It snowed earlier this week. Approximately 6 to 8 inches of snow fell and then it turned very cold. In fact, I understand from the national news that two-thirds of our country was, and still is, under the icy grip of this same storm.
When the first big snow of the year falls, I always think of a lovely lady that I knew many years ago, and I think of homemade donuts. Her name was Marilla Baker. I met her during her retirement years. She has since passed away, but she left a positive mark on many lives with a simple tradition that she started as a young mother.
In the late fall she would stock all the ingredients needed for making donuts in preparation for the big day. One never knows when the first measurable storm of the year will fall so she prepared early.
And then, on the first big snowstorm of the year she would start early in the morning making donuts and she continued making them all day long. There was a standing invitation to all she or her family knew to come to Marilla’s house on the day of the storm for freshly made donuts and a cup of something warm to drink. Visitors came by all day long.
Marilla’s tradition started small with her children’s friends and nearby neighbors, but over the years as her family moved a few times, old and new neighbors continued to come. Through work, church and other community associations more acquaintances were made and more people were invited. And so it grew, until at the time I met Marilla, a couple of hundred people showed up each year at her house on the first snow storm of the year. It was a wonderful time for renewing friendships and catching up on the news.
On the evening of a cold snowy day I always think of staying inside and staying warm. Part of achieving that sense of coziness is good food. Comfort food. A steaming bowl of Chicken Noodle Soup (made with homemade noodles) is a good start. For me, a cozy finish to a comfort food meal is a generous serving of my mother’s standard Sunday desert: Eggless, Milkless, Butterless Cake.
Although it’s name is not necessarily appealing to our twenty-first century sensibility, at the time Mom started making this cake it’s name may have been the reason she first tried it. My mother was a Second World War bride. During a time of rationing and many shortages this was a desert she could make with basic ingredients and a few spices.
As our family continued to grow after the War, the family’s economic situation did not improve a great deal. So for a large family this was a recipe that made sense, and it was a great desert to go with Sunday dinners.
The smell of the sugar, spices and raisins boiling on the stove remind me of home, of the comforts of being safe and loved, and of Saturday nights when I was a child.
Here is the recipe in case you want to give it a try.
Eggless, Milkless, Butterless Cake
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1-1/4 cup water
1/3 cup shortening (I use butter instead)
2/3 cup raisins
2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon cloves
In a small saucepan, over medium heat, bring the above ingredients to a boil, continue to boil for five minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly—about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile combine:
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ cup chopped walnuts (this is my addition to the original recipe)
Pour hot mixture all at once into dry ingredients and stir thoroughly by hand being sure to break up any clumps of flour that may form when the liquid ingredients are added.
Transfer batter to a greased 8″ square baking dish. Bake at 325 degrees for 30-35 minutes.
Buttercream Frosting
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 pound powdered sugar
2-3 tablespoons very hot milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Combine all ingredients and beat with an electric beater. The hot milk is vital to making the Frosting taste right. The heat from the milk “cooks” the powdered sugar slightly and gives the frosting a less raw taste. I usually heat 1/3 cup of milk in the microwave to the point of boiling and then add as much as is needed to the frosting to get the correct consistency for spreading on the cake.