Squirrelly Cakes, Premium Member, Says: “This is a recipe from my French Canadian heritage. I debated whether to place the recipe under puddings but it is really more of a custard cake than most sponge type puddings are. It loosely translates to “unemployment pudding” and was popular during the depression when certain ingredients were hard to come by. So folks used up their stale and hardened brown sugar to create a sauce for the cake. In my heritage, the cake has no leavening agent used although you can use about 1 teaspoon baking powder if you wish. There are various adaptations of the recipe but this is how my late mother-in-law made hers. You will see this item on the menu in most French Canadian restaurants throughout Quebec. This makes a cake that is not very high and that is how it is meant to be, hence no leavening agent.”
CUSTARD RECIPE HELP
INGREDIENTS
Sauce:
2 cups dark brown sugar, packed
2 cups water
1 teaspoon up to 1 tablespoon vanilla
Cake:
1/2 cup Crisco Shortening or unsalted butter (1 stick or 8 tablespoons)
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour; spoon into measuring cup and level to rim
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole or 2% milk
INSTRUCTIONS
Sauce:
1. In a medium sized saucepan, place dark brown sugar and fill the pan with water up to about 1 1/2 inches high.
2. Bring to a boil and boil for a couple of minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla, as per your taste preference.
3. Set aside while you make the cake batter.
Cake:
1. Grease two 8 inch square pans. Position an oven shelf to the middle of the oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. On low using paddle attachment, beat Crisco shortening , until light and fluffy. Add white sugar and cream together on low.
3. Add eggs and mix until well blended. Add vanilla.
4. Stir flour and salt together and add alternately with milk until incorporated. Divide between two pans.
Pour half of the hot syrup mixture over each pan of cake batter.
5. Bake about 30 minutes until cake appears golden and tests done in center.
SERVE
Serve from the pan warm or cold, with whipped cream, ice cream or plain.
