A hundred years ago, American Cookery magazine encouraged readers to get their friends to subscribe to the magazine. The magazine offered premiums for securing new subscribers.
Source: American Cookery (May, 1925)
A premium offered in the May, 1925 issue for getting four new subscribers was a cake ornamenting syringe.
Maybe cooks a hundred years ago considered this a wonderful gift; but, in my opinion, the premium doesn’t seem like a very large reward for all the effort that would be involved in getting four people to subscribe to the magazine.
When I saw the cake decorating syringe, I immediately thought of a very similar one that I have – though I’ve always called it a “cake decorator.”
My cake ornamenting syringe once was my mother’s, and she had it for as long as I can remember. I’m now wondering if it is older than I thought, and if my mother got it from her mother.
The decorating tips for my syringe are a little beat up, but it still works great. I used it frequently to decorate cakes when my children lived at home, and I still occasionally use it to pipe frosting, whipped cream, or other similar foods. It brings back wonderful memories of the various themed birthday cakes we made over the years. There was a spaceman cake, a teddy bear cake, and a clown cake, as well as the lamb cake we made every Easter.
Layer cakes with a filling between the layers were very popular a hundred years ago. Modern cookbooks often have a few frosting recipes and maybe one or two cake filling recipes at the end of the Cake chapter, but some old cookbooks have so many filling and frosting recipes that they have a separate chapter for them. For example, a 1925 cookbook, the Rumford Complete Cookbook, has a chapter titled Cake Fillings, Frostings, and Icings. There are eleven cake filling recipes including Fig Filling, Maple Filling, Orange and Walnut Filling, Orange and Coconut Filling, Mocha Filling, Marshmallow Filling, Prune Almond Filling, and Caramel Nut Filling.
All the fillings looked either intriguing or tasty, but I only wanted to make one cake, so I had to pick one. Some of the fruit fillings tempted me, but in the end I decided to make Caramel Nut Filling. I thought that a white cake would work well with this filling, so I flipped back to the Cake chapter and found a recipe for White Layer Cake.
After I assembled the cake with the filling in the middle, I iced it with a Buttercream Frosting. There were no Buttercream Frosting recipes in the Rumford Complete Cookbook. I guess that the author assumed that cooks knew how to make it without a recipe.
The cake was excellent. The cake itself was moist, light, and tender with a delicate vanilla flavor. The filling was a lovely fusion of a rich caramel and crunchy nuts. (I used walnuts.)
Here’s the original cake recipe:
Source: Rumford Complete Cook Book (1925)
The recipe does not specify which type of “flavoring extract” should be used. I used vanilla. The old recipe says to bake the cake for about twenty minutes. I baked the cake at 350° F. and it actually took about 25-30 minutes until a wooden pick inserted in the center came out clean.
Here’s the original Caramel Nut Filling recipe:
Source: Rumford Complete Cook Book (1925)
When I read the Caramel Nut Filling recipe, I was not sure what it meant when it said to cook the cream and sugar “till they begin to thicken.” I interpreted it to mean to cook it until it reached the soft ball stage (235° F.). This worked fine, and the filling turned out well.
Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans; line with waxed paper or parchment paper, then grease again and lightly flour.
Put egg whites into a mixing bowl, and beat until peaks form. Set aside.
Put butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl, then beat to cream. Add milk and vanilla, then add the baking powder, salt, and flour. Beat until well-mixed. Gently fold in the beaten egg whites. Pour half of the batter into each of the two cake pans.
Bake the layers for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pans. Cool the layers before assembling the cake.
Trim cake layers if needed to make even, then put a cake layer on a plate. Spread with the Caramel Nut Filling, and then top with the other layer. If desired, frost the cake. (I used a Buttercream Icing.)
Caramel Nut Filling
1 cup half and half
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup nuts, coarsely chopped (I used walnuts.)
Put the half and half and the brown sugar in a saucepan. Stir to combine, bring to a boil using medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer gently until the mixture reaches the soft ball stage (235° F.). Remove from the heat and stir in the chopped nuts. Spread between the layers of cake.
