Banana Bread Bake Off - Five Roses vs Purity

I love Banana Bread that actually tastes like it has bananas in it. Not big mushy chunks, but a nice banana flavour through the bread. Yum, combined with the soft crunchiness of walnuts - yummy in my tummy. Oooh, can't forget the crust bit either....give me a minute, must go eat a slice...or two...for testing!

Purity on the left, Five Roses on the right

I had a bunch of ripe bananas, more than enough for just one loaf.  I have a go to recipe, but this is about the cookbooks, so..which one to make? Why not a loaf from each book, right? Right!

I decided to make them both at the same time, so I kept everything divided left and right so I wouldnt mix anything up! haha, it could easily happen, I don't know how many times I've recounted cups of flour when making bread because I wasn't paying attention.

I gathered up all the ingredients and then got started.  The only real difference in the recipes are the amounts of flour, bananas, etc.

I wont bore you with the step by step of each. The actual steps for making them were pretty much identical. Put all the dry together. Mix all the wet with the mashed bananas and then mix those together and put in oven.

The Purity Banana bread has more flour, more bananas, more baking powder etc. And this can be seen in the batter - it's more frothy and gassy looking....

while baking;  you can really see the height of the loafs...

Five Roses on the left, Purity on the right

and when cooling and getting ready for my tummy....

Purity on the left, Five Roses on the right

I figured the crust of the Five Roses would be darker, since it took a few more minutes baking before the toothpick inserted came out clean, but I really didn't think there would be such a difference on the inside.

Purity on the left, Five Roses on the right

The Purity loaf is a lot darker than the Five Roses loaf.

The big question...taste. That's really all that matters in the end. Well, these are both good breads, not great, but good.  I think perhaps adding nutmeg or cinnamon would help too.  Don't get me wrong, they were good enough that I shared them, but I won't make them again.

For me, they just don't seem banana-eee enough. I think though, If I had to choose, I would go with the Five Roses loaf since I prefer the denser texture. The difference between the two breads for banana flavour really isn't a big enough difference for it to matter to me.

	Five Roses	Purity
TASTE	60% banana flavour	65% banana flavour
TEXTURE	Denser, sturdier, my preference	Moister - could become gummy if undercooked
CRUST	Ok, as expected	More flavourful, better crunch

I still have half a loaf in my freezer, which I think I'll take with me when I go visit family in April. Other wise it will just stare guiltily at me every single time I open the door of the fridge. Every single time...calling out to me...Eat Me....

FIVE ROSES BANANA BREAD

PURITY BANANA BREAD

Prize Butter Tarts

I love butter tarts - there, I've said it. Aloud. To you.

The ones I like best are the ones where the brown sugar is dissolved completely so there is no grainy sugar texture; gooey with just the right amount of runniness.  Everyone has their favorite family recipe and this one is mine.

99% of the time I can find someone who makes anything I can make 100 times better than I could make it. Hahah, now that's a sentence! I keep trying though, but these tarts, to me... are as good - if not better - than any I've found. The only improvement on what is written here is when the filling is paired with a homemade crust, but I had a bunch of tart shells in the freezer...and really, I'm thinking you won't mind, since you can't really taste what I made...so...you'll have to trust me and make them for yourself! :)

The recipe I love is from the 1970's Five Roses Flour cook book and it must of held the test of time because it was in their 1938 cook book also. The only difference is that the cooking temperature changed to 375 F instead of starting at 450 F and being turned down to 350 F.   I go the easy route and bake at 375 for the entire time. Just easier than babysitting the tarts in the oven...but you are free to try the other way too.

The ingredients are simple and most likely you have everything in your cupboard right now to get started. I doubled the recipe and used raisins instead of currents ...and added some walnuts, but that's just my preference.

I've seen other recipes that do not mention melting the butter, which could be the issue I've encountered with grainy tasting tarts. The 1938 recipe below doesn't state melting the butter but the newer version does. I'm not sure if they meant to use room temperature butter or every housewife just knew to melt it. I personally think the latter; in 1938 I'm pretty sure you left the house being able to cook and bake,  unlike nowadays.

