Everywoman's Magazine - April 1952 |
Inspired by the cover of Everywoman's Magazine from April 1952 (doesn't every man have back issues of Everywoman's lying around?), I decided that enough time had passed since my last cake-baking fiasco to give the whole thing another go. I didn't even have to "See pages 50-51 for Everywoman's April Cover Cake Recipe;" all I had to do was flip the magazine over to find a recipe perfectly suited to my abilities (fingers crossed).
I am in love with Technicolor. I find it hard to articulate but in my mind the whole world used to appear in Technicolor. I don't mean that in reference to a popular color palette; I mean that, based on the countless movies I've seen, I would expect that, given the opportunity to go back in time, I would find a world of texture and color much like the advertisement above - saturated but soft, intense but hazy, bold but bashful. I know it isn't so; I know that the colors and textures we this year are the same as yesteryear but it's nice to dream! I figured the closest I'd get to my bold vision of color was a Technicolor cake in the form of Betty Crocker's ColorVision Cake.
Feeling a bit like a hypocrite, having just preached an entire sermon on my preference for scratch cakes, I decided to be true to Betty Crocker circa '52 - prepared cake mix to the rescue! Using one box of cake mix and one box of Jell-O, I followed the instructions to the tee.
I read somewhere that creating an aluminum foil snuggie around the cake pans results in cake layers that are less-domed...I thought I'd give it a shot. |
The original icing recipe is as follows:
The remaining powder from the Jell-O packet
2 egg whites
1 C. granulated sugar
1/8 tsp. cream of tartar (I had to eyeball that one. Is there an 1/8 tsp. measure? If there is, it wasn't on my measuring spoon ring.)
1/4 C. Water
Combine all ingredients in the top of a double boiler and beat on the high speed of an electric mixer or with rotary beater until icing holds stiff peaks. Remove from over boiling water and beat about one minute longer.
That's what we in the business call a "stiff peak." The icing ends up being a frothy hybrid of meringue and marshmallow creme - kind of interesting, kind of unusual. |
So much for the aluminum foil "snuggie" Exaggerated only slightly by the angle of the photo and the hack job I did with the icing, this ColorVision Cake was seriously doming. |
What better to treat you with than candy peach rings? |
If there is a theme, in this instance "processed and peachy," I'll run with it. I served the cake with a dollop of whipped cream and some sliced, canned peaches. |
1. It takes a lot more than a few scoops of powered gelatin to make something a ColorVision Cake. Disappointed with the colors (partially my fault for choosing peach), I added a heck of a lot of food coloring to every step (cake, filling, and icing) and still wasn't amazed by the color.
2. I am not a frosting guy anyway, but the foamy meringue/marshmallow creme thing really wasn't doing it for me.
3. Next time (although I have it on good authority that there will not be a ColorVision Cake next time) get wild. There are unusual flavors, colors, and combinations that can be achieved with Jell-O and I went with something pretty mundane - next time green apple or nothing!
4. Cakes never look as great as they do in the pictures.
5. One should always bake cakes from scratch.
Have you tried any old recipes lately? Have you had any baking disasters/triumphs about which we should know? What's your favorite flavor of Jell-O? Will you give the ColorVision Cake a try? If you do, please let us know how it turns out.
Cheers!
Mr. Tiny
I applaud your efforts at economy and authenticity in the making of this cake. I have my mother's Joys of Jello cookbooks (the original, and the New Joys of Jello). I'm not much for cake mixes, but I'm sorry that jello molds and fancy jello desserts and salads have fallen into such disfavor.
ReplyDeleteThanks Anon!!! I'm with you - thumbs down for boxed cake mixes & thumbs up for Jell-O. I think the reason molded desserts have seen a decline is because they can be tricky. I still haven't gotten the hang of anything more advanced than a single-flavor gelatin mold. Suspending fruit/layering flavors takes a steady hand a watchful eye. I'm going to keep trying!!
DeleteI love vintage color photos. I swear they must have colored them in to get such pretty bright colors.
ReplyDeleteI love making banana bread and home made biscuits from scratch. I love the smell and sense of satisfaction of baking something delicious. If you do the math it's much cheaper and tastier to make things from scratch. Of course, it's always nice to go out to dinner too.
I agree! I think scratch desserts can actually be easier too; if one has a relatively well-stocked pantry, all the necessary ingredients are available and open for a wider variety of options. Hmmmm...is it time for another cake already?
DeleteBy the way, how long past the packing date will Jell-O still make up into successful Jell-O? I mean, roughly, in terms of decades?
ReplyDeleteMaybe it should be thrown into some other project, such as this one. Unless it's had time to become poisonous...
The Jell-O never lasts long enough to test the expiration date at our house. I LOVE Jell-O and eat it fairly regularly. Maybe I'll keep one box around for scientific purposes...
DeleteThanks for sharing. This cake looks great! I especially love the touch with the candy peach rings. I'm going to have to give this recipe a try.
ReplyDeleteYou're most welcome. I would love to hear how that cake turns out! I say go for something really wild - black cherry, blue raspberry, green apple!
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