While looking for a cake recipe for a friend, I stumbled across this and thought others might like to try these variations. I present it as is, so any typos are from my dear friend Ruth, who is no longer with us but leaves behind a great legacy of recipes.
Date: Tue, 27 Apr 1999
From: Ruth
King Arthur's "Cake-Pan" Cake
Following is the entire leaflet that I got from King Arthur Flour about their "Cake-Pan" Cake, which is eggless, and several of the versions can also be made without any dairy products. They use vegetable oil instead of butter or shortening, so they are low in cholesterol, too! These cakes are meant to be mixed in the cake pan, but I mix the batter in a bowl. I find I do a better job of mixing that way. Whatever works for you!
These are great for spur of the moment sweets. I usually just dust with a bit of powdered sugar (using a paper doily for a stencil if I am feeling festive!)
Enjoy!
Ruth
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King Arthur Flour's "Cake-Pan" Cakes
This cake was developed by the King Arthur Flour Company during World War II, when butter, sugar, and eggs were rationed and in short supply.
It is surprisingly rich and moist in spite of its modest ingredients.
This war-time cake recipe has survived the intervening years for several reasons. It can be put together incredibly quickly and easily, (you use only the pan you bake it in, measuring tools and a fork!), it still has no butter and eggs in it which, in view of our growing awareness of nutrition, means no concerns about cholesterol, and it is a terrific cake on its own!!
Once you've learned the knack of putting this cake together, you'll never think of buying a mix. It's so easy to experiment with, you'll find you can substitute ingredients and add little extras to create your own "Cake-Pan" Cake tradition.
King Arthur Flour's Original "Cake-Pan" Cake
1 1/2 c King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour (or, for a heartier cake, 1 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour and 1/2 cup King Arthur Stone Ground whole wheat flour)
1 cup sugar
3 T cocoa
1/2 t salt
1 t baking soda (rub between fingers to remove lumps)
1 t vanilla
1 T vinegar
6 T vegetable oil
1 c cold water (original recipe), coffee (next inspiration), or milk (latest inspiration)!
Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Measure all the dry ingredients into an 8 or 9 inch square or round cake pan. Blend these together thoroughly with a fork and scoop out 3 holes or indentations.
Pour the vanilla into the first hole, the vinegar into the second, and the vegetable oil into the third.
Take the cup of cold liquid; water, coffee or milk, and pour it directly over everything in the pan! Stir all the ingredients together with your fork until they are well blended.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Warm from the oven, the "Cake-Pan" Cake is wonderful with ice cream or just by itself with a big glass of milk.
If you want a layer cake, double the recipe, use 2 cake pans, and frost with your favorite frosting.
"Cake-Pan" Cakes are leavened through the reaction of baking soda, which is alkaline, and vinegar, which is acidic. The reaction, which is quite dramatic, creates carbon dioxide bubbles which expand like hot air balloons when they're exposed to the heat of an oven. This causes the cake to expand or rise. In some of our other "Cake-Pan" Cake variations, we use other ingredients, such as buttermilk or fruit juice, to provide the acid.
You will find that a "Cake-Pan" cake does not readily want to part from its pan. Plan to either serve it right in the pan or grease the pan before putting in your dry ingredients. Shortening (not butter) or a lecithin spray will usually do the trick. The grease doesn't seem to be disturbed when you mix the ingredients. If you use a non-stick pan, it will also make it easier to coax the cake out.
We have had fun experimenting with our "Cake-Pan" Cake and have developed a number of variations. They go together the same easy way as the original recipe, but each is uniquely its own.
In these, as with most of our recipes, you can use King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour and King Arthur Stone Ground Whole Wheat Flour together. The ratio suggested in the recipes below is our suggestion of a good place to start but you can use any combination you choose.
"Cake-Pan" Cottage Pudding
1 c King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/2 c King Arthur Stone Ground Whole Wheat Flour
1 c sugar, white or brown
1/2 t salt
1 t baking soda
2 t vanilla (or 1 t vanilla and 1 t almond extract)
6 T vegetable oil
1 c yogurt, sour cream, or buttermilk, (or milk with 1 T vinegar added)
Cottage Pudding is wonderful with a hot lemon or chocolate sauce!
"Cake-Pan" Cake with a Citrus Twist
1 1/2 c King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 c sugar (or 2/3 cup honey mixed with wet ingredients)
1/2 t salt
1 t baking soda
1 T grated orange or lemon rind (fresh is best but dried will do)
1 t vanilla
1 T vinegar
6 T vegetable oil
1 c orange juice or lemonade (if you use lemonade, don't use the tablespoon of vinegar)
This variation is tasty with a scoop of fruit sherbet or sorbet.
Maple Walnut "Cake-Pan" Cake
1 c King Arthur Stone Ground Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 c King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/2 t salt
1 t soda
2 t vanilla
1 t vinegar
6 T vegetable oil
3/4 c maple syrup
3/4 c buttermilk
1 c chopped walnuts
This is delicious with a maple walnut ice cream and a little warm maple syrup on top.
Spicy "Cake-Pan" Cake
1 1/2 c King Arthur Stone Ground Whole Wheat Flour
1 c brown sugar, packed (this will mix better with the wet rather
than
the dry ingredients.)
1/2 t salt
1 t soda
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t cloves
1/2 t nutmeg (or your choice of other spices)
1 t vanilla
6 T vegetable oil
1 c buttermilk or tomato juice (no vinegar this time; buttermilk or tomato juice do the same job)
1 c grated carrot, raisins, chopped apple, nuts, or whatever strikes your fancy for a final wallop of vitamins and fiber
Tomato juice sounds a bit far out, but it is actually one of the best variations we've tried. It gives the cake depth and accentuates its spiciness.
Tipsy Sherry "Cake-Pan" Cake
1 c King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/2 c King Arthur Stone Ground Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 t salt
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
3/4 c sugar
2 t vanilla
4 T vegetable oil
1 c inexpensive cream sherry (no vinegar this time)
This cake has a wonderful flavor which gets even better if you wait a day before you serve it.
Sands, Taylor & Wood Co., Box 1010, Norwich, Vermont 05055
(802) 649-3881
Dedicated to The Pure Joy of Baking for 200 Years.
