Weary Willie Cake

[donna]

Weary Willie Cake was named after a type of Hobo that wandered America after the Civil War. These hobos were war weary veterans from the war, some being deserters, who became drifters.. The cake became associated with them. Charitable groups would feed them or people would feed them for doing small jobs. This was a simple cake made with egg and milk and combined in a cup and then added to a mixture of flour, sugar and baking powder.

One of earliest recipes written down was in 1890. Another recipe for the cake is from "Stevenson Memorial Cookbook", a community cookbook from Chicago, 1919.

"Whites of two eggs broken in a cup; enough soft butter to make the cup half full; fill the cup with milk. Sift one and one half cups pastry flour; one cup sugar; two teaspoonfuls baking powder and pinch of salt. Turn the cup of liquid into dry ingredients, flavor and beat ten minutes.
Bake in rather slow oven in layers or loaf. If well beaten, this is a delicious, fine grained cake."

 

[nitrofd]

Weary Willie Cake was named after a type of Hobo that wandered America after the Civil War. These hobos were war weary veterans from the war, some being deserters, who became drifters.. The cake became associated with them. Charitable groups would feed them or people would feed them for doing small jobs. This was a simple cake made with egg and milk and combined in a cup and then added to a mixture of flour, sugar and baking powder.

One of earliest recipes written down was in 1890. Another recipe for the cake is from "Stevenson Memorial Cookbook", a community cookbook from Chicago, 1919.

"Whites of two eggs broken in a cup; enough soft butter to make the cup half full; fill the cup with milk. Sift one and one half cups pastry flour; one cup sugar; two teaspoonfuls baking powder and pinch of salt. Turn the cup of liquid into dry ingredients, flavor and beat ten minutes.
Bake in rather slow oven in layers or loaf. If well beaten, this is a delicious, fine grained cake."

The use of pastry flour is different or back then it was considered cake flour,as today they are very different.