Snow Cake

I had just finished shoveling snow, came into the house, and sat down to look at our local paper. In it there was a recipe from the Rumford Complete Cookbook from 1932 - Snow Cake. Perfect for a snow day like today, I thought. I would make this for dinner.

I began by whisking the egg whites in my Kitchen Aid mixer until they were frothy. I poured the whites into another dish until needed.

I switched to the paddle attachment and, in the same mixing bowl, I creamed together the butter and sugar, then added vanilla. The butter creams best when it is at room temperature, or slightly softened. I used unsalted butter.

After I blended the flour and baking powder together, I added it to the butter mixture - a little at a time - alternating with the milk and egg whites.

When the batter was ready, I poured it into a greased 8 x 8 inch baking dish. It looked like a buttercream frosting! It went into a 350 degree oven for about 1/2 hour.

The vanilla aroma was amazing as the cake was baking. (I had accidentally added 2 teaspoons - NOT 1/2 teaspoon - and the flavor in the finished product still came out very well.)

This cake would be great with frosting and fresh fruit for garnish. I decided just to use whipped cream and fruit - an organic mix of berries that I thawed while the cake was baking.

Here's the dessert.

Ingredients for Snow Cake:

1/4 Cup butter

Scant 1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla (or more to taste)

2 egg whites

1 and 1/2 Cups flour 

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 Cup milk 

The recipe is a keeper, and one I'll be using again, even when we DON'T have snow to shovel!