Thanks for watching Everyone! *We hope that you are safe, healthy, and that your pantry is stocked with essentials.* The full recipe is in the description box.
Our family made a similar cake my kids loved, vinegar, coffee, cocoa, flour, sugar, salt and vanilla, leavening agent. Covered most food intolerances too, no milk or eggs! Definitely an emergency cake when someone needed a chocolate fix! Topped with butter straight out of the oven, oh my. And things I usually had in the cabinet every month. Have you ever heard of Texas sheet cakes? They are a similar style.
I remember one year our oven broke around my birthday and we didn’t have enough money to get it fixed or get a new one... so mom made me a pancake cake!!! It was cake batter cooked on a skillet and stacked with frosting between the cakes... I absolutely loved it... she made party hats out of the newspaper comics and we played family games (I was five) I remember it as one of the best birthdays ever... somethings are better than money😊
I turned it into a coffee cake, emergency coffee cafe. Add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon to the batter. Then half the batter into a well greased bundt pan, a layer of streusel(brown suger, oatmeal, and pecans) followed the rest of the batter. Bake till the toothpick came out clean.
I'm not set up for most of these: I don't have a mixer, I don't have any cast iron or heavy duty pans, my yeast has a best-before date in 2016 and I need to use 8x as much to get a similar rise, hell I don't even have a proper oven. I've been a wok and ricecooker guy for most of the last 20 years. That and salads. I always used these videos as just a loose guide to mixing flavours... But in the last three weeks I've made No Knead Breads and Banana Breads (from the old Julie Cooks video) in a casserole dish inside a glass convection oven, made my own pasta, cooked a full pilaf in the ricecooker, and baked Mustard Chicken Sausages (couldn't get any actual chicken) in a cake tin... Just having fun and keeping life interesting. My mum came to stay with us for these coming months, so she wouldn't have to be all alone in her house, but boy I wish she could have brought some of her kitchen with her. Too late now though... Thanks Glen and Julie! You've no idea how much these videos are helping us to stay positive; even upbeat.
@@Dyson_Gday_Nice_to_Meet_You That's what I did with yeast that was 5 yrs. past the "exp" date. Worked well enough. I do have sourdough starter just in case.
IDK if you look at old comments but you talking about making something on Sunday and eating 2 days of leftover that by the 3rd day you took that and made something else is how I grew up and my mom (83) still cooks too this day. I can say at the age of 56 I can make a family meal from nothing because of how I grew up. A talent I am thankful for each day. LOL A recipe is a GUIDELINE for you to follow when cooking. I have been binge watching your videos and have been very entertained by them all. THANK YOU for that!
Have not been here for a long time but have been dehydrating foods and such as to preparing for what might to come. Have been looking into Depression era cooking for the future use and now. So glad to see you again and will be watching you again. Looking for a recipe like this.
Love this series and what you are doing. I grew up pretty poor, first generation immigrant kid. So I learned how to cook pretty young helping out my grandma, making broths, stews, breads. Most valuable thing I learned. And now, in times of crisis, I feel a degree of relief and safety knowing I can pull together a delicious meal with limited means. Good information, thank you!
Honestly, watch the video with lemon cake and you want to lick the batter - so I commented such and he said that he did off-camera😂👍👍!! I was jealous! Glen is the real deal! Oh, and when you do watch the lemon cake video - your mouth will water!
My mom use to make cakes and all that and folks always wondered why or how. We did not have a lot of money, to say the least, but we always were fed well and had something special, at least in my eyes. The thought she always said was if there is a small snack to take in after school or chores before we sat for our meals the food went further. You were not rummaging through trying to take what could be dinner later because leftovers changed and would become something new all the time. I still find to this day to find truth in that when I have a full house of folks. Always have something you can serve depending on what comes to the door, a hungry hand, or some news that you need to sit down and listen to. Just tradition I gather for me.
When I was young my mom would melt butter, brown sugar and water in the cake pan, then add this simple one-egg cake recipe in dollops, and bake at 350 for 35 minutes. The sauce filled in all the spaces between the cake dollops with sweet and sticky beauty. We called it Cottage Pudding, and it was sublime! I think I'll make one right now! 🙂
Here in England that method is pretty common, we call it the "all in one" method. Even the queen of baking Mary Berry uses it on occasion. I bake what we call Victoria Sandwich sponge (white cake to you guys) all the time but I've personally never tried the AIO method, I think next time I'll give it a go.
I saw a video reviewing each cake mixing method (creaming, reverse creaming and the all in one) and TBH the difference was to fine for the layman's palate. If you want to win a cake contest maybe you should stick with the tedious methods. But for a traditional cake, the AIO should be the way to go. P.D.: Try to make a Victoria Sandwich with Dulce de Leche filling, and you'll know why in Argentina we crave that precious sweet stuff.
The only difference is folding in the flour rather than beating the batter makes a slightly fluffier cake because you're not developing the gluten as much. This method makes a great seed cake (caraway or poppy).
Family lore: My dad lived during the depression. His family used to spend the summer down the shore(yes, I'm from NJ) and fish, crab, etc for meat. He lived on crabs, lobster and fresh fish all summer, because it was free or cheap. So yea, what is luxury to us now used to be inexpensive. :) Great recipe, btw. Thanks!
My great aunt Dolly made a cake like this for me on the rainy afternoons she was giving me a break from my grandmother. If there was time to let it cool before we ate it, Dolly would slice it into two layers and fill it with a half pint of homemade jam (peach was particularly good). If there wasn’t time for complete cooling, the jam went on the top.
I’m feeling the supermarket pinch too here in Australia, ingredients I want are often not around, I’ve been testing some of your recent stuff in cupboard recipes, been a great way to pass the time. Thank you for doing so many new videos, it’s been a sanity saver!
