Classic One-Egg Cake

A friend of mine introduced me to Grace Livingston Hill books.  These are such great books!  If you enjoy Janette Oke's books then you most certainly will enjoy these.  The book I am reading now is "Enchanted Barn" which was published in 1918.  It is about a young girl who needs to find her family a home for the summer.  She comes across an abandoned barn that she feels has so much potential.  I don't know about you but I would just love to live in one!! 

In the book Shirley discovers the barn.  She sits down to take in the sights and eat her lunch under the tree. 

"She finished the last crumb of the piece of one-egg cake that Carol had made the day before for her lunch, and ran down to the spring to see whether she could get a drink, for she was very thirsty."

I had never heard of a "one-egg cake" before so I started searching.  I found one in my 1968 McCalls cookbook.  YAY! I was thrilled to find this.

There is nothing I enjoy more than my old cookbooks.  I often find myself thinking about the person who cooked from them.  What were they like?  Which recipes were their favorites?  So here is the recipe done my way.

One-Egg Cake

2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup shortening
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Butter and flour a 9 x 9 pan.  This is the first time I've ever done this.  Pretty proud of myself!

Add the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into the bowl of the stand mixer.  Turn the mixer on and let it mix for a few seconds.

Now add the milk and shortening into the stand mixer bowl.  Beat this for about 2 minutes.  Start out on a slow speed unless you would like to wear the flour and sugar. 

Once the mixture is well mixed you will add the egg and vanilla extract.  Beat this for 2 minutes.  You could probably add any type of extract you would like.  I'm thinking about doing orange, lemon or even vanilla nut extract next time. 

Once the egg is mixed in well you need to pour the mixture into your prepared pan.

Place the cake into a preheated 350 degree oven.  Bake for 30-35 minutes.  Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes.  Remove from the pan and let it cool completely before frosting. 

I chose an orange buttercream frosting.  It is so easy to make!  Again you can add any kind of extract you like.

Orange Buttercream Frosting

1/3 cup soft butter
3 1/2 cup powdered sugar
3-4 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 teaspoons orange extract

In the stand mixer beat the butter, sugar, 3 tablespoons milk and orange extract until smooth.  Add the remaining tablespoon of milk if you need it.  I like my frosting to be a little thinner than most so it spreads easily. 

Enjoy!  This was a huge hit with my family.  My husband asked what other kinds of goodies will I be making from this book??  So come back soon to see what is next.