Now that the Christmas countdown has begun, our thoughts have turned to shopping for gifts, getting out the decorations and lights, making lists for our upcoming parties, and holiday baking.
My mother loved to bake for the Christmas season; when I was growing up, she started early in the fall, making light and dark fruitcakes that she would make, steam, and bake, then wrap in aluminum foil before placing in ceramic pots for six weeks or more, to allow the variety of flavors will merge.
These days, most of us don’t have time to bake cakes that take hours to prepare and six weeks or more to mature to be tasty; I have mum’s small, medium, and large fruitcake pans with their removable bottoms, but I’ll confess I’ve never made fruitcake. But I have made many other recipes of hers, such as her Jelly Bean Cake; This cake is a delicious option for today’s busy cook who still wants to serve special treats to family and friends during the holiday season. For those of you who like grapes, I’m also including a gummy bear cake recipe that not only uses this fruit for added flavor, but also uses applesauce to replace the milk found in most gummy bear recipes. cakes.
If you’re starting your search for recipes to brighten up this holiday season, check back often to see the cakes, cookies, squares, breads, and other treats I’ll be posting in the coming weeks. Who knows, you might find new ‘family favourites’ of your own that you’ll want to pass down to your loved ones one day.
Mommy’s Gummy Cake
1 cup of butter
2 cups of white sugar
4 eggs (drop in one at a time and beat well before adding the next)
1 cup of warm milk
3 cups of flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon
1 ½ pounds gummies cut into pieces and floured with ½ cup of flour.
method
Beat the butter and sugar together. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well each time. Add the liquid and dry ingredients alternately. Add the floured gummies last. Pour the batter into a greased and lined tube pan. Bake 1 ½ to 2 hours at 350°F; cover with foil for the first ½ hour. When the cake is done, remove it from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes in the pan before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Wrap cake in plastic wrap or aluminum foil to retain moisture.
Flora’s Gummy Cake
1 cup of butter
1 cup of white sugar
2 eggs
2 cups of applesauce
2 ½ cups of flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon almond flavor
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 lb. gummies
1 lb. grapes
method
Cream the butter and sugar together. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Add applesauce and dry ingredients alternately. Cut the gummies into pieces. Mix together with the raisins and ½ cup of flour. Add to beat at the end. Pour batter into a greased, lined funnel pan (pan) and bake at 350°F for 2 to 2 ½ hours. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.