Dutch treat
Travel back in time for this overlooked cake
ADECADE-BY-DECADE bakebook that highlights the best (and a few of the worst) baking recipes from the 20th century Friends of baking, are you tired of making the same recipes again and again? Then look no further than this baking blast from the past, as B Dylan Hollis highlights the most unique tasty treats of yesteryear.
Travel back in time on a as Dylan shows you how to bake vintage forgotten greats. With a big pinch of fun and a full cup of humour, you'll be baking everything from chocolate potato cake from the 1910s to avocado pie from the 1960s.
Baking Yesteryear contains 101 expertly curated recipes that will take you on a delicious journey through the past. With a larger-than-life personality and comedic puns galore, baking with Dylan never gets old. We'll leave that to the recipes.
DUTCH APPLE CAKE
When many think of old-timey baking, the pineapple upside-down cake invariably comes to mind. So much so that other varieties of upside-down cake are forgotten. This classic Dutch Apple Cake waits patiently to share its warm, caramelised apples set atop a floury spiced crumb with you, and you should feel very bad about denying it the opportunity. Oft-associated with the Pennsylvania Dutch who settled on the East Coast of the US and are wellknown for their apple cakes and pies, this recipe harkens to the broader adoration of fruit-topped “breakfast cakes” during the mid-1920s. When care is taken to arrange the apple layer in a delightful pattern, those seated at your table will sing its praises long before it even reaches their mouths.
Ingredients Bottom layer
2 Tbsp butter, softened cup (110g) packed dark brown sugar tsp grated nutmeg
2 cups (215g) thinly sliced apples (Granny Smith, Gala, or Honeycrisp)
Cake
2 cups (280g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt cup (100g) granulated sugar tsp ground mace (substitute with nutmeg) tsp ground cinnamon cup (115g) butter, cold cup (180ml) buttermilk
1 large egg
Method
Bottom layer: Preheat the oven to 190C.
Liberally rub a 23cm cake pan with the softened butter. Combine the brown sugar and nutmeg, and sprinkle into the pan. Decoratively arrange the sliced apples over this sugar mixture.
Cake method: In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, sugar, mace, and cinnamon. Cut the cold butter into small cubes. Using a pastry cutter or a fork, mash the butter into the dry ingredients until a crumbly consistency is achieved. Beat together the buttermilk and egg, then add this mixture to the dry ingredients and mix lightly to form a lumpy batter. Spoon evenly into the cake pan atop the apples, before smoothing the mixture by pressing gently downward while spreading, as to not unseat the bottom layer. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center can be removed cleanly and the top reaches a golden brown. Immediately free the sides of the cake with a sharp knife if needed, and invert on to a serving plate. Serve immediately with Chantilly cream or vanilla ice cream.
Tip from yesteryear
This cake is best served right out of the oven and eaten warm as, when it cools, it tends to become more moist in the centre.
PB&J CHEESECAKE
The 1980s were a time of celebrated youth. It was the dawn of video gaming, glowing roller-skating rinks, shopping mall hangouts, and frizzy hair. This cheesecake from this fabulous decade captures the sweetness of youth in the flavours of peanut butter and jelly. Historically, cheesecakes were stodgy, baked affairs. But the the “no-bake” took the spotlight in the home kitchen, allowing far more inventiveness and experimentation with a variety of flavours. A sweet and silky peanut butter filling is elevated by the crunch of a graham cracker crust, and a heavenly drizzle of grape jelly seals the deal as a rewardingly merry trip down memory lane.
FOOD Ingredients Crust
11⁄2 cups (165g) graham cracker crumbs 1⁄4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
1⁄2 cup (115g) melted butter
Cheesecake
226g cream cheese, softened
1⁄2 cup (125g) sour cream
1 cup (270g) peanut butter
1 cup (235ml) heavy cream
1⁄2 cup (60g) powdered sugar
1 cup (320g) grape jelly, divided
1 cup (130g) chopped salted peanuts, for topping
Sauce
1/2 cup (135g) peanut butter 2 Tbsp honey
5 Tbsp water
Method
Crust: Preheat the oven to 190C. In a medium bowl, combine the crust ingredients and mix until a uniform crumb is formed. Press the mixture into the bottom, and partway up the sides of a 23cm springform pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack. Cheesecake: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with which an electric hand mixer is to be used, beat together the cream cheese, sour cream, and peanut butter on medium speed until smooth and uniform. About 5 minutes. Set aside. In a separate bowl, again using a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer, switch to a whisk attachment and whip the heavy cream and powdered sugar to smooth, stiff peaks, but do not whip beyond this point. Fold the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture in three additions, folding until uniform. Spread cup of grape jelly evenly over the cooled crust, before turning the cheesecake mixture atop. Smooth top, then spread the remaining cup of jelly over the top. Sprinkle chopped peanuts evenly.
Refrigerate overnight, or a minimum of 5 hours. Gently run a sharp knife along the edges of the springform pan before decoupling and serving.
Sauce: In a microwave-safe bowl, or in a small saucepan over low heat, stir together all the sauce ingredients and heat until a pourable consistency is reached. Decoratively drizzle over top the cheesecake before refrigerating, or serve with cut slices.