Mix everything together, except the raisins/currents, making sure the brown sugar is blended and well dissolved.  I'm using darker brown sugar, so the mix doesn't look all that appealing, but it is yummy none-the-less.

Stir in the raisins/currents and nuts (if you want them).

Line your baking sheet with parchment paper or grease your muffin tins if you are making your own pastry.  Fill the tart shells 2/3 full. A single batch of the butter tart mixture should make 12 tarts.

Bake 375 F for 20 minutes or 450 F for 8 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 350 F and watch over them until they are nicely browned.

Let cool on the pan for a few minutes and then move to a baking sheet to cool a bit more. Careful, they have to cool a bit or the hot melted sugar can burn! After a sufficient amount of time - try not to eat more than one!

Prize Butter Tarts
Five Roses Flour - 1938 (pg 144)

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup sifted brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp milk of cream
• 12 cup currents
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Pastry shells

DIRECTIONS
Mix ingredients together and place spoonfuls of the mixture in patty tins which have been lined with rich pastry or cookie dough. Bake in a hot oven (450 F) for 8 minutes; reduce temperature to 350 deg F. and bake until pastry is delicately browned.

To make Taffy Tarts, use the same mixture with currents omitted.

Oatmeal Muffins can cause Disappointment

First, let me say, I have to figure out the lighting in my house. I don't consider myself a professional photographer at all, but even I can tell the lighting is horrible. I really do miss the floor to ceiling windows I had in Toronto and all the light.

So on to the cooking bit of this post - I made Oatmeal Muffins from the newer Five Roses Flour cookbook and from the start I knew I should of packed it in and just went to bed.

I guess they look okay and they taste alright, but that's on the low side of okay and alright :) The raisins add the only excitement to this muffin.  hahah, trying these I imagined these would be good 'safety' food to pack with you in case you get stranded.  Whole wheat flour and oats to fill you up, but not tasty enough to gobble up even before you've left the house :)

I gathered the ingredients and accidentally spilled some whole wheat flour on the shortening. Not a big deal really, so I tipped the dish over the flour bag and gently shook the dish to shake off the flour...and ever so nicely dumped the shortening in to the bag too!  You can see the sad looking shortening in the picture below. I even got a bit of flour in the egg :)

If the baking powder looks odd, it's because it is.  I thought I had enough. I even keep my spices and dried herbs in canning jars so I can see how much I have, and it looked like I had enough. I need my eyes checked! I had 2 teaspoons of baking powder and then visited Google to find a substitute for the other 2.

The recipe starts off with scalding milk. I've never scalded milk before, so once again off to visit my good friend Google. Scalding, is the process of heating the milk until it just starts to get bubbles around the outside. If it starts to bubble in the middle then you've gone to far.  This worked out well and I was happy with the outcome and cheerfully dumped the shortening and oats in to the pan, giving it a quick stir. At this point I was getting even more skeptical of a good outcome; it was pretty thick.

While the oat paste was thickening nicely in the pot, I mixed together the dry ingredients.

At this point I reread the recipe a dozen times wondering where the extra liquid was. My eyes must keep missing it somehow, perhaps I looked at the wrong recipe? Perhaps they forgot and it is actually written in the directions, please help.......haha, even now I want to double check again!

I forged ahead knowing without a doubt that this would not be a batter, but a sticky dough. I hoped that the milk that was soaked in the oatmeal would miraculously contain enough moisture to produce glorious muffins that I would proudly show off all dripping with butter. Ha!

