Month: August 2025

Advertisements in Hundred-Year-Old Church Cookbooks

I have several hundred-year-old church cookbooks. All of them contain favorite recipes of individuals affiliated with the church publishing the cookbook. These cookbooks were also created for fund-raising purposes.  The published cookbooks were sold. They also all have advertising sections at the back. Then (as well as now),  selling ads to local businesses increased the profits. A 1925 cookbook compiled by the Sisters of St. Joseph in St. Paul, Minnesota has a page in the book right before the advertisements calling attention to the ads. And, here’s one of the pages which contained ads:

Ads in cookbook
Source: Diamond Jubilee Recipes (1925), compiled by The Sisters of St. Joseph, St. Paul, Minnesota

The Sisters probably solicited ads from members of the church who owned businesses or from vendors who sold products to the church.

Old-Fashioned Coconut Cake

Summer is the season for picnics and reunions – and lots of good food. I have wonderful memories of lovely Coconut Cakes at family gatherings, so when I saw a Coconut Cake recipe in a hundred-year-old cookbook, I decided to give it a try. The cake was delightful, but recipe had two unique features which resulted in this cake being a little different than some Coconut Cake recipes. The recipe called for adding coconut to the cake batter (and not just sprinkling it on top of the frosting). It also called for  a teaspoon of orange extract. The cake is not very large, and works well in a 9-inch square baking pan.

The Coconut Cake was light and fluffy with a bold coconut flavor, and a subtle hint of orange. I definitely plan to make this cake again.

Here’s the original recipe:

Recipe for Coconut Cake
Source: The Daily Argus-Leader Home Economics and Cook Book (Newspaper Supplement), Sioux Falls, South Dakota (1925)

When I updated this recipe, I updated the spelling of “cocoanut” to “coconut.” Cocoanut is an archaic spelling that I often see in hundred-year-old cookbooks, but that is seldom used today.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Coconut

  • Servings: 8 - 10
  • Difficulty: moderate
  • Print

2 eggs, separated

3 tablespoons butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup milk

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon orange extract

1 cup shredded coconut

white icing (I used a buttercream icing.)

additional coconut

Preheat oven to 350° F.  Put egg whites into a mixing bowl, and beat until peaks form. Set aside.

Put butter and sugar in mixing bowl, then beat to cream. Add egg yolks, milk, flour, baking powder, orange extract, and salt. Beat until well-mixed.  Stir in the coconut, then gently fold in the beaten egg whites. Put the batter in a prepared 9-inch square pan. Bake for 30 – 35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool. Frost with white icing, then sprinkle coconut on top of the frosting.

http://www.ahundredyearsago.com