Holy Cats! This is some swe-e-e-e-t bread! I think I have a sugar buzz. Turns out Poor Man's Fruit Cake is an 1881 version of raisin bread, but denser and more buttery. Kind of like a 2.5-pound donut.
The blackberry jam does form a fun little ring in the center. And I think folks who dig coffee cake would probably find the overall taste quite nice. But for my simple taste buds, this stuff is crazy sweet.
I baked it at 350 for about 60 minutes, by the way. If I wanted to be truly old-timey, I would've made it on a coal (or wood) stove, but thankfully, somebody ripped the coal stoves out of my house about 80 years ago. You can still see the burns on the floor - which is authentic enough for me.
I did "labor joyfully" while making this cake, tearing away from my usual TV/computer distraction for a whole 30 minutes. And afterwards, I can honestly say I felt more peaceful. It was relaxing to mix and pour and make a mess with the goopy dough, and there's definitely a sense of pride that comes from creating something from scratch.
I know exactly what went in it. I had a good time making it. And despite its tooth-rotting, diet-busting credentials, I give this Practical Housekeeping experiment a hearty thumbs up!
2 comments:
Hi Shannon,
Am I your first blog commenter? I found your blog through your website, and I learned of it from The Daily Sauce Sip of Hip that appeared in my email inbox this morning(I figured you'd be interested in knowing that people do read such things). Your "fruit cake" looks delicious! I love old cookbooks like that and am thrilled to have inherited my grandmother's cookbook of handwritten recipes and cuttings and pastings. I'll hope you'll post many more recipes and their delicious looking results.
There are a lot of us who have embraced the simpler life, growing our own foods, canning etc. I suspect many more will come out of the closet once they discover your blog. Good luck with the blog and business.
Pattie
Hi Shannon,
We've met in passing a couple of times. I'm a neighbor from down on Clay Ave. and I found your blog and website (love the bird stuff!!!)on local harvest.
Wow, I love the idea of the Practical Housekeeping blog and I really hope you find the time to continue with it. And I love that there are other (sub)urban homestead wannabes in the area. I want nothing more than to have chickens, but my property is too small.
Anyway, it's great to hear of like-minded people in the area! Keep up the good work.
Best,
Juliette
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