Yesterday was hectic, and I hadn’t even selected a recipe to make for this post by mid-afternoon – let alone made it. So when I flipped through a hundred-year-old church cookbook, and saw a recipe for Hurry-Up Cake, I immediately knew that it was just the recipe I needed.
Hurry-up Cake is a moist and tender spice cake – and it’s easy to make (of course). It contains a delightful mixture of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. It’s the perfect cake to make when you’re in a hurry – or when you’re not.
Here’s the original recipe:
Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:
Hurry-Up Cake
1 1/3 cups brown sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup milk
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 eggs
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Pre-heat oven to 350° F. Put all ingredients in a mixing bowl; beat for 3 minutes. Put in a greased and floured 8-inch square pan. Bake until a wooden pick comes out clean (approximately 45 minutes). Frost if desired.
A Hundred Years Ago 
Sheryl, its aroma is enticing even when still in the imagination!
You imagined correctly – The baking cake definitely had an enticing aroma.
Yes, I proved it for myself. Lovely recipe!
It’s nice to hear that you liked the recipe. 🙂
I LOVE old church recipe books!!! This sounds yummy with or without the icing for those with diabetic spouses.
I also love old church and community cookbooks. The people who submit recipes to these cookbooks generally share their favorite recipes – and the recipes are often very tasty.
Yes, and it is fun to see how recipes were written. As a secretary, I also think about the person who was responsible for typing all those submissions.
Wow, I can’t believe that I never even thought about the person typing all these recipes. That would have been big job and accuracy would have been so important back in the days before “backspace” keys. I wonder if there was white-out a hundred years ago.
Leave it to a school secretary to go down that dark path! I wonder about some type of correction tape. There must have been something available. At least I hope there was!
I’m sure the cake is delicious; simple often is. What captures me is your plating, and setting the stage for the photograph. I can visualize sitting at your table. The cake is reflected in the color of the table; the icing in the color of the plate and placemat. The textures in the table and cake reflect each other. The smoothness of the icing and plate mirror. The varied texture and muted colors of the placemat provide interest and engagement. It all invites us to savor that Hurry-Up cake and slow down to appreciate what went in to it, even if it was quickly. Excellent post this beautiful sunny morning here, where thus far, everything has been an inspiration. Thank you for helping the universe construct order and meaning today. 🙂
I love your description of my plating and photo. It give me hope that my food photography skills are developing and improving over time. 🙂
You always make a nice presentation; this one just jumped out at me though. 🙂
The perfect cake…quick and good.
Sometimes simple is best.
Perfect! I love it even before making it or savouring a single slice!
It was delicious.
Simple and good tasting are always a winning combination. Look forward to trying this maybe today- I’m out of milk due to winter storm but have coconut milk on hand so I may try substituting it. Thank you for this great idea!
I hope that you enjoyed this recipe.
That really is an easy recipe! It would be perfect for a kid’s first attempt.
And, I like that the cake is smaller than many cakes (8-in. square), which makes it a nice size for a child learning to cook.
For mixing purposes, this reminds me a bit of the idea behind “dump cakes,” although those usually included a fruit filling, as well.
I’ve heard the phrase “dump cake,” but I don’t think that I’ve ever made one.
I’ve been looking for a simple, old-fashioned spice cake. This sounds lovely!
It is a really nice spice cake recipe. I’ve made many different spice cake recipes over the years – and this one is definitely one of my favorites.
I haven’t made a cake in several years. Christmas goodies seemed to last forever, but now might be just the time to make a simple cake. Thanks for this recipe.
I think that you’d like this recipe.
This sounds delightful!! I’m thinking it is just what I want to make for Easter!!
It would be perfect for Easter.
Yum, looks fabulous, reminds me of applesauce spice cake which my grandpa loved
Yes, it is similar to an applesauce cake (though minus the applesauce). 🙂
Now this is my kind of cake! Especially the hurry part.😀
I definitely tend to prefer easy and quick recipes. 🙂
Love easy recipes like that!
So do I. 🙂
That looks delicious, and so moist.xxx
It was yummy.
It sounds like a spice cake, which I love!
If you like spice cake, you’d like this recipe.
Looks delicious!
I really do enjoy a good spice cake and this quick and easy one would still be a winning recipe for me.
I was amazed how simple this recipe was – yet it turned out really well. Sometimes simple is best.
Looks great – thanks for sharing. Cakes is one of my favorite desserts and I often try to have one on our counter to serve after dinner 🙂
Cakes make a nice dessert.