by Al Sicherman
Minneapolis-St. Paul Star TribuneThe woods used to be full of "magic" or "surprise" cakes, often served at bridge parties and the like. There were two kinds:
- There was an ingredient that you'd never detect and would certainly never guess (Coca-Cola, sauerkraut, pretzels, pork sausage). (Yes, yes, yes, yes!)
- Something weird happened in the pan (you didn't combine the ingredients, you just dumped them in the pan and they sorted themselves out, or a layer of pudding formed in the middle, or a layer of pudding formed on the bottom, or something).
Those happy times seem to be largely behind us, these recipes surviving largely in cookbooks put out by churches and other organizations.
When this rather nice one turned up in a recent "real" cookbook, there wasn't a hint that it was one of those cakes. It was called "Strawberry Cream Shortcake," and there was no mention of the layer of strawberry that forms on the bottom. That result might be even more surprising to the cook than it used to be to bridge-party guests.
To avoid that problem, we've renamed the cake and put a description right above the ingredients, so it won't get lost when you cut out the recipe.
Strawberries on the Bottom Cake
Adapted slightly from 250 Best Cakes and Pies, by Esther Brody. This is one of those magic cakes: You put strawberries and gelatin on the top and they wind up in a tasty layer on the bottom -- where the marshmallows were.
Ingredients:
one 3-oz. package strawberry gelatin
one 16-oz. tub frozen sweetened sliced strawberries
1 cup miniature marshmallows
2-1/4 cups flour
1 Tbs. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup milk
whipped cream for garnish, if desired
whole strawberries for garnish, if desired
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease (don't flour) a 9-by-13-inch pan. In a small bowl, combine the gelatin and the strawberries with their liquid. Set aside. Sprinkle the marshmallows evenly across the bottom of the prepared pan. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the sugar and butter, beating until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Beat in the vanilla.
Beat in the flour mixture in thirds, alternating with the milk, beating well after each and scraping the bowl well between additions. Pour the mixture over the marshmallows, gently spreading it edge to edge.
Spread the gelatin-strawberry mixture over the cake batter.
Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool.
Serve either cake-side up or berry-side up, topped with whipped cream and a strawberry if desired.
Serves 16 to 24.
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