Old booklet helps create cake recipe

Published 9:00 pm Tuesday, June 8, 2004

Another way to make Moravian sugar cake?

What fun. And it’s thanks to Everett cook Phyllis Henshaw, who tells us, “After reading your article a few weeks ago about the Moravian sugar cake, I remember the recipe in a potato booklet I’ve had for about 40 years. In fact, I had sent you a recipe for potato pudding from it a couple of years ago.

“I thought you might enjoy reading this sugar cake recipe. I think I may have made it once a long time ago, but memory fails me as to how it turned out or how it tasted.”

Here’s our chance to find out for ourselves how it turns out and tastes. And, as long as we’re at it, in case you’ve forgotten about or missed out on the potato pudding, here it is again, as originally printed in the Feb. 27, 2002, Forum column.

At the Henshaw household, by the way, this side dish is served with a garlicky pork roast and some dolled-up sauerkraut.

Moravian sugar cake

1cup hot mashed potato

1cup granulated sugar

1cup butter, melted

1teaspoon salt

5cups sifted flour, divided

2cakes yeast

1cup lukewarm water

2eggs, well beaten

1cup brown sugar

About 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Melted butter for brushing dough

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

In large bowl, mix together the mashed potato, sugar, 1 cup butter and salt. Add 1 cup flour. Mix well. Dissolve yeast in water and add to potato mixture. Sift in remaining flour alternately with eggs. Let rise in covered bowl overnight.

In the morning, turn dough out onto floured surface and knead lightly. Place dough in 21/4-by-11-by-17-inch baking pan, patting out to fit pan. Let rise 2 hours.

Press deep holes in dough at 2-inch intervals with thumb. Combine brown sugar and the 2 tablespoons melted butter and fill holes with mixture.

Mix cinnamon and sugar together. Brush top of cake with melted butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar-cinnamon mixture. Bake at 375 degrees 30 minutes.

Kugeli

6large potatoes

1/4small onion, grated

3eggs, well beaten

1cup hot milk

6tablespoons butter, melted

21/2teaspoons salt

Pare and grate potatoes. Drain well. In mixing bowl, combine with onion, eggs, hot milk, melted butter and salt; mix well and pour into well-greased shallow baking pan, about 7 by 12 inches. Bake at 350 degrees 1 hour and 15 minutes.

The next Forum will appear in Friday’s Time Out section.