A historical bread from The White House cook book; a comprehensive cyclopedia of information for the home .. (1913). This will be found an excellent cake. If wanted for breakfast, mix it and set it to rise the night before. If properly made, standing all night will not injure it. Like all Indian cakes (of which this is one of the best), it should be eaten warm.
Preserved exactly as written in the original source
Mix a teacupful of powdered white sugar with a quart of rich milk, and cut up in the milk two ounces of butter, adding a saltspoonful of salt.
Put this mixture into a covered pan or skillet, and set it on the fire till it is scalding hot.
Then take it off, and scald with it as much yellow Indian meal (previously sifted) as will make it of the consistency of thick boiled mush.
Beat the whole very hard for a quarter of an hour, and then set it away to cool.
While it is cooling, beat three eggs very light, and stir them gradually into the mixture when it is about as warm as new milk.
Add a teacupful of good strong yeast and beat the whole another quarter of an hour.
Have ready a tin mold or earthen pan with a pipe in the centre (to diffuse the heat through the middle of the cake).
The pan must be very well-buttered as Indian meal is apt to stick.
Put in the mixture, cover it and set it in a warm place to rise. It should be light in about four hours.
Then bake it two hours in a moderate oven.
When done, turn it out with the broad surface downwards and send it to table hot and whole.
Cut it into slices and eat it with butter.
Modern guidance to help you succeed with this vintage recipe
Scalding the cornmeal in hot milk gelatinizes the starches, creating a tender, cohesive crumb that would otherwise be crumbly and dry—a technique essential for cornmeal's lack of gluten. The long fermentation with yeast develops complex flavors while the eggs provide structure and richness. Using a tube pan ensures even heat distribution throughout this dense batter, preventing a raw center that would result from cornmeal's poor heat conductivity.
The batter can be mixed and left to rise overnight in the refrigerator (8-12 hours), which is actually the traditional method. Bring to room temperature for 1 hour before baking. The cold fermentation develops deeper, more complex flavors.
Store leftover cake wrapped tightly in plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate for up to 5 days. Reheat individual slices in a 300°F oven for 10 minutes or microwave for 20-30 seconds until warm. The cake can also be frozen, well-wrapped, for up to 2 months; thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat before serving.
AI-generated tips from Chef Cecil's culinary database
The batter can be mixed and left to rise overnight in the refrigerator (8-12 hours), which is actually the traditional method. Bring to room temperature for 1 hour before baking. The cold fermentation develops deeper, more complex flavors.
Store leftover cake wrapped tightly in plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate for up to 5 days. Reheat individual slices in a 300°F oven for 10 minutes or microwave for 20-30 seconds until warm. The cake can also be frozen, well-wrapped, for up to 2 months; thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat before serving.
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