When thinking of the theme of time, I think books are the perfect example. They allow a person to stop the time around them and be transported into another world, another era. My childhood was filled with the stories of Anne of Green Gables. I loved the books, the movies and even the spin off TV series, Road to Avonlea. My adoration went so far as to even have the cookbook, The Anne of Green Gables Cookbook.
Cookbooks based on stories have been a popular trend for awhile. Recent books for True Blood and Game of Thrones have popped up. I think it is funny that even a Hunger Games cookbook has appeared, being as half the people never eat in that book. It does make sense that when you have a story you love, creating the food from that time is a chance to transport yourself back to that place.
This particular cookbook is fun because so much of the story does in fact revolve around food. The book is laced with sweet drawings and fun quotes. I did not find the savory recipes to be all that interesting, but the desserts make up for it. It is a cookbook for children, and direction are nicely written for a pre-teen to understand. I still think it works well for the young at heart, who grew up with these stories.
I decided to make a cake from one of the most famous food scenes from the book, Anne’s Liniment Cake. If you are a fan you will recall this quote:
“Mercy on us, Anne, you’ve flavored that cake with anodyne liniment. I broke the liniment bottle last week and poured what was left into an old empty vanilla bottle. I suppose it’s partly my fault-I should have warned you-but for pity’s sake, why couldn’t you have smelled it?”
Ingredients:
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
a pinch salt
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup milk
3 large eggs
2 teaspoon pure vanilla
Directions:
1) Grease and flour the cake pan. Preheat the oven to 350F
2) Sift flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar together
3) Add the melted butter and milk to flour mixture
4) Beat the mixture for 1 minute with the electric mixture
5) Add eggs and vanilla to cake batter and beat for another 3 minutes.
6) Pour cake batter evenly into two cakes pans (9 inch) and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
7) I added vanilla icing and topped with strawberries as they were in season
I added a basic homemade frosting in-between the two cakes and on the top layer. I also thought fresh, local strawberries would be a tasty addition. I think Ann Shirley would be proud.
Leave a Reply