I make a cake with no eggs, or dairy, mixed in a minute by hand. I can stretch food to feed us for a few days. Even in the 70s food was expensive., we learnt to cook . Now days people treat cooking like a hobby and eat too much convenience food. We don't normally eat out much as we live were all the food is meat or fish based and we have been vegetarian for nearly 30 years. I think we should start teaching basic cooking in schools again. I started my first sourdough starter on Tuesday, made sourdough pancakes with the discard today, served with a little butter and little dark brown muscavado sugar, delicious toffee flavour
I grew up in during the 1970s, and learn to do cook on Sunday, and stretch it out until Wednesday from my Depression era baby parents. We always had a chest freezer. Always had a true garden. We froze our veggies in sauces. Lived in the burbs, not some holler. Whole chicken Sunday. Left over meat for chicken salad on Monday. Carcass used for soup for Tuesday. Left over mashed potatoes for potato pancakes with cheese (fancy!). I guess I'm surprised Dave is like "all the nooos!". I lived this from 1964 to 1982, then I went off to college. My mom made that exact cake, but swirled in a brown cinnamon crumble before baking, and did a hard caramel drizzle on the top. Reason for so much veal, is the farmers couldn't afford to feed to get calvesq to beef market rate during the Depression. My father was shipped off to work on a dairy farm from age from age 7 to 14 every summer (1944-1950). He ate a lot of veal. Are people really this disconnected from cooking their own food? Wow...
I collect old cookbooks. ANd new cookbooks. Just got one from 1824 called the Virgina Housewife. I am impressed with how many baking recipes begin with "Take twelve eggs and..."
I'm not much of a baker usually but I've done 3 of the old cookbook recipes over the last two weeks. They are simple, delicious, and not too sweet. I've really appreciated having some fresh baked goodies during this time and not using up too many eggs and butter! Thanks for the videos!
I know this recipe very well; my grandfather used to make this all the time! He was born in 1896 served in WW1 as cook/baker and when he was released from the army became a cook/baker for the rest of his life. I have all his cookbooks and some are well over 100 years old. I should pull them out and see what I can make. Thank you for the inspiration
I just made this tonight, so easy! I modified the flavor by adding fresh lemon juice & lemon extract, in addition to the vanilla. I used butter as I don’t use shortening. It hit the spot for a sweet-tooth craving. I really, really, really am avoiding going out, so thanks for this.
I’ve been thinking so much lately about my grandmother and her huge pantry that she kept well stocked because she grew up during the depression and WWII rationing. She wasn’t a great cook but she always had something to make and she would do fun things like make tuna salad and then put a smiling face on it with olives, and pimentos.
No cakes or cookies in the house so I gave this a try, I didn't have a sifter, no shortening so I used all butter. This is about the easiest and best non-storebought cake I have had the pleasure to make in this 61-year-old man's life. It came out golden brown slightly sweet. I am going to post to my family and friends on Facebook, thank you, big thumbs up, please keep the videos coming.
So I tried this out, but I used vegetable oil instead of shortening because that's what there was, and it still worked really well. Made a very nice cake.
I love how excited Julie got 😄 The great thing about visiting cakes is that they're so versatile, you don't need to ice them or anything, maybe just a little fruit or chocolate on the top while baking and that's it, but they also dress up great in a pinch. I used to do them in a loaf pan so it'd make a nice slice alongside the coffee or tea. I've been making a big weekend meal to use for weekday leftovers most of my life. At first it was because I got paid on Fridays and I'd better buy groceries before I blow it on something I shouldn't, but by now it's just a lot easier than planning a week's menu, just mix a bit of Sunday's chicken into a bowl of rice and whatever veggie needs to be used up, add a dash of soy sauce, and that's several easy meals until the chicken's gone or I feel like cutting it up for curry or soup. Doesn't need to be fancy here, I ain't runnin a restaurant 😄
drewbster69 love the idea of using a loaf pan. How long to bake? What can I use to substitute shortening? I see he used 1/2 shortening and 1/2 butter. I don’t have any shortening
Glad you ran interference beforehand. When my mom, and aunts( my kitchen), always a place of honor the STAND MIXER. Just want to say thank you for being back the more practical recipes, even the sweets. A very good cake, aka busy day cake, one or two egg cake. Just a light dusting of icing sugar. Peace.
My parents were married in 1929. The depression was very hard on them. For a time, they lived in a cardboard house. Food was not wasted in our house. I was a change of life baby, and didn’t live through that time, but it left a lasting impression on my parents. I really enjoy your Old Cookbook videos.
Melinda Adams: They really made things to last back then. My waffle iron was made in the late 1920’s, my sewing machine (electric) was made in 1913, and my pressure cooker is a newbie from 1948. They’ve all been in continuous use and they all work great.
Sounds like a nice cake to eat with a dish or fresh fruit also. Thanks for sharing this quick recipe that will be so handy to have in the repertoire. Have a Blessed day.
Enjoyed your comment on chickens. We ate pork almost daily when I was growing up, but I remember going to my Aunt's farm and she would make home made chicken pot pie with the old hens. It was to die for, and that's when I fell in love with chicken.
Love your videos Glenn. Yeah, sadly we live in a completely different world now. This will pass obviously but it won't be in a couple months like some people are hoping, more like 1-2 years in my opinion. Thanks for posting videos, it helps all of us stay busy while being at home. People are panic buying and it will get worse with time. And sadly, the poorer countries are having a very hard time because they don't have food or money since everybody is out of work. Hope everybody stays safe and let's hope we get through this as soon as possible.
This recipe is very similar to one called "Busy Day Cake" from an older Better Homes and Gardens cookbook I have. The fact that it turns out so nicely is great - and we often have this as a "snack" cake with no frosting or toppings. And we almost always use butter rather than shortening - that's a taste preference on our part, though it makes for a less fluffy cake.
I used to love that Busy Day Cake when I was younger. Sometimes, my family would have it with a simple powdered sugar glaze on top. And once, I made a version with some ground hazelnuts mixed through and a bit of brown sugar swapped in, for my mom's birthday. The previous year, I had visited Europe and brought back various chocolates from Switzerland with hazelnuts (just as Nutella was starting to gain popularity in the United States), and my mom and I both really discovered a fondness for hazelnuts.
