QUEEN ELIZABETH CAKE: A UNIQUELY CANADIAN CAKE
Queen Elizabeth Cake is a Canadian white cake, made rich by the generous addition of dates and nuts.
It’s frosted with a butter, sugar, coconut, and cream frosting.
What’s unusual about the cake is that after being frosted, the cake goes back into the oven for a bit to lightly brown the frosting.
Some versions have you boil the topping first before putting it back into the oven but it’s not necessary. Some versions have you only boil the topping, and *not* put it back in the oven. But in all variations, the topping is cooked in some way.
STORAGE HINTS
Freezes well.
HISTORY NOTES
It is not clear where the name for Queen Elizabeth Cake comes from.
Apparently, the recipe might have been sold, for 15 cents a copy, as a fund-raiser during the Second World War, and as Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, was very popular in Canada and rallied Canadians during the war, it may have been named in her honour.
The recipe was also sold as a fundraiser after the war, by Brownies.
It appeared in war-time cookbooks during the 1940s. It re-appeared in Canadian cookbooks in 1953, for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, and since then, due to its ease, has been a staple at country fairs since then. It is also known in the UK and in the States, though it’s not as ubiquitous there as it is in Canada. It appeared in the States by the early 1950s, being introduced by Canadian connections.
It is very closely related to Lazy Daisy cake (which doesn’t have the dates) and Sticky Toffee pudding.
In the 1950s and 1960s, it was even used as a wedding cake, often tiered.
QUEEN ELIZABETH CAKE
Preheat your oven to 350°F
Cover the bottom of a 9-inch spring form pan with parchment paper. You will need to remove the ring and cover the bottom with parchment paper. Fold the excess paper under the plate and, put the ring back in its position and release the excess paper from under the pan but do not cut it off.
FOR THE CAKE
WET INGREDIENTS
1-cup (300g) date paste
½ cup (120ml) water
¼ cup (60ml) rum
1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract,
½ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup (150g) light brown sugar
½ cup (120g) butter, softened
2 large eggs
DRY INGREDIENTS
2 cups (228g) all-purpose flour
2 tsps. Baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. nutmeg
½ tsp. Cinnamon
Add-in
1 cup (160g) chopped pitted dates (Optional)
¾ cup (75g) chopped pecans (Optional)
THE FROSTING
1½ cups (270g) light brown sugar
2/3 cup (160g) butter
½ cup (120 ml) heavy whipping cream
2 cups (200g) shredded sweetened coconut
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract,
¼ tsp. salt
TIME TO PREPARE THE CAKE
In a bowl, mix the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg and cinnamon together and set aside.
Chop your nuts and dates, set aside.
Crack your eggs into another bowl set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the date paste, water, rum, and vanilla extract. Whisk until well combined, set aside.
In a large bowl or a stand mixer, cream the butter, sugar, and brown sugar on high speed. You can also use an electric mixer, mix until it has a creamy texture, about 5 minutes. Add one egg at a time, mixing well between each addition until the mixture is light and fluffy, then add the dates mixture to the creamed butter and beat until well combined, should take about 3 minutes, the batter will separate at first but it will blend back together.
Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until well combined.
Fold in the chopped dates and pecans with a spatula.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, make sure to spread mixture evenly.
Now bake that deliciousness in a preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean and the cake is firm in the middle.
THE FROSTING
After 30 minutes that the cake has been in the oven, you can start preparing the frosting for the cake.
In a large saucepan combine the butter, light brown sugar, heavy cream, coconut, vanilla, and salt.
Bring the ingredients to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly, then reduce the heat and simmer for 3 minutes. Cover and remove from the heat and set aside until the cake is cooked.
Remove the cake from the oven and set the oven to broil.
Pour the frosting mix over the hot cake, spread it evenly and place the cake under the broiler for about 2 to 3 minutes or until the mixture starts to turn lightly golden.
Let the cake cool completely on a cooling rack, then run a spatula around the rim and remove from pan. Garnish with pecan if desired for a nice finish.
Enjoy!!!
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MUSIC
Court of the Queen - Music to Delight by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. [ Ссылка ]
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