Vintage Butterscotch Cake

I am excited to share this Vintage Butterscotch Cake recipe with you today. It is a recipe I have adapted from a very old cookbook of mine. The Prairie Farmer - WLS Family Tested Cookbook. It is the Centennial edition and was published in 1941 by the Prairie Farmer Publishing company.

It has a red and white gingham patterned cover is filled with lots of old recipes. "Recipes in the Prairie Farmer-WLS Centennial Cookbook were selected to meet the everyday needs of homemakers who plan simple nutritious meals for their families, and who once in a while, want to make a party dish, or serve a crowd."

I love cookbooks like this. They are filled with simple unpretentious recipes. Recipes designed for families. I am sure that our Grandmother's cooked and baked many of the recipes on it's pages, which is why it appealed to me so much.
I was intrigued especially by this cake recipe. It was found in the Desserts Chapter. I love butterscotch anything and the idea of a butterscotch cake really caught my eye. The fact that marshmallows are baked into the top of it really intrigued me! I was not sure what to expect, as there are no photographs, but I really wanted to bake it.

It definitely would not win any beauty contests, that's for sure. It is rather a homely cake, with those crispy baked marshmallows on top. They melt for the most part into the cake batter creating a sticky layer, but the top of them almost create a crunchy meringue topping.
It smelled really lovely when it was baking. Butterscotch was always a favorite flavor in my family. In pudding, in candies and in cakes. My mother used to make some really tasty slice and bake butterscotch cookies that we really loved as well.
She never quite got all of the brown sugar dissolved in them and they would bake into small pockets of butterscotch candy scattered here and there in the cookies. They were the bits that we all fought for!
Dad always had a small plastic tub of butterscotch candies in his top dresser drawer. I used to love to sneak into their room and open that drawer just to sniff. It smelled like leather, and tobacco, and . . . butterscotch. My sister still has that dresser and the top drawer still smells the same. I like to sneak a sniff whenever nobody is looking. It is like a time-machine and always takes me back.

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE VINTAGE BUTTERSCOTCH CAKE
Some pretty standard baking cupboard ingredients for the most part. You may need to go out and buy marshmallows.

1 3/4 cups (173.9g) sifted plain all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup (110g) lard or (1/2 cup (115g) butter)
1 1/2 cups (300g) soft light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup (60ml) water
1 tsp vanilla
2 large free range eggs
1/4 cup (60ml) milk
12 large marshmallows

You will be sifting the flour twice. Once before you measure it and then afterwards with the baking powder and salt.
If you are measuring the brown sugar by cups, pack it into the measuring up. You will know it has been properly packed as it will hold the shape of the cup when you dump it out.
I used butter, but lard is what the recipe originally called for. In the old days people baked a lot with shortening and lard. For some reason people don't really like to use those much these days. Do make sure you cool the fat mixture properly before adding the eggs or you will end up with scrambled eggs.
I use only free range organic eggs and pure vanilla extract.

HOW TO MAKE VINTAGE BUTTERSCOTCH CAKE
This is pretty straightforward. A simple old fashioned cake. You do need to melt the fat and sugar together first, very similar to my Caramel Squares recipe. (about halfway down the page)

Melt the fat together with the water and sugar over low heat, cooking and stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Leave to cool. Stir in the vanilla. (you will know that the sugar has fully melted as it will no longer feel gritty.

Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a 9-inch square baking tin and line with baking parchment. Set aside.

Sift the flour together with the baking powder and salt. Set aside.Dump the melted sugar mixture into a bowl. Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add the flour alternately with the milk, making three dry and two wet additions. Beat until smooth, taking care not to overbeat.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and place the marshmallows evenly spaced over top of the batter.Bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes until the cake tests done in the middle. Take care not to over bake.Cut into squares to serve. Best served and eaten on the day.

This was a tasty cake that had a lovely sticky topping. Do take care not to overbake it. I used butter in mine not lard. The marshmallows kind of melt into the take leaving a sticky top with a layer of crispy marshmallow meringue over that if that makes sense.
This is lovely served warm, cut into squares with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top, or a nice dollop of softly whipped unsweetened cream. It will keep for several days if tightly wrapped, but overall, I would say it is at it's best on the day!

Here are some other really delicious snack type of cakes that we have enjoyed here in my kitchen! You might also enjoy them!

SALTED CARAMEL PEANUT BUTTER SNACK CAKE - This is a particularly lovely cake. Nice and moist with a beautiful crumb due to the buttermilk in the cake batter. Flavored beautifully with peanut butter and brown sugar. The brown sugar also adds to the moist crumb of this cake. A beautiful salted caramel frosting on the top is its crowning glory. It is very similar to the old school Penuche frosting. Altogether this is one very delicious cake!

CRUNCHY TOPPED BANANA SNACK CAKE - A moist and delicious sour milk banana cake topped with a broiled nut and coconut topping. The topping almost tastes like a candy bar. This is a delicious combination and very satisfying. A great way to use up over-ripe bananas!

Yield: one (9-inch) square cakeAuthor: Marie Rayner

Vintage Butterscotch Cake

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 45 MinTotal time: 1 H & 5 MRich butterscotch flavored cake with a sticky marshmallow topping. Best eaten on the day. It makes a lovely dessert served warm with whipped cream or ice cream on top.

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups (173.9g) sifted plain all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup (110g) lard or (1/2 cup (115g) butter)
1 1/2 cups (300g) soft light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup (60ml) water
1 tsp vanilla
2 large free range eggs
1/4 cup (60ml) milk
12 large marshmallows

Instructions

Melt the fat together with the water and sugar over low heat, cooking and stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Leave to cool. Stir in the vanilla.
Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a 9-inch square baking tin and line with baking parchment. Set aside.
Sift the flour together with the baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Dump the melted sugar mixture into a bowl. Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add the flour alternately with the milk, making three dry and two wet additions. Beat until smooth, taking care not to overbeat.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and place the marshmallows evenly spaced over top of the batter.
Bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes until the cake tests done in the middle. Take care not to over bake.
Cut into squares to serve. Best served and eaten on the day.

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