I used two spoons to drop *cough SCRAPE cough* the oat paste into the greased muffin tins and put it in the oven for 15 minutes, and WALA! Let the hockey season start, I have 12 pucks! :)

Ok, I'm being horribly mean to these little heavy muffins, they are Ok in a desperate I have nothing to eat in the house type of way, but I'll never ever make them again. Ever. Well, unless someone else makes them and can tell me what the heck went wrong.  The powder situation might not make them rise, but it has no influence on the thick paste state of affairs :)

Oatmeal Muffins
Five Roses Flour cookbook - 1970? (pg 258)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup Ogilvie Quick Oats
• 2 Tbsp shortening
• 1 cup Five Roses Whole Wheat Flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup seedless raisins
• 1 egg, beaten

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven.
2. Scald milk; add oats and shortening and cool at room temperature.
3. Meanwhile, combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt together.
4. Stir in raisins.
5. Add beaten egg to the oat mixture and pour in center of dry ingredients.
6. Stir quickly until ingredients are just mixed and batter is lumpy in appearance.
7. Fill greased muffin tins, 2/3 full.
8. Bake in a hot oven.

Temperature: 210 C ( 400 F )
Cooking Time: 15 to 20 minutes
Yield: 12 medium muffins

Date Squares revisited

Thanksgiving came and went - thankfully with no real impact to my waistline! It was a good day and evening.  We made the Turkey, vegetables, stuffing etc at my sisters house and then took it over to my moms to enjoy. It might seem like extra work, but it really did minimize any cleanup that had to be done at my mom's house and we spent our time visiting instead of slaving over dirty dishes.

A while ago I made Date Squares from the 1938 Five Roses Flour Cookbook and having no real creative motivation last week...I think I was still in a Turkey coma :)  I decided to remake the date squares using the updated Five Roses Flour recipe, plus I still had leftover dates and no real ideas on what to do with them...and I got a wee bit obsessed on crocheting headbands!

The recipes are pretty much the same with a few modifications that seem to make sense, like the removal of the baking powder and baking soda. I didn't really notice a difference in how they cooked up.

What I did notice was that the date mixture seemed drier and I had to add more water to get it to cook enough to be mushy, and...the newer recipe mentions

"Cook over medium heat until dates are soft and water is absorbed. Add vanilla and let cool."

But no where in the recipe does it mention vanilla as an ingredient, so I didn't add it in.

In the newer cookbook they have the Orange Date filling as a variation of the basic one, so I included both below. I chose the Orange Date filling to make since it more closely resembled the 1938 recipe.

Out of both recipes, I think I prefer the newer variation better. It just seemed more substantial and the bars were less thin. I guess it depends on if you like a thicker date middle, but flavourwise, I don't think there was much difference at all. 


Date Shortbread (Matrimony Cake)
Five Roses Flour Cook Book - 1970? (page 122)

 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4  1/8 tsp salt
• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2  cups old fashioned oatmeal

• 500 g pitted dates
• 3/4 cup hotwater
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp lemon juice

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine dry ingredients together
2. Rub in butter with the tips of your fingers
3. Spread half the mixture in a greased shallow pan (about 8 X 14 inches) and pat to make smooth.
4. Cover with cooled Date Filling, spreading it evenly, then cover with remaining crumbs, pat to make smooth.
5. Bake at 375F for 30 - 35 minutes.
6. Increase heat slightly and bake for a few minutes longer to lightly brown the mixture.
7. Cut in squares while warm and allow the shortbread to cool in the pan.

VARIATION
Orange Date Filling
Five Roses Flour Cook Book - 1970? (page 122)

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 lb  1 lb chopped dates (500 g)
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 2 tbsp 1/4 cup brown sugar
• Grated rind of 1/2 orange
• 2 tbsp 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1 tsp lemon juice

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook dates, water, orange rind, and sugar in a small saucepan, over a moderate heat until thick and smooth
2. Remove from heat and let cool

Banbury Cakes are my one weakness!

I've just finished watching the BBC TV series Lark Rise To Candleford a second time. This time with my sister and we just finished the last episode on Sunday night. It's a nice British period piece, if you are into those. Some laughs, some tears, and some characters who get annoying to listen to after a time :)
 

"It's my one weakness", is a favorite saying of Dorcas Lane of the Candleford Post Office and Banbury Cakes just happens to be one of her weaknesses. Technically she has a lot of weaknesses, like milk baths and cashmere, but they don't happen to be something I can bake.

