Angels in Heaven eat Ugly Cake !
Several years ago, my sister-in-law, Shirley, became the 'keeper of a family tradition' . . . making Aunt Louise's Devil's Food Cake with the 'cholesterol city' icing !
Louise was dad's foster sister and although they shared no biological kinship, she was always "Sister". Her death was one of the few times that I saw dad overcome with grief. She and Uncle Frank lived in the mill village where many of our relatives still remain, though the mill is long since gone. In time he became Superintendent of the mill and she was an operative or 'mill hand' until her retirement. But cooking was her craft and not unlike many women of her generation, she worked her magic on a wood-fired 'cook stove'. . . even in Southern U.S. Summers ! Sometime in the late 1940's or early '50's, an electric stove replaced the old inferno.
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| Louise on left in her kitchen with my mom around 1952 |
As with many cooks, Louise (we came to wonder) perhaps kept some component of the recipe as her secret. We knew that she always used fresh milk from a neighbor's herd. She told us that "Mrs. Hatley keeps her cows out of the(wild) onions". (If you have ever experienced fresh milk tainted with wild onion taste, then you will understand the importance of her admonition.) Until her death in 1979, Louise crowned many family feasts and special occasions with her specialite de la maison. For his ninth birthday son Chris received his requested special cake. After the candles were blown out and everyone served, the sizable remainder was covered and stored. Later that day, someone suggested 'Round Two'. When we went to the storage area, all the cake was gone. 'Birthday Boy' had eaten it all !
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| Chris and His Birthday Cake 1968 |
Like Aunt Rachel's Lemon Pie and Chicken Dumplings (other stories of family lore), such delicacies and delights are treasures not to be lost. (I'm unsure whether Rachel has yet entrusted her recipes to progeny.) In the years after Louise's death, Shirley began experimenting with the recipe. By her acknowledgement, the first few did not look like the Louise's. She even gave them the unflattering designation "Ugly Cake". I assured her that a sightless person served a slice of her creation would think appearance irrelevant. While subsequent editions are more visually aesthetic, the taste has been consistently 'Yum'. The name, however, has stuck.
What makes it soooooo good? Probably the icing (which we think Louise called 'the filling'). Is it calorie laden? Is New York City a 'big town'? It tells the truth . . . just not the magnitude. Each cake's icing contains : 1/2 pound butter; 2 1/2 cups sugar [sifted]; and 3/4 cups of whole milk. Shirley said it is like 'white fudge'. That mixture is boiled for 3-4 minutes while being stirred with a wooden spoon. Then it is allowed to cool, beaten with a mixer and spread on cool cake. From 40+ years experience, Shirley recommends making the icing and allowing it to set prior making the cake.
When family gathers on holidays and celebratory occasions,
there is great 'moaning and groaning' if Ugly cake is not on the dessert menu. Last week, my wife and I missed the Birthday gathering for my Great-Nephew, Jackson. When I called to offer our regrets, my niece conveyed his message, "Tell him we're having ugly cake." Ah, what a taunt !
When 'ugly cake' is being served, the only correct question is "When do we eat?"
Thanks, Louise; and , Thanks, Shirley !
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| My brothers and I survey the remnants of Ugly Cake, Thanksgiving 2013 |
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