This is my great grandmother's receipe. I thought I would add a note. This is a dense cake and I never bake it in round pans I think it is do heavy to make a good layer cake. I always make a sheet cake out of it. I also usually serve with warm berries and whip cream. I mostly use blackberries and blueberries. I heat them in a sauce pan on low until they start to "melt down" then I add some honey and bring it to a boil. I then thicken it into a sauce with cornstarch. Thought I would add that note! Hope it helps those looking at this recipe.
My 11 year old daughter (a great cook!) made this for her father's birthday cake. She DOUBLED the recipe to get enough batter for 2 round pans and the layers were just the right height. I can see where using the recipe as is would produce very thin layers. She also upped the vanilla a bit, and used lactose-free milk and Smart Balance instead of butter for her lactose intolerant sister. The cake was moist and flavorful, more yellow than white, and great with chocolate frosting and surrounded by strawberries.
I am a 3 time award winning sous chef. A note of advice to others who have rated this recipe, look at the history behind it. I made this cake today for my husbands birthday...and I think it turned out great! I used a melted coating of chocolate and peanut butter and served with fresh strawberries couldn't have asked for better! The cake did not stick, as I floured the bottom of the cake pan. Bottom line is I think it is wonderful, the history behind it is beautiful...and if you want Betty Crocker or Duncan Hines, go to the store. If you want to indulge in a little history...use this a a keeper! :)
I was quite dissapointed with this cake. I set out this morning to make a poke cake for my son's 2nd birthday. I read the previous reviews and made the changes suggested including really greasing the pan so the cake would come out well (still stuck) and I added a 3rd tsp of baking powder to avoid the flat cake problem the others had (still quite flat and heavy). The cake was also VERY brown around the edges (my oven temperature is correct). I will say that the cake had a good flavor but i will not be making this one again. Off to buy a cake at the bakery.
This is a dense cake. It's supposed to be. If you want a lighter cake use cake flour. The ratio is 1 cup and 2 tablespoons of cake flour to every 1 cup of AP flour. I've made this cake both ways and have even mixed the flours. I liked mixed the best. I also add 1/2 teaspoon more vanilla extract because I like it that way. This is a very good recipe. Thanks for sharing it.
I made this cake on the 4th (for my sis' bday) and the whole group loved it. Moist and easy to make- it was an awesome cake!
Alright. I was in a hurry to get a recipe that I had the ingredients for and due to the rating of this cake I didn't read the reviews. I suppose I should have. Mine turned out like others flat and crisp around the edges. Although this could be a decent cake with tweaking it needs so much tweaking that I'm not going to bother. It's less work to find another recipe. It was still edible with a liberal application of icing and blanched slivered almonds but it was still pretty tough. I don't think I'll make this again.
Simple and delicious! I've made it twice and both times I added a little extra almond flavor. The second time I baked the cake I added a fresh strawberry sauce (recipe follows)to the cake fresh out of the oven. I arranged fresh strawberries on the top of the cake and received many compliments not only on the look but especially on the taste! INGREDIENTS: 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 cup water 1 tablespoon lemon juice 3 tablespoons butter or margarine 1 pint basket of strawberries halved DIRECTIONS: In medium skillet mix sugar water and lemon juice. Stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved and mixture comes just to boil. Add butter; stir until melted. Mix in strawberries; heat through but do not cook.
This cake is absolutely delicious and so easy to make. I made it for my daughter's birthday and it was a huge hit!
