Christmas Baking

When this time of year arrives, I feel the nostalgia of Christmases past.  I just remember the cakes and cookies my Mom and Grandmother were making.  Hmm, the smell of the kitchen, the joy of the feast to come and the anticipation of parties and family gatherings.   I have fond memories of two special recipes my mom made for us.

Last weekend, while planning a dinner party, I took out my mom’s old cook book to build a menu.  This book contains some of the knitting patterns and recipes she gathered throughout the years.  Sometimes there is no indication on how to proceed; I guess we saw her making them so often that we just know how to make them now!  One thing I realized, the dirtier the page, the more the recipe was made and was popular in our family!

The cakes that were a staple in the festivities, and that she would make each Christmas, were a Gumdrop Cake and a Fridge Cake (Gateau Frigidaire).

Here are the recipes for you to try your hand at some sweets.

Gateau Frigidaire

Ingredients

• 15 big graham wafers crushed with a rolling pin
• 80 small white marshmallows, if you can’t find small ones, use big ones cut into 4 or 6.
• 24 maraschino cherries, cut in two
• ¾ cup walnuts
• 1 can Eagle Brand
• Coconut (she does not say how much to use; I would say about ½ to 1 cup)

Method

• Mix all the ingredients together except the coconut.
• When well blended, divide into about 3, and roll into logs.
• On a wax paper where you sprinkle the coconut, take the logs and roll them in the coconut.
• Wrap in foil paper and place in the freezer for at least 24 hours.

 

Gumdrop Cake

Ingredients

• 1 cup of milk
• 1 cup of gumdrops or 1lb (She would use the bigger ones, but you can use the smaller version). The more colour the merrier except black.  Those you eat while cooking.
• ½ cup of butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• salt
• 1 cup or 1lb of seedless raisins

Method

• Preheat oven to 350F
• Put the gumdrops in milk and leave while mixing dry ingredients together.
• In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time.
• In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients together and fold into creamed. Coat raisins and gumdrops with flour. Stir gumdrops and raisins into creamed mixture.
• Butter a bundt cake mold and transfer the batter
• Cook for 30 minutes (again this is not necessarily accurate, she writes bake for around 30 minutes. I check it at the 30-minute point by poking a cake tester in the cake, then adjust baking time accordingly.

 

When you set this cake on your table it looks like a Christmas wreath!