When I was growing up, my sister Nina often brought her children and came to our house for the weekend. She and Mother would sew – it seems like there was always something in progress. Of course, they had a built-in baby-sitter / helper – me -- and they took advantage of that. I could watch kids, prepare meals and snacks according to directions, wash dishes, and do other odd jobs so that they could keep working. I have good memories of those times.
I remember how Nina loved "orange loaf." It seems like she was always bringing an orange loaf when she came – orange loaf or sponge cake -- and I seem to remember she was ever experimenting to perfect her recipe. Though I didn't say so, I thought it was sort of silly – this orange loaf business – a lot of time spent on something that didn't even have chocolate in it. It was a little too delicate and refined for my tastes in those days. But in recent months I guess I got a little hungry for orange loaf, and the memories flooded back. I looked through cookbooks and searched online but was not satisfied with what I found. But to my joy, when I brought Mother's recipe box back from the farm, I found the old Betty Crocker recipe for orange loaf glued to a card and tucked right in front of the box. The spattered, yellowed paper attests to its age and use.
Yesterday I bought an orange and cake flour. I grated the rind of the orange, then juiced it to make ½ cup of orange juice, pulp, and rind. I mixed the ingredients according to the recipe making only one concession – egg substitute instead of eggs. Well, I say one concession, but I didn't sift the ingredients. A sifter-of-ingredients I am not! Then I slipped the batter into the oven along with other supper items – a frozen barbecued pork chop and sweet potatoes. The loaf baked up so nicely and was delicious.
By the way, in adding the egg subs to the batter, the beaters caught the liquid and tossed it across the counter and all over the old recipe. Of course, I didn't expect that to happen. I quickly cleaned the recipe card. As sorry as I was to splatter once again the treasured old card, I was glad it wasn't my laptop! KW
5 comments:
Did you use shortening or vegetable oil? This looks delicious, and something different from our usual banana bread.
Funny you should ask that! I used oil, and I really thought the recipe said oil, but as I worked with the card yesterday I noticed it called for shortening. Well, it was moist and delicious and baked up just fine using the oil. Don't you love the "save sugar" suggestion? And how about "a new Betty Crocker method recipe"? If conserving sugar was an issue, I would guess this recipe dates back to World War II.
I've never made orange but I have a really good recipe for a lemon cake similiar to this. I'm sure though that any fruit juice could be used with this, or any, recipe.
I saw Harriet today and mentioned the orange loaf. "Mother's recipe?" she asked. I said I thought the recipe dated to the war years. She said maybe so and added that she didn't remember when the family didn't have orange loaf. Maybe I'll try it with lemon instead orange someday.
Made this for breakfast this morning and half the loaf disappeared by lunchtime.
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