Don’t worry about panicking folks. The immediate situation and the likely longer term effects are what brought me to this channel. I doubt I’m the only one. I’m appreciative of the information that you’re giving. We need to be honest with each other and most importantly ourselves and prepare.
Another example of a recipe that you really can't screw up. It's recipes like these that build confidence and get the creativity flowing, to make something your own by making tweaks here and there. Thanks for sharing Glen! Go Leafs!
I made this cake for dinner this evening. It was delicious! I ate it with vanilla chia seed pudding. I don't buy shortening, so I used lard. I'm running low on butter until my groceries are delivered in three days. It took a full 35 minutes for the cake to bake thoroughly. I have strawberries in the freezer, so I'll make a shortcake in a few days with whipped cream. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
You've got to try "Wacky Cake" (a depression era cake. the point of this cake is that it uses items that you think wouldn't make a cake/ or be able to make a cake with so little) All purpose flour, white sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, vanilla extract, cider vinegar, vegtable oil, 1 cup of water.
That last screen shot of the recipe page from the book: I am fascinated by the “Frosting for Burnt Sugar Cake” recipe but more than that, I want to see the actual Burnt Sugar Cake recipe that is just off screen. Any chance you can make that recipe as well? Or post the recipe somewhere?
I swear my grandma made this cake, or one very similar, SO MUCH. She was born in 1915 in northern Alberta and the Depression really shaped her world view for the rest of her life.
The sad thing is that most people don't even know how to use the ingredients. There are going to be a whole lot of unused yeast packages at the end of this, I'm sure.
I just got done making this emergency cake. The only difference is that I added cocoa powder to make it chocolate. It came out really well. It tasted delicious. I also made a super basic frosting to put on top and it was a big hit in my house. Thanks so much for your videos.
We didn’t have a lot of money growing up. My mom would cook on Sundays for the week. So i do the same thing to stretch food. Both of my adult children do the same thing. Big meals on Sunday, left overs Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday transform into another meal. Friday was sandwiches and Saturday was clean out the refrigerator day. Eat anything that would be too old and freeze any left overs to use later.
Very enjoyable. My mother taught me to mix a pinch of cinnamon with a pinch of sugar, sprinkle over top of batter and then swirl knife blade through batter. Makes curvy lines of cinn sugar through the cake and it's very pretty, also fast and costs almost nothing. Plus you don't have to frost.
I love this recipe! I can imagine my mother-in-law making this (her last name was Hoffman), but I can’t imagine my grandmothers making it. Neither of them had a stand mixer, and were lucky to have the old rotary mixer. One of my grandmother’s had no electricity. They had no inside plumbing or toilet paper! We will make it through this if we are calm and smart, and now we have cake!! Thank you and stay well!!
I've been married 31 years and always wanted a mixer but it's been an expense we just couldn't afford. When the quarantine hit I finally got one as a quarantine gift. =D WHOOT! How have I lived so long without one? It makes life so much easier! Anyway. Will probably make this cake using it. =D
I just tried the recipe and in spirit of the using what you have on hand I substituted oil for shortening and used 8” x 8” pan. Turned out great was very fluffy and took 30 minutes. Good recipe.
i only have an 8"x8" as well, and I was going to up the mixture by 50% - but it sound like you didn't increase anything and it worked great anyway, nice
i'm not a cake guy, but i succumbed to the click bait title, and am glad i did. i really liked the historical info you passed along. i'm 58, and my grandparents really didn't want to talk about the depression much.
Two years later this is my go-to cake recipe. I've doctored it up more ways than I can count. Chocolate chips + nutmeg + cinnamon for a quick coffee cake, or lemon-blueberry, or almond-poppy seed, or ground cardamom and a layer of thinly sliced plums on top. It's a winner every time. I often add a spoonful of Greek yoghurt to the batter to make it extra moist.
Not wisdom in a depression unless it's strawberry season, you have them in your garden, and you don't plan to barter them for something else more important.
I think you should show us recipes that would be different to what we are used to eating today and would change the way we typically think of this era! I am so fascinated with what you said in this video about the different types of meat the recipes were mostly written for and the fact that a lot of the recipes reuse leftovers from a previous recipe. It really gives an insight to 1930s thinking, I would love to see more!
I love it. I open youtube and the first thing I see is "emergency cake" I cracked up and thought well, this is an emergency let's see what it is. Nice looking cake - I'm big on baked goods that don't need yeast still can't get any - its become a running joke here now.
Check youtube for videos on how to make your own yeast. I read an article that used fruit peels left out, yeast settled, then you feed it flour and water. Save a little back each time.
Mom used to make this when I was a kid and I made it for my kids. She made a larger batch an used a 9x13 cake pan. She also made a caramelized coconut icing to put on it. I think it was shredded coconut and some white and brown sugar. She spread it on the pre-baked cake and put it in the broiler to caramelize a bit but not long enough that the icing got hard. Just kind of chewy. Great childhood memory. I haven't made it in years but I might have to now!
Glen, have you considered starting a podcast with Julie? You have a great voice, are very insightful, and I would enjoy listening to you sharing your knowledge or general life chat.
I like to split a plain cake in half horizontally, fill it with jam or lemon curd, and sift powdered sugar over the top. With the right flavor of jam (raspberry or strawberry, maybe apricot) or orange marmalade, you could also top it with a chocolate glaze. I usually sprinkle the insides of the layers with some liqueur or straight-up booze like rum or bourbon.
They'd be cupcakes, Muffins are made using liquid fat. If you cut the top off them, add some frosting then cut the offcut in half and put the 2 halfs back on the frosting like wings you'd have fairy cakes ;)
I've been looking at old WWII rationing recipes, I think that would be a very useful series to do in these times when we might need to stretch limited supplies :)
This is the exact cake my mother used to make. It was one she learned from her mother, and she liked it because you didn't have to be exact with the ingredients for it to turn out fine. She especially liked just dumping everything together in one bowl to mix, as my mother was a bit on the lazier side when it came to baking. But yeah, a lot of great memories growing up and having this for dessert. Some favorite ways she used to change things up with it was making a peanut butter frosting or serving it was a simple lemon curd. Or she'd mix up some jello, poke holes in the cooled down cake, then pour the jello over it to let it soak in and set. That'd get served chilled with some whipped topping and was a special treat, or at least I thought so.