I was going to make Butter or Pecan Tarts this week, so imagine my excitement to come across a recipe for Banbury Cakes in my moms cookbook...and...to see that it's not a cake either, it's more of a fruit pastry made with currants (hahah, I thought it was a strange English countryside berry..banberry, not an English countryside place!).  I've never heard of this pastry before the TV series so I did a quick check online to see if the recipe in the 1938 Five Roses cookbook was somewhat similar to what Dorcas Lane might be been talking about in 19th century England, and it seemed to be so, so off to store to get the ingredients.

The lady at the checkout asked me if I was making a Christmas cake because I had all the fruity makings for one. I explained I was making Banbury cakes to which she just looked at me funny but the guy behind me in line asked me if I had ever been to Banbury or Oxfordshire because he grew up on Banbury cakes! I am more amazed every day how small the world is!

Anyone know the odds of a guy from England standing behind me in a grocery store in a town of 4000 people, who grew up on the not-a-berry-not-a-real-cake Banbury Cakes I was going to make after I stumbled across the recipe which I only knew about because I just watched a tv show that mentioned it???

Anyone??? I think very high odds..like winning the lottery odds :)

The filling for the Banbury Cakes is simple enough. I actually doubled the recipe - I wish I hadn't, because it doesn't sound like a lot, but it is! I tripled the pastry recipe and I still have a cup of the Banbury mixture left over!  Banbury Cakes are made with mixed peel and Currants. And, I just learned (by reading the package of currants) that they need to be put in the fridge after opening, odd - they look like tiny raisins.

I beat the butter... hahaha, mashed it about with a spatula is what I should of said...since it seemed a huge waste to try to use a mixer/blender for 4 tablespoons of butter. Then added the sugar and eggs.

The recipe calls for a few grains of allspice. Umm...no, I gave it a pinch since I had doubled the recipe after all and seriously...a few grains, the stuff looks like powder!

I then tossed in all the rest of the ingredients. It looks so pretty and festive! I had no clue what kind of crumbs to use, so I decided on a mixture of graham cracker crumbs and regular Premium Plus soda crackers. Also, my local store doesn't carry 'mixed peel' so I used citron peel and a bit of mixed fruit glace.

Stir it all together. From pretty to pretty ugly in 2.5 seconds!

I let that sit while I made up the pastry dough (there will be plenty of time for writing about that - just not today).

From what I saw online, Banbury cakes look more free form or at least like a big perogy where the dough is cut in a circle and folded over, but the recipe I have called for a round to be placed on a round and then sealed, so that's what I did :)  Follower of directions, that's me...somewhat, ha!

I tried a few methods, first with the two rounds being the same size and then with the top round being a bit larger. I prefer the rounds being different sizes. With the top one being a bit larger, it folds around the filling better.  I have a dollar store set of stacking round cookie cutters, so it was easy since they all go up in size.

I cut little slits in the top before baking and brushed with milk. Half of them I forgot to sprinkle sugar on, but I think they still turned out pretty.

Banbury Cake
Five Roses Cook Book - 1938 (pg 144)

INGREDIENTS

• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped mixed peel
• 1 egg
• 1 oz cracker crumbs
• 3/4 cup currants
• few grains of allspice
• Pastry

DIRECTIONS

1. Beat butter to a cream, add sugar, then add well-beaten egg.  
2. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. 
3. Cut rounds of rich pastry and place spoonfuls of this mixture in the centre of half of them; moisten edges, cover with a second round of pastry. Seal edges carefully.
4. Brush over with milk, prick tops, sprinkle with fine sugar, and bake in a hot oven (425 F) for 15 minutes.

Standard Plain Pastry
Five Roses Cook Book - 1938 (pg 135)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups FIVE ROSES flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/3 cup ice cold water

DIRECTIONS

1. Sift flour, salt, and baking powder.
2. Mix in shortening with tips of fingers or two knives.
3. Add the water, a little at a time, using just enough to bind the mixture.
4. Collect all the moistened particles into a ball of dough.
5. With as little handling as possible, form dough into a round disk.
6. Place disk on slightly floured board. 
7. The dough should be soft enough not to break when it is rolled; it should be stiff enough not to stick to a lightly floured board.
8. Handle the pastry as lightly as possible. Kneading will toughen it.
9. Roll the dough from the center outward - always rolling wiht a light even pressure, to a thickness of 1/8 to 1/4 inch.
10. Line pie plates, tart shells, etc., and bake as directed.

