Daffodil Cake

Cook books from the 1950's take their job very seriously. Cooking is not just for fun. It is the job of the 1950's housewife to provide the best meals for her family. This 1953 cook book has a Meal Planner's Creed that ends with: "My family's health, security, and pleasure depend on my skill in planning meals; therefore - I will treat my job with the respect that is due it." It is quite a difference from modern cook books.

The weather has been warm lately so I chose an appropriateyly spring sounding recipe, Daffodil Cake!

Lots and lots of eggs...and a touch of orange.

So many eggs whites. I'm glad I have my standing mixer! But I was so focused on the darn egg whites that I forgot to take pictures. The orange-flavored half of the mix was not very orange-y.

I followed the instructions but I may have slightly overcooked the cake. The recipe did not call for any kind of icing but I added powdered sugar for looks.

The swirl was very subtle but pretty!

This is a very dense cake. The texture was a mix between angel food cake and pound cake. I had to use a serrated knife to cut it and a fork was basically useless. It was spoungey. Just use your hands.

There is not a lot of flavor to this thing. There is so little orange that you can barely tell it's there. It needed something more so I browsed the web and found a simple orange sauce. Yum! Much better!

This cake too more effort than it was worth. I am holding on to the orange sauce recipe but I probably will not make the cake again. It might be good for a trifle but not on it's own. As I said, it could be becasue I over cooked it but I will not be trying to make it again anytime soon.

My Rating: Lots of effort with little results

Friends and Family Rating: "Heavy" "It's okay. Love the sauce."