I just made this, and it is delicious. I’m pretty sure that the last time I baked a cake, Neil Armstrong hadn’t walked on the moon yet. I’m definitely enjoying your channel while I’m locked up for my 14 days. Thanks for helping to keep all of us all just a little bit less stir crazy.
Thank you for this. I’ve never been too confident with baking cake, so my skill level isn’t that great. This seems like it has a low margin for error 🤞🏼. My husband loves plain (no frosting) vanilla cake, so I will definitely try this for his birthday next week.
This is something my mother made quiet often. Thank you. You reminded me of her and her cooking. She used Crisco. And later when they came out with the butter Crisco she would sometimes use that too. Again thanks for the memories.
I've been making this for years, I call it ,we call it the one egg cake! No eggs , cook n smash 1 apple, no milk, water down yogurt or use fruit juice, pineapple juice and fresh ginger, oats n cinnamon. Love this
My Mom made a similar cake and we loved it. She baked it in a cast iron skillet and she'd also make it as muffins in her cast iron muffin pan. We never wanted frosting, it's so good.
This looks like the same recipe (or very similar) to my mother's Cream Cake recipe. Mom and Dad had a small dairy and raised their own chickens for eggs. Mom measured everything in a china cup: fresh cream and fresh eggs from the farm!! Thanks for the recipe.
That so much reminds me of my mom's everyday cake. I'm 83 so it was a while ago. We had dessert every dinner (noon) & supper. Meat at all 3 meals, veggies were almost always cooked, salad was rare. Fruits were home canned peaches or pears.
Maybe it is called Emergency Cake because when you get unexpected guests, you can whip this up and bake and have a treat ready, in an "emergency". I am trying this cake today. Thanks.
Made this just now and it goes great with coffee. Used baking soda and cream of tartar as a baking powder substitute since it's been bought out everywhere near me and worked to good effect.
David Stevenson I’m not Canadian, but when I was in middle school they switched from milk boxes to little singe serve bags of milk. It was always a challenge to stab the straw into the bag without making a mess.
Regarding chickens, both my spouse and my father grew up before WW2 in towns, but they both had chickens (and eggs, and fried / stewed chicken) growing up. So it just sort of depended where you were and what you could make do with.
Thanks for the post. Love my old cookbooks, too. My favorite is a hungarian one from the forties. I'm going to share your video on my food for a living Facebook page. Stay safe and eat cake!
Thanks for watching Everyone! *We hope that you are safe, healthy, and that your pantry is stocked with essentials.* The full recipe is in the description box.
I didn't see it there. Am I overlooking it? 🤔
Still no flour in San Francisco! Hopefully very soon. Do you have a flourless recipe?
Our family made a similar cake my kids loved, vinegar, coffee, cocoa, flour, sugar, salt and vanilla, leavening agent. Covered most food intolerances too, no milk or eggs! Definitely an emergency cake when someone needed a chocolate fix! Topped with butter straight out of the oven, oh my. And things I usually had in the cabinet every month. Have you ever heard of Texas sheet cakes? They are a similar style.
@@bboat2564 try turning your ad blocker off, reload and back on. Ublock was nuking it for me for some reason.
My family put a coconut, butter, and vanilla topping which got broiled till crispy..... The emergency is when you leave under the broiler too long!
I remember one year our oven broke around my birthday and we didn’t have enough money to get it fixed or get a new one... so mom made me a pancake cake!!! It was cake batter cooked on a skillet and stacked with frosting between the cakes... I absolutely loved it... she made party hats out of the newspaper comics and we played family games (I was five) I remember it as one of the best birthdays ever... somethings are better than money😊
Great memories. Thanks for sharing
I can feel your 5 year old joy!
What a great creative Mother!!!
Thanks for sharing this beautiful memory!
Why is it that when we improvise we have more fun?
Gosh, I’d love to try that! Glen should try that for his next video!! 🍰
I turned it into a coffee cake, emergency coffee cafe.
Add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon to the batter.
Then half the batter into a well greased bundt pan, a layer of streusel(brown suger, oatmeal, and pecans) followed the rest of the batter.
Bake till the toothpick came out clean.
Corey Grant great idea.
Awesome! Thank you. Saved it.
I literally have a cake emergency at least once a day. Usually the minute I make coffee.
😂👍👍
Same!!
Hot Tea Biscuits ... anyone ?
Same here. LOL
I get ya boi
The relevance of this series is spot on these days, as you've noted. This sort of home economics is so important right now!
I'm not set up for most of these: I don't have a mixer, I don't have any cast iron or heavy duty pans, my yeast has a best-before date in 2016 and I need to use 8x as much to get a similar rise, hell I don't even have a proper oven. I've been a wok and ricecooker guy for most of the last 20 years. That and salads. I always used these videos as just a loose guide to mixing flavours... But in the last three weeks I've made No Knead Breads and Banana Breads (from the old Julie Cooks video) in a casserole dish inside a glass convection oven, made my own pasta, cooked a full pilaf in the ricecooker, and baked Mustard Chicken Sausages (couldn't get any actual chicken) in a cake tin... Just having fun and keeping life interesting.
My mum came to stay with us for these coming months, so she wouldn't have to be all alone in her house, but boy I wish she could have brought some of her kitchen with her. Too late now though... Thanks Glen and Julie! You've no idea how much these videos are helping us to stay positive; even upbeat.
That is terrific! I love how you adapted.
Bravo, pareil ici
I made the Mustard Chicken last night with sausages also. Not a dead bird carcas in sight at my local grocery.
Have you tried blooming your yeast? Get the yeasties going before you use them. Sounds like you are having fun Best of luck. :)
@@Dyson_Gday_Nice_to_Meet_You That's what I did with yeast that was 5 yrs. past the "exp" date. Worked well enough. I do have sourdough starter just in case.