Note: Enough pastry for 1 two-crust pie of average size, or 1 pie-shell and 6 tarts.
For a richer pastry, increase the amount of shortening to 2/3 cup. The amount of water required will depend on the type of shortening used.

The best and yummiest Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

I can't say I love Carrot Cake. In most cases I avoid it and choose something else. It's always hit and miss and I don't want to take the chance of biting in to gummy undercooked cake, slimy carrots, or shredded carrot bits that are just too long and stringy - the kind that you pull from the cake like hair stuck in a shower drain. Blek! I would rather gnaw my arm off, seriously! I have issues with finding any hair in my food! I became a vegetarian for a couple years because of hair and a Wendy's hamburger!...But that's a different story and not about this carrot cake.

The carrot cake my sister (sis #2) makes is amazing. I'm not sure why, but it's very vanilla-ie, hahaha...it has a great vanilla flavour is what I'm trying to say :) or maybe it's just that the smell makes it seem like it has been infused with vanilla.  The cake has an amazing 'rightness' to it. The right taste, the right texture, the right smell, the right sweetness, and the right size of shredded carrots.  And whomever decided that cream cheese icing goes with Carrot Cake was a darn genius!

This time around, I figured I would make it myself, using the recipe my sister uses from the Five Roses Flour Cook Book and I wasn't disappointed, nope, not at all. The only thing better than this cake - is if she had made it for me :)

I started off by chopping the nuts (I used walnuts) and shredding the carrots. I just used a carrot peeler and did small strokes at the end of the carrot until the carrot was completely shredded and in the bowl. It took about 4 - 5 medium sized carrots to make 3 cups.

Once I had the carrots and nuts done, I dumped all the wet ingredients plus the sugar into the mixing bowl and turned it on. The recipe says to let it go for 5 minutes, so while that was spinning around, I got the dry ingredients ready and greased the 9 X 13 baking pan.

Next up was to toss the carrots and nuts in with the wet ingredients and give it a whirl.  

Add the flour. I just dumped all of it in at once and gave it a quick mix.

This seriously looks like barf and reminds me of the Rinktum Ditty I made. Pinky orange is NOT a good look for food. Hahah, are you sold on making this yet? Hair and Barf - what the heck will I say about food I hate??

So, take your yummy looking pinky orange mixture and dump it into a greased 9X13 pan. It really needs to be this big of a pan, or two 8X8's or something (24 muffins perhaps). It ends up making a lot of cake. I got 24 large 'forget about the diet' sized pieces out of this.

 Bake at 350 F for 55 - 60 minutes and then let cool on a rack.

While baking, throw your cream cheese ingredients into the blender and cream together.  I made a double batch because....

1. a regular package of Philadelphia Cream Cheese is 8 oz, not 4, and what am I going to do with 1/2 a brick of cream cheese? I guess I could freeze it...nah...
2. I think the cake is better with the double recipe. It's a nice yummy amount  - not too much...and definitely not too little :)

 Once the cake has nicely cooled, slather it with the cream cheese icing. YUM!

Cut into the non diet friendly servings and enjoy!

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

Five Roses Flour Cook Book - 1970? (pg 94)

INGREDIENTS

• 2 1⁄2 cups Five Roses flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cup sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 cups finely grated carrots
• 1 cup chopped nuts

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven
2. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together.
3. In the large electric mixer bowl combine oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla; beat until light, about 5 minutes.
4. Blend in carrots and nuts.
5. Blend in dry ingredients, 1/3 at a time.
6. Pour batter into greased and floured pan
7. Bake in a moderate oven until top springs back when lightly pressed with fingertips.
8. Let cake stand in pan 10 minutes before removing. 
9. Cool completely on rack.
10. Frost with cream cheese frosting

