Granny Sielert's Applesauce Cake

 

Growing up in Poplar Bluff, we had some awesome neighbors. One in particular, Granny Sielert, was more like family than just a friend. I was going through some of my mom's old recipes and found one that I hadn't seen before, it is titled "Granny Sierlert's applesauce cake".  You can tell it is an old time one, by the use of lard instead of butter or shortening.   The recipe, like a lot of old recipes, took a bit of deciphering, but this is it. Sounds like it would be a good one.

 

Cream together: 2 cups sugar, 1 cup lard (you can use half butter) and 2 eggs.

Mix together 2 cups unsweetened applesauce with 2 teaspoons baking soda and set aside.

Mix together in a large bowl, 3 cups flour, 1 tsp cinnamon, 2 tsp. cocoa powder, and 1 tsp. salt.

Beat the lard, sugar and eggs together, then add the applesauce, mixture and dry ingredients. Beat in the 1 cup raisins and 1 cup nuts (walnuts or pecans). Bake in a well greased tube pan at 350 degrees for about an hour.  Cool in the pan about 10-15 minutes before removing and cooling completely.  

Imperial Cake

Imperial Cake

This is another recipe that Bea Drury gave to my mom.  It was found on the box of Imperial Margarine and still may be as far as I know.   It was a favorite that my mom didn't bake all that often.  It is a very good one too.

Imperial Cake

1 lb softened Imperial stick margarine

1 lb. Sifted powdered sugar

6 eggs

3 cups cake flour

2 tsp vanilla

Beat the powdered sugar and Imperial margarine together until light and fluffy, then beat the eggs in one at a time, carefully fold in the flour and vanilla. Grease and flour a large tube pan and spoon the batter into the pan. Sprinkle the top of the cake batter with some powdered sugar and chopped pecans if you wish. Bake in preheated oven at 325 degrees for 1 ½ hours. When done, place the pan on a rack and cool completely before removing from the pan.

Bea Drury's Orange Cake

As I have posted before, growing up we had some wonderful neighbors, the Sielerts and the Drurys.   Bea Drury was a Sielert before she married Bill Drury.   (Bill also happened to be my godfather!). Bea worked for the phone company and was always sharing the best recipes with my mom.  The only banana bread recipe that I will ever use comes from Bea.   This is another recipe that she shared with my mom and I consider it the best orange cake I have ever tasted.   Like many recipes from the 60's and 70's it uses a boxed cake mix, it also uses a box of orange gelatin too.   For the glaze you can either used thawed orange juice concentrate or freshly squeezed orange juice.  I like to use the orange juice concentrate for two reasons, you get more orange flavor and it was what my mom always used.  As always, enjoy!

Bea Drury's Orange Cake

1 box orange cake mix

1 small box orange gelatin

¾ cup of vegetable oil

¾ cup water

4 eggs

1/2 can of thawed orange juice concentrate boiled with ½ cup white sugar

(or juice of three oranges boiled with 1 cup white sugar)

Beat the cake mix, gelatin, water and oil together, then beat in the eggs one at a time. Grease a 9x13 inch cake pan and spoon batter into pan. Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for about 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean. When cake is done, poke holes all over the top with a toothpick and then drizzle the hot orange syrup over the baked cake and allow to cool completely before cutting.

Bea Drury's Gooey Butter Cake

Gooey Butter Cakes are a St. Louis specialty.   Some times the cake part is made from scratch, but many recipes call for a box of cake mix.   This was the recipe given to my mom by our long time neighbor, Bea Drury.   Bea is also the one who gave my mom the best banana bread recipe that I have ever tasted.  It is on the blog as well.  

1 box yellow cake mix
4 eggs
1/2 cup melted butter
4 cups powdered sugar
1 8-oz package of cream cheese, softened

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.   Mix the cake mix, melted butter and 2 of the eggs, then pat into the bottom of a heavily buttered 9x13 inch cake cake pan.   Then beat the powdered sugar, 2 eggs and cream cheese until well blended.   Spread over the cake mix mixture and bake for 30-40 minutes.   Cake will be set in the center and golden brown.  Let cool completely before cutting.   If you wish to gild the lily you may sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar, but it doesn't really need it.  

Bea Drury's Banana Bread

Bananas are a tasty fruit and I love them for eating out of hand or in salads, sometimes even fried, but in my mind the best use you can put a banana to is in banana bread. Nothing better than taking a black skinned, soft luscious dead ripe banana and turning it into a delicious loaf of banana bread. The one I grew up eating is the best in my opinion. It is a bit heavy like most quick breads and it has a very strong, yet not overpowering, banana flavor. My mom got this recipe from family friend and long time neighbor, Bea Drury and it was scrawled on a recipe card that was in Mama's old Betty Crocker Cookbook for as long as I can remember. Here it goes:

1/2 cup softened butter
1 cup white sugar or brown sugar (I personally prefer using dark brown sugar)
2 eggs
3 peeled and mashed bananas
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 3/4 cup flour

Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the eggs and bananas. Stir in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Spoon into a greased and floured loaf pan or you can spoon into greased and floured muffin tins. Bake in a preheated oven set to 350 degrees, about an hour and 20 minutes for the loaf pan or until the top is domed, cracked and a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean. It will be a deep brown color. Allow to cool about 15-20 minutes in the pan before removing to finish cooling on a rack. Don't try slicing until it is completely cooled.

Variations: You can but a butter, flour and sugar streusel topping on the cupcakes before baking. Just cut 1/4 cup butter into 1/3 cup flour and 1/3 cup white sugar, until it make crumbs. Sprinkle on top of the batter in the cupcake tins before baking.

I have also doubled this recipe and baked it in a 9X13 inch cake pan and it turned out great! When I've done that I've also put the streusel topping on it and it made a great coffee cake.

When you make it in a loaf pan, if you want a fancy little thing to serve to guests. Slice the bread in fairly thin slices. Make a cream cheese frosting and spread a bit on one slice of the banana bread, then top with a second slice. Cut into halves or quarters. Quite tasty and pretty too!