It kind of blows me away that your old cookbook series has become pretty relevant these days
I love old cookbooks, they are a piece of history.
Huge fan of the "old" church cookbooks! Thanks for sharing.
My home was built in 1930, so I collect things and recipes from that year to prepare as a celebration for/with my house. Thanks for dessert!
IDK if you look at old comments but you talking about making something on Sunday and eating 2 days of leftover that by the 3rd day you took that and made something else is how I grew up and my mom (83) still cooks too this day. I can say at the age of 56 I can make a family meal from nothing because of how I grew up. A talent I am thankful for each day. LOL A recipe is a GUIDELINE for you to follow when cooking. I have been binge watching your videos and have been very entertained by them all. THANK YOU for that!
I love how Glen preempted all of the internet pedants on the issue of the stand mixer, haha
I'm so sorry, its just too tempting. I can't resist correcting the spelling of "pedant".
@@xD-jm2ie goddamit, I hate auto correct. Thanks for the pickup
Me after the history - "Sunbeam. She probably had a Sunbeam and it's STILL working." :-)
Pedants gotta ped?
@@LeighIR The Sunbeam stand mixer my grandparents got as a wedding gift in 1940 still works.
Have not been here for a long time but have been dehydrating foods and such as to preparing for what might to come. Have been looking into Depression era cooking for the future use and now. So glad to see you again and will be watching you again. Looking for a recipe like this.
Love this series and what you are doing. I grew up pretty poor, first generation immigrant kid. So I learned how to cook pretty young helping out my grandma, making broths, stews, breads. Most valuable thing I learned. And now, in times of crisis, I feel a degree of relief and safety knowing I can pull together a delicious meal with limited means. Good information, thank you!
You are the only cook I've seen on RUclips licking the beater. All of us watching these videos wants a lick too.
It's true, I appreciated that.
Honestly, watch the video with lemon cake and you want to lick the batter - so I commented such and he said that he did off-camera😂👍👍!! I was jealous! Glen is the real deal! Oh, and when you do watch the lemon cake video - your mouth will water!
Yes, I thought the same thing.
I grew up eating raw batter and I still do at age 72!!!! Best part of the cake.
I thought the same thing. You know the other RUclipsrs lick it off camera!
Admit it Glen, you set up the whole Coronavirus thing just to make your Depression Era recipes series go from "interesting" to "very relevant".
It's going to be very helpful to keep watching and learn it for ww3
We need depression meal ideas more than ever right now.
My mom use to make cakes and all that and folks always wondered why or how. We did not have a lot of money, to say the least, but we always were fed well and had something special, at least in my eyes. The thought she always said was if there is a small snack to take in after school or chores before we sat for our meals the food went further. You were not rummaging through trying to take what could be dinner later because leftovers changed and would become something new all the time. I still find to this day to find truth in that when I have a full house of folks. Always have something you can serve depending on what comes to the door, a hungry hand, or some news that you need to sit down and listen to. Just tradition I gather for me.
When I was young my mom would melt butter, brown sugar and water in the cake pan, then add this simple one-egg cake recipe in dollops, and bake at 350 for 35 minutes. The sauce filled in all the spaces between the cake dollops with sweet and sticky beauty. We called it Cottage Pudding, and it was sublime! I think I'll make one right now! 🙂
Here in England that method is pretty common, we call it the "all in one" method. Even the queen of baking Mary Berry uses it on occasion. I bake what we call Victoria Sandwich sponge (white cake to you guys) all the time but I've personally never tried the AIO method, I think next time I'll give it a go.
I saw a video reviewing each cake mixing method (creaming, reverse creaming and the all in one) and TBH the difference was to fine for the layman's palate. If you want to win a cake contest maybe you should stick with the tedious methods. But for a traditional cake, the AIO should be the way to go.
P.D.: Try to make a Victoria Sandwich with Dulce de Leche filling, and you'll know why in Argentina we crave that precious sweet stuff.
As long as you add baking powder it will work
Barlie Checkwith I'm from UK. Same here
The only difference is folding in the flour rather than beating the batter makes a slightly fluffier cake because you're not developing the gluten as much. This method makes a great seed cake (caraway or poppy).
Family lore: My dad lived during the depression. His family used to spend the summer down the shore(yes, I'm from NJ) and fish, crab, etc for meat. He lived on crabs, lobster and fresh fish all summer, because it was free or cheap. So yea, what is luxury to us now used to be inexpensive. :)
Great recipe, btw. Thanks!
Lots of the cheap/free food became expensive.
My great aunt Dolly made a cake like this for me on the rainy afternoons she was giving me a break from my grandmother. If there was time to let it cool before we ate it, Dolly would slice it into two layers and fill it with a half pint of homemade jam (peach was particularly good). If there wasn’t time for complete cooling, the jam went on the top.
I’m feeling the supermarket pinch too here in Australia, ingredients I want are often not around, I’ve been testing some of your recent stuff in cupboard recipes, been a great way to pass the time. Thank you for doing so many new videos, it’s been a sanity saver!
I am down to 5 pounds of flour and no yeast to be found!!
So happy I found you Glen and Friends, you have kept me busy at home. Finally got yeast, yesterday, first bread ever tomorrow morning.
I make a cake with no eggs, or dairy, mixed in a minute by hand. I can stretch food to feed us for a few days. Even in the 70s food was expensive., we learnt to cook . Now days people treat cooking like a hobby and eat too much convenience food. We don't normally eat out much as we live were all the food is meat or fish based and we have been vegetarian for nearly 30 years.
I think we should start teaching basic cooking in schools again. I started my first sourdough starter on Tuesday, made sourdough pancakes with the discard today, served with a little butter and little dark brown muscavado sugar, delicious toffee flavour
I grew up in during the 1970s, and learn to do cook on Sunday, and stretch it out until Wednesday from my Depression era baby parents. We always had a chest freezer. Always had a true garden. We froze our veggies in sauces. Lived in the burbs, not some holler.
Whole chicken Sunday. Left over meat for chicken salad on Monday. Carcass used for soup for Tuesday. Left over mashed potatoes for potato pancakes with cheese (fancy!).
