Comments on: Breaking news from the White House (Cook Book)…

By: ruben dabdoub a.

ruben dabdoub a. — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 20:41:19 +0000

i have the same cook book and my friends ask me where to find an original book or a copy i will apreciate your help, thank you
That’s a tough question. Keep checking old bookstores. You might find it on ebay sometime. Good luck in your search.

Hi Ruben: go to www.bn.com, and check the used and out of print book section - they have copies of The White House Cookbook, dating back to 1913, for less than $10. Good luck - PJH

By: Eric Janvrin

Eric Janvrin — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 11:45:14 +0000

I made this cake yesterday (two batches - I was making it for a small club my wife belongs to) and can echo all the comments here - I am new to layer cakes and found slicing the thin cakes challenging, so I increased the cake ingredients by 33 percent (went from 1-1/2 cups flour to 2 cups flour, etc.) in the second batch. The biggest challenge was the vanilla extract and almond extract amounts came out to 1-1/3 teaspoon and 1/3 teaspoon, so I just used 1/4 teaspoon measure and deliberately overfilled those measures, letting some liquid spill into the batter while measuring. Since I was adding another 1/2 cup of flour, I used 1/2 cup King Arthur Traditional Whole Wheat Flour in combination with 1-1/2 cup all purpose flour. This made a very similar cake to the first batch, the thicker cake was just easier for me to cut into layers. We served it with strawberries on the side, and it was a hit! I am never fearful trying a King Arthur Flour recipe - the directions are very clear and I can follow them easily. Anytime there have been problems, I can re-read the recipe and quickly figure out my mis-step, and even my mistakes have been edible (and usually still very tasty!). My wife has given me the King Arthur Whole Grain Baking cookbook, and I am enjoying trying some of those recipes - I made the Fresh Berry Tiramisu, and received rave reviews on it! Thanks for an interesting recipe makeover story, and an introduction to Washington Pie!

Kudos to you, Eric, for teaching yourself to bake. It’s a WONDERFUL, imaginative, giving pastime… and as you say, even the “mistakes” are tasty. And congrats on the fancy math making a thicker cake… Have fun- PJH

By: Alaine

Alaine — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 01:09:45 +0000

Made this wonderful cake last weekend and it was delicious! Everyone liked it, light and I didn’t feel like I cheated in eating cake every night! Want to try it with different pudding mixes. I’m a BIG pumpkin fan and can see one with some spices in the batter and a pumpkin pudding. The photos do make we want to bake more. Can’t wait to try the chocolate chip cookies! Thanks so much.

By: Alex

Alex — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 02:03:43 +0000

I also have a very old copy of the White House cookbook and you don’t know how excited I was to find someone else playing with it. This cake looks delicious, I’ll definately give it a try. Thank you!

By: Smriti

Smriti — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 23:10:00 +0000

Thanks for the detailed instructions PJ! I tried this recipe and not only is it tasty but also very simple. Its one of the few things that came right the first time :). I think that has a lot to do with your photo-for-each-step technique. Thanks again!

You’re very welcome, Smitri - glad it worked for you. Sometimes those old recipes, plain and simple as they are, work to a T. - PJH

By: Candace R.

Candace R. — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 02:10:38 +0000

PJ- I too love old cookbooks, actually any cookbook! I was looking in the Yankee Cookbook (Imogene Wolcott) that was a mainstay of my childhood home, for a recipe for rhubarb pie, which I made with peaches instead of strawberrys. Tasted great! Her recipe for Peach Pie, pg.216, tells you to fill the lower crust with the fruit, put on the top crust and bake. Then, when it is baked, gently lift the top crust and pour in a cold filling you’ve made with eggwhites, milk, sugar, cornstarch, etc. I had never heard of this method. Sounds like a lot of work and kind of chancy outcome as to looks of the finished product. Are you familiar with this?

Candace, I’ve heard of pouring heavy cream through the vent hole on top of an apple pie. And the same with Amish peach pie. But I’ve never heard of lifting the whole top crust off. That must be one sturdy crust, eh? Wouldn’dn’t you like to be able to go back in time and see some of these old-time bakers at work? -PJH

By: Joyce

Joyce — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 21:11:18 +0000

I’m going to be making this cake over the weekend. I have high hopes for a wonderful dessert. But a question on the filling. I bought the large size instant pudding, but the box calls for 3 cups of liquid. Should I have gotten the small box or am I just to use less liquid than the box calls for? Thanks for your help.

Hi Joyce,

You can use the big box and make it with 1 1/2 cups cream and 1 1/2 cups milk, and some extra vanilla extract. You will have plenty to fill the layers, and some left over as well. It’s great in creampuffs, or parfaits.

Happy Baking!

MaryJane @ The Baker’s Hotline

By: Vundiliver

Vundiliver — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 03:13:14 +0000

Interest story!

By: Dana Booth

Dana Booth — Thu, 29 May 2008 07:37:25 +0000

Well after seeing this of course I had to go back and look at my White House Cookbook (1964) to see if it was there. Didn’t find it :(. I did see a couple of interesting things tho:

1) According to the editor of this edition, older cookbooks used the term “powdered sugar” not to mean the current confectioner’s sugar, but instead to mean a cone of sugar that has been chopped up and rolled or powdered. Unfortunately it doesn’t say with what.

2) There is a measurement in the Election Cake recipe called a gill (e.g. 5 gills new milk; 1 gill brandy)

If anybody could shed light on either of these, it would be much appreciated!

Here you go, Dana, I googled gill: Unit of volume. Normally taken as a quarter of a pint, it can also be a third or a half pint, especially in conversation. The legal definition is a 1/4 of a pint. The word Gill is pronouced with a hard G (as Jill). -PJH

PJ and all KAF Baker’s Banter folks, thanks for the wonderful info, pictures, recipes, and other banter. I look forward to making this one tomorrow (wish we could eat it then!

By: PJ Hamel

PJ Hamel — Fri, 23 May 2008 02:14:30 +0000

Charlene, I totally agree - it was even better the second day, after being refrigerated, as the book said. Hey, that recipe is in better shape than any other 104-year-old I’ve ever heard of! I love the thin layers; so elegant, yet not at all difficult to pull off, esp. with my best friend in the kitchen, instant pudding mix. : )