From cake recipes to breads recipes, My grandmother’s cookbook I inherited has a wealth of delicious cooking ideas.
Faded, cracked, and dog-eared, my her archive of recipes has been in my family for more than 50 years. Luckily, I’ve been gifted it for my own kitchen shelf.
I especially love the section on coffee cake recipes because it reminds me of all those times I had a cup of tea with my grandmother in the kitchen while she served me a slice of one of these famously delicious cakes. The ingredients are simple, the baking even more so, but what makes these coffee cake recipes so wonderful is that they’re made from scratch with your own two hands and a love of love. I’ll add a spoonful of fresh jam, almond butter or a swipe of butter on any one of them – a perfect afternoon treat!
Johnny Cakes
Ingredients:
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 ¼ cups buttermilk
- 2 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter
Directions:
- Mix and sift dry ingredients
- Beat egg, add milk and add to dry ingredients with as little mixing as possible (to keep the batter light and airy!)
- Add cooled, melted butter to mixture
- Turn into a shallow greased pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes
- Cut into squares and serve with jam, or like my grandmother did – maple syrup!
Danish Coffee Cake
Ingredients:
- 2 cups bread flour
- 3 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup milk
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup butter
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup Sultana raisins
Directions:
- Mix and sift flour, baking powder and salt
- Blend in butter and raisins
- Combine sugar, eggs and milk, then add gradually into the dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly so everything is combined.
- Roll to fit an 8-inch layer cake pan, then brush the top with milk or egg white, slightly beaten
- Sprinkle over this a mixture 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar, ¼ cup chopped blanched almonds, and 3 tablespoons of chopped orange peel
- Bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes
Orange Bran Bread
Ingredients:
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 egg
- ¾ cup of buttermilk
- ¾ cup of all-bran
- 2 tablespoons orange marmalade
- 1 ½ cups flour
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Directions:
- Cream butter and sugar well, add in a well-beaten egg
- Add milk and the all-bran into the mixture
- Allow this mixture to stand for 10 minutes
- Add the marmalade and the sifted dry ingredients to your mixture
- Mix enough to blend into a smooth batter with no lumps
- Pour into a buttered (8×4) loaf pan
- Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes