Comments on: Breaking news from the White House (Cook Book)…

By: Alaine

Alaine — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 01:09:45 +0000

Made this wonderful cake last weekend and it was delicious! Everyone liked it, light and I didn’t feel like I cheated in eating cake every night! Want to try it with different pudding mixes. I’m a BIG pumpkin fan and can see one with some spices in the batter and a pumpkin pudding. The photos do make we want to bake more. Can’t wait to try the chocolate chip cookies! Thanks so much.

By: Alex

Alex — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 02:03:43 +0000

I also have a very old copy of the White House cookbook and you don’t know how excited I was to find someone else playing with it. This cake looks delicious, I’ll definately give it a try. Thank you!

By: Smriti

Smriti — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 23:10:00 +0000

Thanks for the detailed instructions PJ! I tried this recipe and not only is it tasty but also very simple. Its one of the few things that came right the first time :). I think that has a lot to do with your photo-for-each-step technique. Thanks again!

You’re very welcome, Smitri - glad it worked for you. Sometimes those old recipes, plain and simple as they are, work to a T. - PJH

By: Candace R.

Candace R. — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 02:10:38 +0000

PJ- I too love old cookbooks, actually any cookbook! I was looking in the Yankee Cookbook (Imogene Wolcott) that was a mainstay of my childhood home, for a recipe for rhubarb pie, which I made with peaches instead of strawberrys. Tasted great! Her recipe for Peach Pie, pg.216, tells you to fill the lower crust with the fruit, put on the top crust and bake. Then, when it is baked, gently lift the top crust and pour in a cold filling you’ve made with eggwhites, milk, sugar, cornstarch, etc. I had never heard of this method. Sounds like a lot of work and kind of chancy outcome as to looks of the finished product. Are you familiar with this?

Candace, I’ve heard of pouring heavy cream through the vent hole on top of an apple pie. And the same with Amish peach pie. But I’ve never heard of lifting the whole top crust off. That must be one sturdy crust, eh? Wouldn’dn’t you like to be able to go back in time and see some of these old-time bakers at work? -PJH

By: Joyce

Joyce — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 21:11:18 +0000

I’m going to be making this cake over the weekend. I have high hopes for a wonderful dessert. But a question on the filling. I bought the large size instant pudding, but the box calls for 3 cups of liquid. Should I have gotten the small box or am I just to use less liquid than the box calls for? Thanks for your help.

Hi Joyce,

You can use the big box and make it with 1 1/2 cups cream and 1 1/2 cups milk, and some extra vanilla extract. You will have plenty to fill the layers, and some left over as well. It’s great in creampuffs, or parfaits.

Happy Baking!

MaryJane @ The Baker’s Hotline

By: Vundiliver

Vundiliver — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 03:13:14 +0000

Interest story!

By: Dana Booth

Dana Booth — Thu, 29 May 2008 07:37:25 +0000

Well after seeing this of course I had to go back and look at my White House Cookbook (1964) to see if it was there. Didn’t find it :(. I did see a couple of interesting things tho:

1) According to the editor of this edition, older cookbooks used the term “powdered sugar” not to mean the current confectioner’s sugar, but instead to mean a cone of sugar that has been chopped up and rolled or powdered. Unfortunately it doesn’t say with what.

2) There is a measurement in the Election Cake recipe called a gill (e.g. 5 gills new milk; 1 gill brandy)

If anybody could shed light on either of these, it would be much appreciated!

Here you go, Dana, I googled gill: Unit of volume. Normally taken as a quarter of a pint, it can also be a third or a half pint, especially in conversation. The legal definition is a 1/4 of a pint. The word Gill is pronouced with a hard G (as Jill). -PJH

PJ and all KAF Baker’s Banter folks, thanks for the wonderful info, pictures, recipes, and other banter. I look forward to making this one tomorrow (wish we could eat it then!

By: PJ Hamel

PJ Hamel — Fri, 23 May 2008 02:14:30 +0000

Charlene, I totally agree - it was even better the second day, after being refrigerated, as the book said. Hey, that recipe is in better shape than any other 104-year-old I’ve ever heard of! I love the thin layers; so elegant, yet not at all difficult to pull off, esp. with my best friend in the kitchen, instant pudding mix. : )

By: Charlene S.

Charlene S. — Fri, 23 May 2008 01:31:58 +0000

I made this cake last weekend for my daughter’s graduation party. I made the cake TWICE–first time it didn’t rise as much as i thought it should. Turns out I made TWO mistakes: 1. Didn’t beat the eggs long enough 2. Used a 9 inch pan instead of an 8 inch one!
Good mistake since we had LOTS of extra cake around! It definitely needs to be cut in the thin layers since otherwise the cake is too dry. Served it with strawberries. YUM.. Actually, I think it got even better the second day!
THANKS..love this blog!

By: Gail Cacciatore

Gail Cacciatore — Thu, 22 May 2008 14:18:38 +0000

I can’t begin to tell you how delicious this recipe really is. I didn’t think it would be all that easy to fix, but to my surprise it came out just like the picture. I only had to make one change. The recipe for the custard is just not enough custard to put between the layers. So I doubled it, but had about a cup left over and that was no problem to get rid of in my house. They were putting the left over custard on vanilla wafers with two blackberries on top. The custard was made with half and half and cream, so it was sweet and rich. And I was told by another family member that they hoped this would be my Holiday dessert for this year. I have been purchasing from your catalog and never knew that you had these recipes online. I will surely be watching out for more in the future.
Thank you for a new found dessert that I will be known for in my family now.