I’m totally hooked on my vintage cookbooks, and am slowly working my way through my 1931 New Cake Secrets. Everything in it is so simple and comforting. It all gets eaten. The ingredients are things that are found in a standard pantry like mine.
Also, it all kind of tastes like the MidWest – which is to say, it reminds me of the stuff my grandma used to make.
Pretty sure I’m going to need a diet cookbook soon, but I’m okay with it. I wonder how ladies dieted in the 1930’s? Hmmm…
Apple Sauce Cake
adapted from 1931 edition of New Cake Secrets
1 3/4 cups Swansdown Cake Flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup raisins or currants
1 cup nuts (I used walnuts)
1 cup applesauce
sift dry ingredients together three times.
Cream butter thoroughly, add sugar gradually, and cream together until light and fluffy. Add egg, raisins or currants, and chopped nuts. Add flour in small amounts, alternating with applesauce. Beat after each addition until smooth. Pour into greased loaf pan. Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees.
I ended up baking the cake about ten extra minutes. It’s done when the top springs back to the touch.
The cake is very sweet, with a wonderful apple pie flavor. It’s very moist. Served warm, it would be a great base for vanilla ice cream and maybe a drizzle of caramel. Chunky applesauce or shredded apples would be a nice addition.
This is my contribution to Weekend Cooking, hosted by Beth Fish Reads. Why not swing by and see what other simple pleasures await?
Oh this *does* sound comforting and good — and reminds me of things my Midwest grandmothers would bake. People didn’t diet in the 30s; everyone was more active and food wasn’t as plentiful.
I think you’re right about that.i went hunting for vintage diet books on eBay and although there are one or two early ones, they mostly begin in the late 1960s.
I feel as though I’ll gain 10 lbs. just from reading the recipe, much less eating the cake! I need to dive into vintage cake making… sounds like just the thing for colder fall and winter days. Thanks for sharing!
Oooh, lots of sweet stuff on Weekend Cooking this time…. I can feel my waistline expanding just reading them all…. Have a great weekend.
My experience with this type of cake is that it is delightful warm, but it also improves in flavor if you let it sit for a day or two. The spices and apples mellow together. Around here cake does not usually stay hidden away for the rest period, however.
i was pretty sure that would be true of this cake but it didn’t last very long!
That sounds wonderful. I use similar ingredients in a yeast bread recipe to get something that works in my diet better. Maybe I’ll post my recipe in the next week or two.
Looks so good. I love your idea of topping a slice with some ice cream or chunky applesauce!
As autumn arrives, this sounds perfect!
This will be a new autumn staple at our house I’m sure! The cookbook sounds wonderful I’ll have to try and find a copy!
I found an original paperback copy on Amazon! Ordered it!
Wow! Please let me know what recipes you try! I can’t wait to see!
Yum. This looks so amazing. My grandmother used to make a cake similar to this one, and it was always one of my favorites. Thanks for sharing!
That looks like a yummy, delicious recipe. I think I’m going to try it out this weekend. Been a long time since I’ve had homemade applesauce cake. Makes me think of my grandmother, too.
This seems like the perfect cake for autumn. I’m curious, what other secrets does that cookbook hold?
I don’t know but I plan to find out!
Your applesauce cake looks wonderful! Bet that smelled terrific while it was baking.