I have been in a baking mood as the weather starts to cool. Over the past few weeks I've done my great-gramma's ginger thins, linzer "eyes" (the crust part of a linzer torte cut into cookies and filled with raspberry jam), a three layer chocolate cake, and a lot of bread.
Well I took a notion to bake a sugar cake yesterday. If that wasn't bad enough I had company who asked what the difference between a sugar cake and a sugar pie was, so I baked a sugar pie too. OK I sent some home with her, thankfully two of her boys are at home again and can absorb some sugar for her, but dear lord! Where are my stretchy pants?
Sugar cake
1 large or two medium potatoes (in the vicinity of a cup after mashing) a stick of butter, melted a coffee mug of sugar, brown by preference a three finger pinch of salt a teaspoon of cinnamon a cup of milk 2 eggs a teaspoon of dry yeast waterTopping a stick of butter, melted
2 more mugs of sugar, half white so it sprinkles easy a teaspoon of cinnamon a smidge of allspice a regular pinch of saltPeel and cut up the potato and boil it in the water. Reserve a quarter cup of the water. Mash the potato with nothing added. Let it cool. When the water is slightly above room temperature proof the yeast in it. Mash the butter, salt, and cinnamon into the potato. Beat in the eggs then the milk. Stir in the yeast. Beat in enough flour to make a thick smooth batter. Then add enough more flour to make a very soft dough. It should be just to the other side of goopy, very soft and stretchy and will stick to your hands. Set it aside to rise until doubled. IME this rises quite quickly so keep a sharp eye on it. Generously grease one large or two smaller rimmed baking sheets. Grease your hands and dump the dough out onto the sheet(s), turn it so that the top of the dough is greased, then pat it out to cover the sheet. Don't be afraid to stretch it, but if you do it will have to rest a minute before you stretch it again. It should be quite elastic. Let it rise on the sheets until doubled or tripled. Mix the topping sugar salt and spices together very well. With your thumbs or index fingers poke the dough all over. Don't be afraid of it, just dent the heck out of it, if you poke it all the way through that is perfectly OK. Brush the melted butter onto it lavishly, you should have it pooling in the dents. Use all the butter. Sprinkle it over with the cinnamon sugar, you should not see the top of the dough for the sugar. Use all the cinnamon sugar. Bake at 400F for 15-20 minutes more or less. Let it cool for a few minutes, then get it off the pans and onto a rack or a towel so the bottom does not get soggy. Best eaten warm, but cold will do.
Sugar Pie
An unbaked 8 inch pie shell a cup of brown or maple sugar a scant quarter cup of flour a pinch of salt a cup and a half of milk butter cinnamon
Mix the flour, sugar, and salt together and spread it loosely in the pie shell. Pour the milk over all. dot it with butter, sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake at 350F for about an hour. This makes a pie that is a bit sloppy, it is supposed to be. serve at room temperature.
If you want a firmer pie, use a half cup of sour cream instead of the milk. Rub the sugar and flour mix with enough butter to make a coarse crumb, and stir the cream right into it instead of just laying it on top. Reduce the baking time by about a quarter.