Rectangular cake pan: 22 cm X 33 cm (9" X 13")
Temperature: 180 C (350 F)
Cooking Time: 55 to 60 minutes
Yield: 1 large cake

CREAM CHEESE ICING (single recipe as shown in book)

Five Roses Flour Cook Book - 1970? (pg 102 )

INGREDIENTS

• 2 1⁄2 cups icing sugar
• 1⁄2 cup butter (softened)
• 1 – 4 oz pkg cream cheese
• 1 tsp vanilla

DIRECTIONS

1. Cream butter and cream cheese together
2. Add in vanilla
3. Beat in icing sugar

Yield: 500 mL (2 cups)

Whole Wheat Tea Biscuits

It's hard to beat tender, flaky biscuits for that melt-in-your-mouth goodness.

I was going to make the tea biscuits in the Purity cookbook, but then I came across the whole wheat recipe.

I'm pretty sure I loved the basic Tea Biscuit recipe in the Five Roses Flour cook book, so it seemed like the place to start. How do I know I loved it? Well, glad you asked! On one of the back pages of the book, I wrote ' Tea Biscuits pg 41'. And yup, it is my 30+ yr ago selfs' handwriting.

Tea biscuits are the ultimate in easy quick comfort food. They have been a wonderful breakfast, snack, and dinner food for me over the years. Yum!

I've made my fair share of basic tea biscuits over my lifetime using whatever recipe I came across, but I don't often switch it up flour wise. Until now. Whole wheat tea biscuits just sound a bit healthier and less guilty feeling when smothered in homemade blueberry-cherry jam. I think this means I can have more than one!

One of the great things about tea biscuits is that they can be made fancy using scalloped cutters, or utilitarian little squares cut from a patted down pile of dough, or cut into sticks - perfect for dipping in soups! It's all yummy in my tummy goodness :)

The texture of these biscuits are not quite the same as regular tea biscuits. They are a bit more dense feeling, but they were delicious with just the right amount of sweetness.

I would make these again, for sure :)

Tea Biscuits (basic)
Five Roses Flour Cook Book - 1970? (pg 41)

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups Five Roses All Purpose Flour
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 1 cup milk or light cream

Variation: Whole Wheat Tea Biscuits

Use only:

• 1 cup Five Roses All Purpose Flour
• 1 cup Five Roses Whole Wheat Flour

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven
2. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. Cut in shortening with two knives or a pastry blender until mixture is the consistency of coarse cornmeal.
4. Make a well in the center of ingredients and add liquid all at once.
5. Stir batter vigorously until it comes freely from the sides of the bowl.
6. Turn dough onto lightly floured board and knead lightly for a few seconds.
7. Roll or pat out to desired thickness*
8. Cut dough with floured biscuit cutter and place on ungreased baking sheet.
9. Bake in a hot oven.
10. Serve immediately with butter and jam or marmalade.

*Thickness of dough: 1 cm (1/2")
Diameter of biscuit cutter: 5 cm (2")
Pan: cookie sheet
Temperature: 230 C (450 F)
Cooking Time: 12 - 15 minutes
Yield: 15 - 18 biscuits

Nut Coffee Cake with Blueberries

There seems to be a lot of blueberries for sale, everywhere! And all at a fairly good price. Between me and my sister, I think we collected more than we really need, so besides freezing them,  I used about a pound to top up the amount of fruit I needed when making cherry jam... I guess it's Cherry Blueberry Jam now. I hope it tastes great!..hope hope and more hope.. even if it's not great, I hope at least edible and somewhat yummy! Jam is a funny thing, you can't really know for sure if it all worked until it's done..  *sigh*... ok..ok, less about jam and more other blueberry stuff! Although...runny jam is great on ice cream!

I love coffee cake, especially when having coffee. It seems like such a civilized thing to do. Like afternoon tea with dainty teacups. But coffee cake and coffee feels more rustic and down to earth. More like a friendly visit with girlfriends instead of a snooty affair. Apologies to afternoon tea drinking / cucumber sandwich eating folks :)

I took this one over to my mom....minus a TINY slice...Thankfully I had better self control than I did when I made the Sally Lunn!  It was yummy, although very cake like and not as dense as I envision coffee cake to be.

