THE ORIGINAL ‘RECEIPT’

PRINCE CHARLIE CAKE. – 2 cups flour, 1 cup white sugar, ¾ cup butter; rub this up like pie paste and keep out 1 cup.  To the balance add 1 egg, 1 cup raisins, 1 cup sour cream or sour milk, 1 teaspoon soda, a little spice.  Pour the batter in the pan.  Pour the cupful of saved out on the top of the batter; latter serves as icing. – MRS. M.S. MCLEAN, Hopewell, Pictou Co., Nova Scotia.

~Compiled by The Woman’s Department Canadian Farm. Canadian Farm Cook Book.  Toronto: Canadian Farm, 1911.

THE UPDATED RECIPE

• 2 c. sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 c. granulated sugar
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ¾ c. butter
• 1 c. raisins
• ¼ tsp. grated nutmeg
• ¼ tsp. allspice
• ½ tsp. cinnamon
• ½ tsp. powdered ginger
• 1 c. sour milk (to make 1 cup of sour milk, add 1 Tb. lemon juice to a measuring cup, and then fill with milk to the 1 cup line)
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 egg.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Grease a 10-inch square cake pan with butter.

Sift and measure the flour.

In a mixing bowl, combine the sifted flour, sugar and salt.

Add the butter, and cut it into the dry ingredients with a knife; then, using the fingers, work the butter into the dry mixture, until an even texture of fine crumbs is achieved.

Measure out one cup of this crumb mixture, and retain it to sprinkle on top of the cake just before baking.

To the remainder of the crumbed mixture, add the raisins and spices, and stir to blend together evenly.

Add the baking soda to the milk, and stir with a fork until frothy.

Beat the egg lightly with a fork, and add it to the sour milk mixture; stir together to blend.

Quickly add this liquid to the dry ingredients, and beat well with a wooden spoon, until the batter is light and smooth.

Pour the batter into the buttered cake pan, and smooth the surface with a broad-bladed knife.

Sprinkle the remaining cup of crumbs evenly over the surface of the batter.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350F for approximately 45 to 50 minutes, or until a cake tester, when inserted into the centre of the cake, comes out clean.

When baked, remove the cake from the oven, and allow it to cool on a rack for a few minutes, before cutting.

This is delicious served warm; the cake is surprisingly light, and the flavour delicately spicy.  The crusty crumb topping provides a pleasing contrast in textures.

A note from Patricia: When I was reading through this recipe, it seemed “fall-like” and cozy, and I do love raisins and a crumb topping, and so this was next on my list to attempt. However, decided to go a bit sideways with this one, and made half the recipe in muffin tins, and the other half of the recipe I cooked in a small tube pan. For some reason, I wanted to try this in muffin/cupcake form – I imagined running out the door with a cakey-muffin for breakfast along with a travel cup of coffee. I substituted 1:1 gluten-free baking flour for the all purpose flour in this recipe, and it worked out wonderfully. I sprinkled a touch of brown sugar on top of the crumbly topping for good measure, and once these were out of the oven and cooled, I added a drizzle of simple icing (icing sugar + vanilla + milk). The verdict? Deeeeeelicious. I loved all of the spices, and the little bursts of raisins throughout, and the crumb topping gave it an added crispy texture that I adored. Definitely a fall treat!

Crumb Cake.

….mix with hands as for pie.  Take out half cup of crumbs and save for top – 

…put crumbs on top of cake before baking.

it is a good cake.

~handwritten receipt book (author unknown). Date unknown…. but from a LONG time ago.