrate having a little girl.
You can make funfetti with any kind of sprinkles, but bright colors in white cake work best.
Oh, I love that you bought old recipe booklets! That’s so perfect – and it makes me want to do it myself. What fun to make cakes from the past and brighten them up for today. This post made me smile – thanks for sharing!