2011
Granny’s Birthday Cake
Lucky me! I’ve just had a birthday, treated wonderfully by my family, enjoyed an incredible dinner at home and capped a great day with a big slice of my favourite cake, Granny’s Birthday Cake. This is a real cake, substantial yet tender, simple to make but flavourful, and like many of us, is even better as it ages – this is a cake with honesty, integrity and delightful character – much like Jean whose recipe this was. She taught her grand-daughter, Hannah how to make it and my dear friend shared it with me, I hope you will try it and enjoy it!
The ingredients are pretty standard, but the method is unlike any other cake I’ve made before! All of the ingredients, except for two of the eggs, go into the bowl together and are beaten for two minutes! It’s important to have the butter and eggs at room temperature and you can use an electric mixer but I’ve also made this by hand (a good workout!) at the cottage and it was just as good.
I make my own sour milk for this cake, using lemon juice. Just squeeze half a lemon, strain juice into a one cup measure, fill with milk and let this stand for about 5 minutes while you assemble the other ingredients.
After beating the batter for two minutes, either by mixer or hand you add the remaining two eggs and beat another two minutes. The batter comes together beautifully.
Bake the cake in a tube pan, bottom lined with waxed paper or parchment. A trick passed on to me by one of Jean’s daughters, Margie, is to make the cake the day before you want to serve it and once it has cooled, wrap it overnight in plastic wrap and foil, I think this helps the cake to ripen.
What icing to use is always my question and usually my preference is a traditional butter icing, but this year I was in the mood for something a little different and found a wonderful White Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing to use instead. Topped the cake with toasted coconut and had the best of traditional and modern for the birthday festivities! You can find the frosting recipe on Chatelaine’s website, http://food.chatelaine.com/Recipes/View/White_chocolate_cream_cheese_icing. Whether making this for a birthday or just because it’s November, you’ll enjoy this cake!
Granny's Birthday Cake
- 3 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 cup butter, room temperature
- 4 eggs, room temperature
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp lemon extract
- 1 cup sour milk
Cooking Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease and flour a large bundt pan, lining the bottom with waxed or parchment paper.
- Place all ingredients, except 2 of the eggs, in a large mixing bowl and beat for 2 minutes.
- Add remaining 2 eggs and beat an additional 2 minutes.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 1 hour, or until cake tester comes out clean.
- Let cool 15 minutes in pan on rack, then remove cake from pan and let cool completely.
- Optional - wrap cake in plastic wrap and foil and leave overnight.
- Frost as desired.
Sounds great! Happy Birthday!!
Hi dear, this is your FOS, though not sure I like that name. However, wanted to wish you Happy Birhtday again, and to tell you that as I scanned back over your blog, and saw the changes since you began, I felt I must congratulate you on the progress in the blog, the pictures keep getting better, as does the writing.
Pretty impressive!!
Dear Readers
This is a pretty good cake .I used to make it for the Cake Walk at Willow St School and it was always a big hit
Sandra
mmmmmmm. Looks yummy. Is that coconut on the frosting. My fav.
Happy (belated) Birthday, Anne! Keep on cookin’
Anne, happy belated birthday
Your blog,recipes and pictures just keep getting better. Can we look forward to you posting your Christmas fruitcake recipe soon. It is the best.
Georgina
Yes, Georgina, Christmas cake coming, very soon! Cheers, Anne
I’ve been waiting for an excuse to make this so I have decided this is the cake your dear brother will be having next week for his big day! Minus the coconut of course. What do you think about a brown sugar icing?
Hi Charlotte – that cake is perfect for my Big Brother – brown sugar icing sounds delish – would love that recipe sometime.
Anne