I guess I'm surprised Dave is like "all the nooos!". I lived this from 1964 to 1982, then I went off to college. My mom made that exact cake, but swirled in a brown cinnamon crumble before baking, and did a hard caramel drizzle on the top.
Reason for so much veal, is the farmers couldn't afford to feed to get calvesq to beef market rate during the Depression. My father was shipped off to work on a dairy farm from age from age 7 to 14 every summer (1944-1950). He ate a lot of veal.
Are people really this disconnected from cooking their own food? Wow...
I collect old cookbooks. ANd new cookbooks. Just got one from 1824 called the Virgina Housewife. I am impressed with how many baking recipes begin with "Take twelve eggs and..."
I always appreciate the history lesson!
I'm not much of a baker usually but I've done 3 of the old cookbook recipes over the last two weeks. They are simple, delicious, and not too sweet. I've really appreciated having some fresh baked goodies during this time and not using up too many eggs and butter! Thanks for the videos!
I know this recipe very well; my grandfather used to make this all the time! He was born in 1896 served in WW1 as cook/baker and when he was released from the army became a cook/baker for the rest of his life. I have all his cookbooks and some are well over 100 years old. I should pull them out and see what I can make. Thank you for the inspiration
I just made this tonight, so easy! I modified the flavor by adding fresh lemon juice & lemon extract, in addition to the vanilla. I used butter as I don’t use shortening. It hit the spot for a sweet-tooth craving. I really, really, really am avoiding going out, so thanks for this.
I have always managed my kitchen at home like I was living in the Depression. Always have and always will.
I’ve been thinking so much lately about my grandmother and her huge pantry that she kept well stocked because she grew up during the depression and WWII rationing. She wasn’t a great cook but she always had something to make and she would do fun things like make tuna salad and then put a smiling face on it with olives, and pimentos.
No cakes or cookies in the house so I gave this a try, I didn't have a sifter, no shortening so I used all butter. This is about the easiest and best non-storebought cake I have had the pleasure to make in this 61-year-old man's life. It came out golden brown slightly sweet. I am going to post to my family and friends on Facebook, thank you, big thumbs up, please keep the videos coming.
So I tried this out, but I used vegetable oil instead of shortening because that's what there was, and it still worked really well. Made a very nice cake.
I love how excited Julie got 😄
The great thing about visiting cakes is that they're so versatile, you don't need to ice them or anything, maybe just a little fruit or chocolate on the top while baking and that's it, but they also dress up great in a pinch. I used to do them in a loaf pan so it'd make a nice slice alongside the coffee or tea.
I've been making a big weekend meal to use for weekday leftovers most of my life. At first it was because I got paid on Fridays and I'd better buy groceries before I blow it on something I shouldn't, but by now it's just a lot easier than planning a week's menu, just mix a bit of Sunday's chicken into a bowl of rice and whatever veggie needs to be used up, add a dash of soy sauce, and that's several easy meals until the chicken's gone or I feel like cutting it up for curry or soup. Doesn't need to be fancy here, I ain't runnin a restaurant 😄
drewbster69 love the idea of using a loaf pan. How long to bake? What can I use to substitute shortening? I see he used 1/2 shortening and 1/2 butter. I don’t have any shortening
Glad you ran interference beforehand. When my mom, and aunts( my kitchen), always a place of honor the STAND MIXER. Just want to say thank you for being back the more practical recipes, even the sweets. A very good cake, aka busy day cake, one or two egg cake. Just a light dusting of icing sugar. Peace.
My parents were married in 1929. The depression was very hard on them. For a time, they lived in a cardboard house. Food was not wasted in our house. I was a change of life baby, and didn’t live through that time, but it left a lasting impression on my parents. I really enjoy your Old Cookbook videos.
My Sunbeam Mixmaster was made in the 30's and is still a workhorse.
Melinda Adams: They really made things to last back then. My waffle iron was made in the late 1920’s, my sewing machine (electric) was made in 1913, and my pressure cooker is a newbie from 1948. They’ve all been in continuous use and they all work great.
my fridge from the 1950's is still going strong. my fridge from 2008 had to be replaced in 2014.
I also have a Sunbeam Toastmaster made on 1954. Still works and is beautiful to boot.
Glen!!! You rock😎👍👍!! Thank you for just being here!🙏🙏
Sounds like a nice cake to eat with a dish or fresh fruit also. Thanks for sharing this quick recipe that will be so handy to have in the repertoire. Have a Blessed day.
Enjoyed your comment on chickens. We ate pork almost daily when I was growing up, but I remember going to my Aunt's farm and she would make home made chicken pot pie with the old hens. It was to die for, and that's when I fell in love with chicken.
Love your videos Glenn. Yeah, sadly we live in a completely different world now. This will pass obviously but it won't be in a couple months like some people are hoping, more like 1-2 years in my opinion. Thanks for posting videos, it helps all of us stay busy while being at home. People are panic buying and it will get worse with time. And sadly, the poorer countries are having a very hard time because they don't have food or money since everybody is out of work. Hope everybody stays safe and let's hope we get through this as soon as possible.
This recipe is very similar to one called "Busy Day Cake" from an older Better Homes and Gardens cookbook I have. The fact that it turns out so nicely is great - and we often have this as a "snack" cake with no frosting or toppings. And we almost always use butter rather than shortening - that's a taste preference on our part, though it makes for a less fluffy cake.
Elise Logan wondered about a substitute for the shortening. Thank you
I used to love that Busy Day Cake when I was younger. Sometimes, my family would have it with a simple powdered sugar glaze on top. And once, I made a version with some ground hazelnuts mixed through and a bit of brown sugar swapped in, for my mom's birthday. The previous year, I had visited Europe and brought back various chocolates from Switzerland with hazelnuts (just as Nutella was starting to gain popularity in the United States), and my mom and I both really discovered a fondness for hazelnuts.
@@knoblob1 4 years later.....could also be applesauce.
