Anne of Green Gables Nut Cake

Andy and I haven't been seeing much of each other lately due to work, school and the snow, so tomorrow night we are going to get together and watch Anne of Green Gables (The 1985 Version.)

We might even bake a few Anne of Green Gables treats. I think we might try to make a Hickory Nut Cake using a recipe from 1902. In the book series, A nut cake, topped with pink icing and walnuts is given to Mr. Harrison to apologize for Anne's mistake of selling his cow.

Below is the recipe from 1902, it sounds like a "toothsome concoction" like the one is described in the book.

 Anne of Green Gables Nut Cake

Ingredients:

- 1/2 Cup Butter
- 1 1/2 Cups Sugar
- 3/4 Cup Milk
- 2 Cups Sifted Flour
- 2 Teaspoons Baking Powder (Rollings Reliable Recommended)
- 4 Egg Whites, beaten stiff
- 1 Cup Hickory Nuts, ground

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Sift the Baking Powder and the Flour together in a medium sized mixing bowl, add the ground nuts. In a separate bowl, cream the Butter into the Sugar add the Milk. When thoroughly mixed add the Butter mixture into the Flour mixture and add the Egg Whites. Grease and Flour 2 9 inch loaf pans. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the center clean.

For the glaze: Mix 1 1/2 Cups of Powdered Sugar with a Tablespoon of Vanilla and enough hot Water to form a stiff paste. Spread on the cake once cooled.

Hickory Nut cake was very popular around Anne's time, it is also known to be one of James K. Polk's favorite foods. Hickory trees are native to most of the eastern U.S. and their nuts are probably familiar looking to most people. As kids we used to sail the pieces of the outermost shell of hickory nuts like little boats in the local creek. Hickory nuts have fallen out of favor due to their extremely hard shells.