what is this?

[Puddin taine]

I want to make a spice cake recipe from my great-grandmother's cookbook (circa 1944). it calls for a cup of "molla".

Does anyone know waht this might be?

[sueatmo]

Here is a list of ingredient for a very old gingerbread recipe I have made for decades.

1 c. molasses
1 ½ c. boiling water
1 t. baking soda
½ c. (4 oz.) butter
1 c. sugar
½ t. salt
2 t grated fresh ginger
2 t. cinnamon
1 egg
2 ½ c. sifted flour
1 T. baking powder

To me this looks similar to your great grandmother's recipe. I note that your grand abbreviated baking soda to soda, and she might have done similar with molasses, esp. if she was not a good speller. This gingerbread is baked at a hot temp for a bit, then baked at a lower to give a a bit of caramelization to the bread. The original recipe called for powdered ginger.

Hope this helps.

[Puddin taine]

That looks similar alright...what are your baking times and temps?

[sueatmo]

Here is the recipe. My source is Margaret Rudkin's Pepperidge Farm Cookbook, c 1963. She states she had used this recipe for a long time but couldn't remember where she got it. Later I'll have a look in two old cookbooks I have to see if there is a similar one it one of them. I bake this in a regular 8 1/2 x 13" cake pan. And I never boil the water any more; I just heat it hot in the micro. When you boil the water, it takes too long to cool and you might curdle the butter/sugar mixture.

Gingerbread

1 c. molasses
1 ½ c. boiling water
1 t. baking soda
½ c. (4 oz.) butter
1 c. sugar
½ t. salt
2 t grated fresh ginger
2 t. cinnamon
1 egg
2 ½ c. sifted flour
1 T. baking powder

Desserts 8-10 servings

Baking the cake in this way gives a very crisp, candied crust with a light, delicate crumb. Milk may be substituted for water
1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Combine the molasses with the boiling water and soda.
3. Allow to cool and then add to the butter, which has been creamed with the sugar.
4. Add the salt, ginger and cinnamon. Beat well, add the well-beaten egg and the flour, which has been sifted with the baking powder.
5. Have the batter very thin. If the batter is not very thin, add a little more milk so that it runs off the spoon and “ribbons.” Pour into 2 well-greased pans (11 x 7 x 11 ½ inches) or into a 8 1/2 x 13" pan, and bake in a moderately hot oven (375 F) for about 20 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 300 F and bake for 20 minutes more.
6. Cut cake when cooled at least slightly.

[Puddin taine]

Thanks Sueatmo, I'll be trying it for the holidays!

[Puddin taine]

Here's the original...it's for gingerbread

[pcdarnell]

I have some of my grandmother's recipes and generally substitute butter for the shortening which seems to be very prevalent in baking recipes of old. Is that right? Or is shortening Crisco and I should just go with it?

I have a pecan pie recipe that calls for "butter, size of an egg". I laugh every time.
Her gingerbread recipe calls for molasses too.

[Puddin taine]

I prefer the taste of butter, although you should reduce the amount of liquid in the recipe because butter is 20% water and shortening has none. There are also concerns about trans fats in hydrogenated shortening - even if the label says "No trans fats"

[buttertart]

It's gotta be molasses. I have lots of handwritten recipes with that sort of freeform abbreviation - b. sug etc.

[GH1618]

Etymology of caramel:

http://www.hellenism.net/cgi-bin/foru...

I don't think molasses is what you want.

[Puddin taine]

I'm still growing as a cook and baker, but i'm WAY beyond my great grandmother. This doesn't seem like something she'd be using.

[pâté chinois]

Maybe if you give us the list of ingredients we'd be able to deduct what molla is?

[GH1618]

It might have been available at retail in her day. A lot of food products have all but disappeared.

[GH1618]

Here's a recipe for your own crème caramel.

http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/cr...

[GH1618]

A source of Swiss cara-molla:

http://www.scff.com/shop/product.php?productid=24990a

Also: http://islamcommercial.com/productsF....

[Sushiqueen36]

My guess would be molasses...

[Puddin taine]

I thought of that, but a cup seems excessive

[GH1618]

http://www.faqs.org/rulings/rulings19...

[Puddin taine]

Thanks GH, I did a google seach and a wiki search and found nothing.

[Puddin taine]

Perhaps a homemade blend of molasses and caramel would be an acceptable substitute?