Don’t worry about panicking folks. The immediate situation and the likely longer term effects are what brought me to this channel. I doubt I’m the only one. I’m appreciative of the information that you’re giving. We need to be honest with each other and most importantly ourselves and prepare.
I'm 53 and my Mum's made this cake all my life and I now do it too. Easy, tasty and does indeed cover those last minute cake emergencies :)
Another example of a recipe that you really can't screw up. It's recipes like these that build confidence and get the creativity flowing, to make something your own by making tweaks here and there. Thanks for sharing Glen! Go Leafs!
I made this cake for dinner this evening. It was delicious! I ate it with vanilla chia seed pudding. I don't buy shortening, so I used lard. I'm running low on butter until my groceries are delivered in three days. It took a full 35 minutes for the cake to bake thoroughly. I have strawberries in the freezer, so I'll make a shortcake in a few days with whipped cream. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
You've got to try "Wacky Cake" (a depression era cake. the point of this cake is that it uses items that you think wouldn't make a cake/ or be able to make a cake with so little) All purpose flour, white sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, vanilla extract, cider vinegar, vegtable oil, 1 cup of water.
I make wacky cake with my grandson. Frost it with mocha whipped cream. Luxurious!
That last screen shot of the recipe page from the book: I am fascinated by the “Frosting for Burnt Sugar Cake” recipe but more than that, I want to see the actual Burnt Sugar Cake recipe that is just off screen. Any chance you can make that recipe as well? Or post the recipe somewhere?
I swear my grandma made this cake, or one very similar, SO MUCH. She was born in 1915 in northern Alberta and the Depression really shaped her world view for the rest of her life.
My god Glen's pantry is running dry, we're doomed...
You know something is bad when we can't even get the ingredients listed in a depression era cookbook.
Libertarian David - I never allow my pantry to get so low.
The sad thing is that most people don't even know how to use the ingredients.
There are going to be a whole lot of unused yeast packages at the end of this, I'm sure.
Flour, sugar, salt, butter/shortening (Crisco)...?
It was a facetious comment. Don't take it seriously lol
In event of an emergency, bake cake.
Average Joe Hot Rod Show Well, yeah! 😂👍🏼
Yes Amen :) Cake is good.
And put the kettle on.
Except current emergency has left all local grocery stores without flour for almost 2 months now.
Kevin Raber we’ve been fortunate here. There’s not a ton of it on the shelves, but there’s always a bag or two
I love old cookbooks! I have lots of them. Love to cook too.
I just got done making this emergency cake. The only difference is that I added cocoa powder to make it chocolate. It came out really well. It tasted delicious. I also made a super basic frosting to put on top and it was a big hit in my house. Thanks so much for your videos.
We didn’t have a lot of money growing up. My mom would cook on Sundays for the week. So i do the same thing to stretch food. Both of my adult children do the same thing. Big meals on Sunday, left overs Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday transform into another meal. Friday was sandwiches and Saturday was clean out the refrigerator day. Eat anything that would be too old and freeze any left overs to use later.
Very enjoyable. My mother taught me to mix a pinch of cinnamon with a pinch of sugar, sprinkle over top of batter and then swirl knife blade through batter. Makes curvy lines of cinn sugar through the cake and it's very pretty, also fast and costs almost nothing. Plus you don't have to frost.
I discovered this show about a month ago and I just love them. Thank you for making these and for your commentary.
I love this recipe! I can imagine my mother-in-law making this (her last name was Hoffman), but I can’t imagine my grandmothers making it. Neither of them had a stand mixer, and were lucky to have the old rotary mixer. One of my grandmother’s had no electricity. They had no inside plumbing or toilet paper! We will make it through this if we are calm and smart, and now we have cake!! Thank you and stay well!!
I've been married 31 years and always wanted a mixer but it's been an expense we just couldn't afford. When the quarantine hit I finally got one as a quarantine gift. =D WHOOT! How have I lived so long without one? It makes life so much easier!
Anyway. Will probably make this cake using it. =D
I just tried the recipe and in spirit of the using what you have on hand I substituted oil for shortening and used 8” x 8” pan. Turned out great was very fluffy and took 30 minutes. Good recipe.
i only have an 8"x8" as well, and I was going to up the mixture by 50% - but it sound like you didn't increase anything and it worked great anyway, nice
i'm not a cake guy, but i succumbed to the click bait title, and am glad i did. i really liked the historical info you passed along. i'm 58, and my grandparents really didn't want to talk about the depression much.
My grandmother taught me this cake when I was a little girl. She was a teen during the depression.
Two years later this is my go-to cake recipe. I've doctored it up more ways than I can count. Chocolate chips + nutmeg + cinnamon for a quick coffee cake, or lemon-blueberry, or almond-poppy seed, or ground cardamom and a layer of thinly sliced plums on top. It's a winner every time. I often add a spoonful of Greek yoghurt to the batter to make it extra moist.
Wow, Tina! You are very creative! So glad you posted! :)
I'm thinking strawberries drizzled over a slice of that cake.
Wisdom right there. As soon as I saw the crumb I was thinking strawberry short cake.
Not wisdom in a depression unless it's strawberry season, you have them in your garden, and you don't plan to barter them for something else more important.
Or any fruit, fresh or canned.
@@jjudy5869 Canned peaches and some whipped cream would be great.
Jam, thinned and warmed.
Thanks for the recipe. And also, the positive energy and the genuine smile of this woman is what people really need to have in this period ☺️
I think you should show us recipes that would be different to what we are used to eating today and would change the way we typically think of this era! I am so fascinated with what you said in this video about the different types of meat the recipes were mostly written for and the fact that a lot of the recipes reuse leftovers from a previous recipe. It really gives an insight to 1930s thinking, I would love to see more!
I love it. I open youtube and the first thing I see is "emergency cake" I cracked up and thought well, this is an emergency let's see what it is. Nice looking cake - I'm big on baked goods that don't need yeast still can't get any - its become a running joke here now.
Check youtube for videos on how to make your own yeast. I read an article that used fruit peels left out, yeast settled, then you feed it flour and water. Save a little back each time.
so ? Make your own yeast.
