Today it's snowing outside, again.
It's snowing in the backyard, too. I checked. I was hoping summer would be out there.
But I did make a Plantation Cake this weekend. I don't know why it's a Plantation Cake, and I certainly don't believe I ever had ancestors who lived on a plantation, despite the fact that the only ancestors of mine who arrived after 1840 or so are the guy from Denmark, and the two from Nova Scotia. (Can you immigrate from Nova Scotia to New Hampshire? Isn't that rather like immigrating to Virginia from New York?). Again, I digress. Anyway, the moment you've all been waiting for....
PLANTATION CAKE
2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp nutmeg
6 tbsp butter
3/4 cup hot water
3/4 cup molasses
1-1/2 tsp baking soda
Sift together the dry ingredients, and cut the butter in with a pastry cutter. Press half of this mix into the bottom of a greased 8"square pan. Mix the hot water and molasses, and stir in the baking soda. (Use a 4 cup measuring cup, so it won't fizz all over your counter. Consider yourself warned.) Pour 2/3 the molasses mix over the dry mix pressed into the pan, then sprinkle the remaining dry ingredients over it and drizzle the remaining wet mixture over the top. Bake at 350F for 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm, topped with....
Lemon Sauce
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup water
1 tbsp cornstarch
4 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp sherry (optional)
Stir the cornstarch with the sugar, and stir in the water. Heat in the microwave until the sugar melts. Continue to heat, whisking periodically, until the mixture thickens, then whisk in the lemon juice and sherry.
This makes the cake really good, and is great over ice cream, too! Check out the lemon sherbet, with and without lemon sauce.
11 comments:
We've been getting the same kind of weather, I said this before but I am so ready for spring/summer :)
The cake looks delicious!
This post had me laughing out loud. First with your tales of fun and excitement at Sam's Club, and then I burst out laughing when you commented about it snowing in the backyard, too. Followed by your ancestors immigrating from Nova Scotia, well, I had to reach for a tissue. I just love your wit!
I've never had plantation cake. Is it kind of like a spice cake? That lemon sauce is killer both with the cake and sherbet. I'd be licking the spoon and the mixing bowl. :-) Stay warm over there.
If they are making this on a plantation, I'm moving there. Or I'll just swing by your place.
This is waaaay different from my grandmother's recipe for Plantation Cake, but it looks delicious !! mmmm Mmmmm !
I just wish the weather here would cool down (108F here today) so I could do some cooking and baking!
Anything with molasses in it reminds me of shoo fly pie or cake, is it similar?? The backyard is a small pond now from all the snow melting and freezing ...and melting and freezing..and..
Ohhh that cake looks so good...it's got all of my favorite spices in it. The lemon sherbet and sauce is drool worthy.
I want to come to your house for dessert!
I think I like when it snows at your house because you make wonderful desserts that make me drool.
A lot of these "Heritage" recipes are surfacing- this one sounds very good!
a bit late on this BUT you recipe for plantation cake is nearly the same as my grandmothers with nutmeg in place of ground cloves in mine. my family's been making this dessert for more than 100 years and it's interesting that your cake and mine are so much alike. in addition to the lemon sauce, my mom made a lemony cream cheese sauce, whipped, that she put on top as well. i think her recipe came from the pittsburgh pa area although it could've come from ohio or further north of pitts. enjoy your blog, thanks! lou
Thanks for the recipe. Found a version in my 1988 Betty Crocker cookbook and was intrigued as it is similar to a shoofly cake or pie but not quite the same as my Pennsylvania recipes. Had to look it up to see how common this recipe is and found your version -yours has less fat, more sugar and adds spices which BC recipe does not. I did a 1/2 recipe in 5x5 dish a following your version and it came out very well. Four small servings, this is very satisfying in small amounts and I love molasses. DH particularly liked the sugary crunch. So easy and quick to make up, with no egg and could be dairy free using shortening I can see how it could be an old standby treat when there isn't much on hand to work with! Thanks
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