1920's - Roaring 20's
The Roaring 20's roars in with abundance and excess. Electrical appliances in the kitchen make life easier. Champagne cocktails are the rage and finger foods like devilled eggs, tea sandwiches, salted nuts, prawn cocktail and canapés. Cakes were also very popular in the 1920s with red velvets, pound cakes and devil cakes popular.
Quick Raisin Bread
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup molasses
1 ½ cups milk
1 ¼ cups graham flour
¼ cup bran
1 ½ cups white flour
2 tbsp baking powder
1/3 tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp salt
1 cup seedless raisins
Mix brown sugar and molasses and add milk. Add graham flour and bran, then add white flour sifted with baking powder, soda and salt. Mix well and add raisins, beat thoroughly and pour into greased bread tin. Bake 1 ½ hours in a slow oven or at 275 degrees F.
Woman’s Home Companion July 1928
Hot Barbecue Sauce
½ pound butter
2 ½ cups water
¼ cup vinegar
1 tsp mustard
1 tbsp sugar
2 ½ tsp salt
2 tsp chili powder
¼ tsp red pepper
½ tbsp Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon tabasco sauce
2 ½ tsp black pepper
¼ onion, chopped fine
¼ garlic chopped fine
Put ingredients in saucepan, mix thoroughly and simmer ½ hour. Use to baste roast and season barbecue sandwich.
Woman’s Home Companion July 1928
Peanut Butter Soup
1 pint Milk
1 slice onion
4 tbsp peanut butter
2 tbsp flour
Vegetable water
1 tsp salt
Few grains pepper
Scald milk with onion and flour and when well blended, add the scalded milk, stir until thick and smooth, return to double boiler, cover and cook 15 minutes. Before serving add water drained from vegetables, but not more than 2 cupfuls. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Woman’s Home Companion July 1928
Mocha Tart Cake
Separate 4 eggs; beat yolks until very light; add 21 tbsp essence of mocha (espresso powder) a few grains of salt, and 1 cup granulated sugar gradually, beating continually; add 1 cup flour and 1 teaspoon Royal Baking Powder sifted together; fold in stiffly beaten whites of eggs; mix thoroughly without beating. Spread on two well buttered layer cake pans and bake in moderate oven ten to 15 minutes, starting at 300 degrees Fah. And increasing temperature last half of baking to 375 degrees Fah. Whip one-half pint cream; sweeten with one half cup powdered sugar and flavor with mocha essence. Spread between layers and on top of cake.
Good Housekeeping January 1928
Orange Tea Cakes
2 Cups sifted Swan’s Cake Flour
4 tsp. baking powder
2 tbsp butter or other shortening
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp orange rind
1 egg unbeaten
1/4 cup milk
½ cup orange juice
Sift flour once, measure, add baking powder and sift three times. Cream shortening, add sugar and cream together thoroughly. Add egg and beat until light and fluffy. Stir in orange rind. Add sifted flour and baking powder to creamed mixture alternately with milk and orange juice. Beat after each addition until smooth. Fill muffin tins two-thirds full. Bake in moderate oven ( 350 degrees fah.) for 25 minutes. Makes 12 large or 18 small cakes. For variety, cover with frosting containing 4 tbsp of preserved or candied ginger, chopped.
Good Housekeeping January 1928
Kentucky White Cake
½ cup Crisco Shortening
1 ½ cups sugar
3 cups pastry flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup milk
1 tsp flavoring
½ tsp salt
4 egg whites
Cream Crisco and sugar thoroughly. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Add flavoring. Then fold in stiffly beaten egg whites. Turn batter into three well-greased layer cake pans and bake in moderate oven (375 degrees Fah.) 15 to 20 minutes. Loaf cake needs to bake 1 hour or more at the same temperature, according to the size of the pan.
Good Housekeeping February 1928 (from Crisco advertisement)
Georgia Doughnuts
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp Crisco shortening
3 tsp baking powder
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp soda
3 cups pastry flour
1 cup sour milk
½ tsp salt
Beat eggs very light then heat in sugar. Add Crisco. Beat soda into sour milk and add to first mixture. Last add flour sifted with nutmeg, baking powder and salt, adding more flour to roll. Cut and fry in hot Crisco shortening at 350-360 degrees Fah. And turn each doughnut as it rises to the surface. (To make these with sweet milk, follow the same method, but omit soda.) When done drain on soft paper. Makes about 30 doughnuts.