Mom used to make this when I was a kid and I made it for my kids. She made a larger batch an used a 9x13 cake pan. She also made a caramelized coconut icing to put on it. I think it was shredded coconut and some white and brown sugar. She spread it on the pre-baked cake and put it in the broiler to caramelize a bit but not long enough that the icing got hard. Just kind of chewy. Great childhood memory. I haven't made it in years but I might have to now!
Glen, have you considered starting a podcast with Julie? You have a great voice, are very insightful, and I would enjoy listening to you sharing your knowledge or general life chat.
Matt A He does have a great broadcast voice, doesn’t he? Puts me in mind of the lead voice for the comedy group The Frantics 😉
excellent explanation on why so many of the recipes used now "expensive" foods. keep up the good work and stay safe
I like to split a plain cake in half horizontally, fill it with jam or lemon curd, and sift powdered sugar over the top. With the right flavor of jam (raspberry or strawberry, maybe apricot) or orange marmalade, you could also top it with a chocolate glaze. I usually sprinkle the insides of the layers with some liqueur or straight-up booze like rum or bourbon.
I switched the flour to cake flour all else the same. It turned out a lot like angel cake. Love this recipe! Thanks!
Wish i had seen this yesterday, my wifes birthday. She got brownies instead because I didn't have what i needed. Thanks for sharing.
Tempting recipe.😍 Thank you for sharing. 💯👍
Hmmm im thinking add choc chips to batter, spoon into muffin tray, easy choc chip muffins :)
They'd be cupcakes, Muffins are made using liquid fat. If you cut the top off them, add some frosting then cut the offcut in half and put the 2 halfs back on the frosting like wings you'd have fairy cakes ;)
dungeonseeker 😀 🧚♂️ I’ve wondered how to get that muffin consistency. Thank you.
Just some chocolate syrup would work for me.
@@dungeonseeker3087 I must admit i've never known the difference between a cupcake and a muffin.. I always just called them all muffins. :)
@@whisperzzar3321 TBH it really doesn't matter what you call them. The important thing is that you enjoy the process and the end result.
I've been looking at old WWII rationing recipes, I think that would be a very useful series to do in these times when we might need to stretch limited supplies :)
This is the exact cake my mother used to make. It was one she learned from her mother, and she liked it because you didn't have to be exact with the ingredients for it to turn out fine. She especially liked just dumping everything together in one bowl to mix, as my mother was a bit on the lazier side when it came to baking. But yeah, a lot of great memories growing up and having this for dessert. Some favorite ways she used to change things up with it was making a peanut butter frosting or serving it was a simple lemon curd. Or she'd mix up some jello, poke holes in the cooled down cake, then pour the jello over it to let it soak in and set. That'd get served chilled with some whipped topping and was a special treat, or at least I thought so.
Thank you for being a constant in these times... I look forward to your videos! 🇺🇸🍁
I just made this, and it is delicious. I’m pretty sure that the last time I baked a cake, Neil Armstrong hadn’t walked on the moon yet. I’m definitely enjoying your channel while I’m locked up for my 14 days. Thanks for helping to keep all of us all just a little bit less stir crazy.
I am so addicted to your show and I turned on some friends to you show. Thank you for making all this content!
Thank you for this. I’ve never been too confident with baking cake, so my skill level isn’t that great. This seems like it has a low margin for error 🤞🏼. My husband loves plain (no frosting) vanilla cake, so I will definitely try this for his birthday next week.
Plain vanilla cake is one of my favorites… My grandmother used to do that, too. She’d has a taste for something sweet, and stir one up…
This is something my mother made quiet often. Thank you. You reminded me of her and her cooking. She used Crisco. And later when they came out with the butter Crisco she would sometimes use that too. Again thanks for the memories.
I've been making this for years, I call it ,we call it the one egg cake! No eggs , cook n smash 1 apple, no milk, water down yogurt or use fruit juice, pineapple juice and fresh ginger, oats n cinnamon. Love this
That would be nice with any fruit even jam or jelly. Looks great, ty!
My Mom made a similar cake and we loved it. She baked it in a cast iron skillet and she'd also make it as muffins in her cast iron muffin pan. We never wanted frosting, it's so good.
This looks like the same recipe (or very similar) to my mother's Cream Cake recipe. Mom and Dad had a small dairy and raised their own chickens for eggs. Mom measured everything in a china cup: fresh cream and fresh eggs from the farm!! Thanks for the recipe.
That so much reminds me of my mom's everyday cake. I'm 83 so it was a while ago. We had dessert every dinner (noon) & supper. Meat at all 3 meals, veggies were almost always cooked, salad was rare. Fruits were home canned peaches or pears.
Maybe it is called Emergency Cake because when you get unexpected guests, you can whip this up and bake and have a treat ready, in an "emergency". I am trying this cake today. Thanks.
I love your measuring cup.
My grandparents got a Sunbeam stand mixer as a wedding gift in 1940 and it still works.
even our stores here are out of cake mix, but this emergency cake recipe is what i needed for my baby brothers birthday. Thanks Glen!
Made this just now and it goes great with coffee. Used baking soda and cream of tartar as a baking powder substitute since it's been bought out everywhere near me and worked to good effect.
I'll never cease to be gobsmacked when your milk comes out of a BAG! :)
David Stevenson I’m not Canadian, but when I was in middle school they switched from milk boxes to little singe serve bags of milk. It was always a challenge to stab the straw into the bag without making a mess.
Regarding chickens, both my spouse and my father grew up before WW2 in towns, but they both had chickens (and eggs, and fried / stewed chicken) growing up. So it just sort of depended where you were and what you could make do with.
Thanks for the post. Love my old cookbooks, too. My favorite is a hungarian one from the forties. I'm going to share your video on my food for a living Facebook page. Stay safe and eat cake!
Great videos, eh? History and great food experiments too. Much appreciated.
I love that there's a recipe called "Emergency Cake". Excellent
Thank you for this. I will be dropping by often.I love how your wife(i guess) comes in every time with big smiles and tasting. Your both brilliant.