Arrow-right Camera
Subscribe now

Corn syrup sweetens flavor in ‘40s cakes

An anonymous reader inquired about a recipe believed to have been published around the time of World War II, when sugar rationing was going on. The recipe used primarily corn syrup as the sweetening agent. We searched The Spokesman-Review’s Dorothy Dean files and found this Sugar-Ration Cake from October 1942 and the following Maytime Cake from April 1942.

Sugar-Ration Cake

From Dorothy Dean Homemaker’s Service

½ cup butter or other shortening

½ cup sugar

1 cup corn syrup, divided

2 whole eggs (separated), plus 2 egg yolks

3 cups cake flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Cream the shortening well, then gradually add the sugar until the mixture is creamy. Add ½ cup of corn syrup, a couple tablespoons at a time, and cream together with the shortening-sugar mixture very well. Add the four egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Sift the flour, then measure and sift together several times with the baking powder and salt. Add the sifted dry ingredients alternately with the milk and vanilla combination.

Then beat the egg whites until quite stiff and gradually add the remaining ½ cup corn syrup while beating. Add to the cake mixture and fold in carefully and thoroughly. Bake in two 9-inch layers at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.

Yield: 1 (9-inch) layer cake

Approximate nutrition per serving (based on 12): 298 calories, 10 grams fat (6 grams saturated, 29 percent fat calories), 4 grams protein, 50 grams carbohydrate, 93 milligrams cholesterol, less than 1 gram dietary fiber, 344 milligrams sodium.

Maytime Cake

From Dorothy Dean Homemaker’s Service

2 ¼ cups sifted cake flour

2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup butter or other shortening

1 cup light corn syrup

2 eggs, unbeaten

½ cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

¼ teaspoon almond extract

Sift flour once, measure, add baking powder and salt and sift together three times. Cream shortening; add syrup gradually, beating well after each addition. Add one-fourth of flour mixture and beat until smooth and well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Add remaining flour in thirds, alternately with milk in halves, beating well after each addition. Add flavoring. Bake in greased 8-inch layer pans in 375-degree oven about 30 minutes.

Yield: 1 (8-inch) layer cake

Approximate nutrition per serving (based on 12): 229 calories, 9 grams cat (5 grams saturated, 34 percent fat calories), 3 grams protein, 35 grams carbohydrate, 56 milligrams cholesterol, less than 1 gram dietary fiber, 315 milligrams sodium.