I basically followed the recipe as is with the exception of 1 or 2 things.  Ok, 3 things if I'm being honest.

I didn't read 'square pan' until I had already poured the batter into the Bundt Pan. And, well, I kind of decided that I didn't want to only use half the topping, nor did I want to put the topping and blueberries on top - so I followed the basic recipe and just added blueberries along with the first layer of topping in the middle of the batter.

It doesn't mention it in the recipe, but I usually dust fruit with flour before adding them into the batter. So I did that too.

I did have a bit of concern when I put the final bit of topping on. I thought to myself, "How the heck is this going to work...the cake gets flipped, so this is really the bottom", that's when I read 'square pan', which makes more sense based on the directions! 

There wasn't anything else to do, but put it in the oven and hope for the best. And..well, it worked out great! The blueberries and nuts sunk in to the batter a bit while cooking, so it didn't leave a weird sticky mess on the bottom when I flipped it over  :) Yay! I won!

I let it cool for the 10 - 15 minutes they recommend and then flipped it out onto a plate.

I wanted to pretty it up, so I lightly sprinkled it with icing sugar.

I took some pictures, and then off to my mom's house, cake in hand :)  Hahah, they didn't wait long to try it, since when I asked how she liked it later on that day, she said she liked it and that it was still warm when she tried it :)


Nut Coffee Cake with Blueberries
Five Roses Flour Cook Book  - 1970?  (pg 37)

Topping

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup finely chopped nuts
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 3 tbsp butter or margarine

DIRECTIONS 

Combine brown sugar, nuts, and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture is the size of large peas.

Batter (Basic Recipe)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/4 cup Five Roses All Purpose Flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp shortening
• 1 egg - beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2/3 cup milk

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
2. In another bowl, cream together sugar and shortening until smooth.
3. Add egg and vanilla, and beat until mixture is light.
4. Gradually stir in dry ingredients alternatively with milk.
5. Spread half of the batter into greased pan. 
6. Sprinkle half of topping on top.
7. Cover with remaining batter and sprinkle with remaining topping.
8. Bake in a moderate oven.
9. Allow cake to sit at room temperature in pan on rack 10 -15 minutes.
10. Cut pieces from pan and serve warm.

Square Pan: 20 cm (8")
Temperature: 180 C (350 F)
Cooking Time: 30 - 40 minutes
Yield: 1 coffee cake

Variations: Blueberries

• 1 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, not thawed

DIRECTIONS

1. Prepare only half of the topping.
2. Spread batter in greased mould.
3. Arrange blueberries on top and sprinkle with topping

Matrimony Cake, Date Shortbread, or Date Squares?

I love to bake, but I have issues!

In Toronto, I could bake as much as I wanted and then take it in to work. It would disappear lickety-split! But here, in BC, I really don't know anyone and I'm working from home. So...what to make and whom to give it to? Sure, I can pawn off some on my mom - she has a sweet tooth, but eventually I'll end up filling her freezer...or make her go into a diabetic coma! 

My sister and I are trying to lose weight, not gain more...and I'd rather have the calories of a Canadian 67 beer instead of sweets.  Hahah, just sayin'

I can't let that stop me! Tally-ho and carry-on!

Today's choice is Date Shortbread (Matrimonial Cake) from the Five Roses Flour Cookbook. Personally I can see the Matrimonial Cake name being more in keeping with the squares, or as I knew them growing up: Date Squares.

Perhaps I'm wrong, but I've always viewed shortbread as a melt in your mouth biscuit type of cookie or bar...definitely not something with fruit.

Either way, perhaps these Date Square/Shortbread/Matrimonial Cakes will taste like the ones I remember my mom making!

The recipe for the crust is separate from the date filling in the cook book.  The date filling is actually used in quite a few of the recipes, which is why it's separate, I guess :)

So, moving on...

The filling:  Put 1/2 lb dates (chopped finely), 1/2 cup cold water, 2 tbsp brown sugar, grated rind of 1/2 an orange in a small pan,  and cook over moderate heat until thick and smooth. Add in 2 tbsp orange juice and 1 tsp lemon juice. That's all well and good, but not what I did.

I kind of messed up, I was supposed to add the juice once all the cooking was complete, but in my excitement I dumped everything in to the pot. I think it worked though! Also...I think moderate heat is to high as it was bubbling away and I thought it would burn before softening. In other recipes, it says bring to a boil and then simmer, so...that's what I did.  Also...I didn't have an orange, I forgot I ate it hahaha, so I used the zest of 2 lemons instead.  I did however have orange juice, so that part of the recipe is correct.

My filling: Put 1/2 lb dates (chopped finely), 1/2 cup cold water, 2 tbsp brown sugar,  zest of 2 lemons, 2 tbsp orange juice, and 1 tsp of lemon juice in a small pan. Cook on moderate heat until sauce begins to bubble and then simmer, stirring frequently.

I left it simmering for about 5 minutes while I got the dry ingredients ready, then left the filling to cool.

Sift your  1 1/2 cups flour, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 tsp baking powder, and 1/2 tsp baking soda together in a bowl. Then add in the 1 cup of butter.  Make it all wonderfully crumbly using your fingertips. 

Add in the 1 cup of brown sugar and 1 1/2 cups of coarse oatmeal and mix until well combined.

The original recipe called for an 8 X 14 pan, which I didn't have, so I used a 9 X 13. I think it makes the bars quite thin. I think most people who make this probably do it in a 8 X 8 or 9 X 9 pan nowadays. Back in the day..haha, someones day.. not MINE! It was probably a very economical way to make a dessert stretch out for twice as many people and still taste as good.  Perhaps...to make a lot for guests at a wedding, hrmmm...it is named Matrimony Cake after all...  I digress...

Press half the batter into the bottom of a greased pan. I greased, lined with parchment, and then greased again so I could easily remove the cake for cooling.

Spread the cooled date mixture onto the bars. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND using a spatula! I tried with the wooden spoon and it pulled up the crust, and also tried with my fingers..hahaha, bloody mess that was! My sister had to scrape my gooped up fingers off with the spatula, it wasn't pretty! :)  Apologies for the blurry picture.

Press the rest of the dough onto the date filling.  I really do think the 8 X 14 or 9 X 13 is stretching it thin. You can see the filling peaking out!

Bake for 30 - 40 minutes at 325 F and then turn up the heat just to brown at the end. I didn't need to, I baked mine 30 minutes and it was, for me, brown enough..my sister's oven is wonky though. You need to set the dial somewhere around 235 for the oven to heat to 350 F... so, I was guessing a bit to make it 325 F.

I took it out to cool. The parchment helped lift it out onto the rack. Even though it's thin, it looks yummy!

Date Shortbread (Matrimony Cake)
Five Roses Flour Cook Book - 1938 (page 69)

 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2  cups old fashioned oatmeal

DIRECTIONS

1. Sift flour, baking powder, soda, and salt
2. Rub in butter with the tips of your fingers
3. Add sugar and oatmeal, mix well.
4. Spread half the mixture in a greased shallow pan (about 8 X 14 inches) and pat to make smooth.
5. Cover with cooled Date Filling, spreading it evenly, then cover with remaining crumbs, pat to make smooth.
6. Bake at 325 F for 30 - 35 minutes.
7. Increase heat slightly and bake for a few minutes longer to lightly brown the mixture.
8. Cut in squares while hot and allow the shortbread to cool in the pan.

Date Filling
Five Roses Flour Cook Book - 1938 (page 58)

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 lb chopped dates
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• Grated rind of 1/2 orange
• 2 tbsp orange juice
• 1 tsp lemon juice

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook dates, water, orange rind, and sugar in a small saucepan, over a moderate heat until thick and smooth
2. Remove from fire
3. Add fruit juices; mix well.
4. Cool before spreading

 My Note: These are the exact instructions from the book, my modifications are in the descriptive text :) Enjoy!