Neddy’s Kitchen

This recipe is from the Washington home at Mount Vernon, Virginia where Mrs. Washington’s cake is on display at Christmastime. The original cake recipe below was one of her favorite recipes.

Martha Washington’s Great Cake
(from Mount Vernon)

Take 40 eggs and divide the whites from the yolks and beat them to a froth. Then work 4 pounds of butter to a cream and put the whites of eggs to it a Spoon full at a time till it is well work’d. Then put 4 pounds of sugar finely powdered to it in the same manner then put in the Yolks of eggs and 5 pounds of flour and 5 pounds of fruit. 2 hours will bake it. Add to it half an ounce of mace and nutmeg half a pint of wine and some fresh brandy.

The curatorial staff at Mount Vernon notes that when they made Mrs. Washington’s cake they followed her recipe “almost” exactly. For the five pounds of fruit, they used two pounds of raisins, one pound of currants, and two pounds of apples. They used cream sherry for the wine. Martha Washington baked her famous cake in one layer, however there is no pan now at Mount Vernon large enough to hold all of the batter, therefore the staff baked the batter in two 14 inch layers and afterwards stacked them. A 350 degree oven was used for 1 1/2 hours. The resulting cake was iced with a very stiff egg-white based frosting flavored with rosewater or orange-flower water.

Martha Washington’s Great Cake was originally uploaded by barneykin. It is posted here from

GOLDEN ALMOND COOKIES

6 hard boiled egg yolks, mashed.
3/4 pound softened butter (3 sticks)
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp almond flavoring
2 1/2 cups flour (sifted)
1/2 cup ground almond meal (if not available increase regular flour to 3 cups)

Cream butter, adding sugar gradually. Add egg yolks and almond flavoring. Add flour and almond meal slowly, mixing well, but DO NOT OVERKNEAD.

Using a cookie shooter, press dough about 2 inches across onto a silicon or parchment-lined baking sheet. Press an almond, small chocolate morsel or 1/2 a maraschino cherry in the center of each one. Bake at 400 degrees until the edges are JUST brown, 10-12 minutes. Any more than that, and they are overbaked. Makes six dozen cookies (inspired by http://neddy.wordpress.com/2005/12/23/christmas-baking/).

Almond Cookies
Originally uploaded by barneykin

• COOKIES
• CAKES
• PIES
• BREADS
• CANDY
• EVERYTHING ELSE

If there was REALLY a “Mrs. Claus”, she would send some of the goodies already prepared along with Mr. Claus when he makes his rounds on Christmas Eve.

Cousin Violet’s Fudge Recipe

Long ago, before collecting recipes from the Internet became de rigueur , we homemakers often traded handwritten recipes. My cousin made the most delicious fudge and I was intrigued and asked for the recipe. I had stopped making fudge because I could only manage success about once in five tries. My usual result was a soupy concoction that could only be eaten with a spoon. Cousin Vi’s recipe changed all of that. It is simple - no boiling, and I make it in the microwave oven, which we didn’t have in those long ago days of yore.

Cousin Vi is now 78 years old and her handwriting is still as beautiful. That is because she has the genes of an artist coursing through her veins, as her father was my Uncle Ben, of whom I have written much.

Cousin Vi’s Very Easy Fudge

INGREDIENTS:

• 18 ounces semisweet baking chocolate (such as 3 bags of chocolate chips)
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 ounces)
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• pinch salt
• 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans (I toast them in the oven first.)

PREPARATION:
In a heavy saucepan over low heat melt the chips into the milk, stirring until smooth. Remove from the heat. Add the vanilla, salt and nuts, and stir until smooth. Spread evenly into a waxed paper lined 8 or 9 inch pan. Chill for 2 hours, or until firm. Turn fudge onto a cutting surface, peel away the waxed paper and cut into even squares. Store loosely covered at room temperature.

*MICROWAVE METHOD: Heat chips and milk on high for 3 minutes, depending on the wattage of your oven. Stir until smooth, then follow the traditional recipe.

Christmas Tree Fudge: If you would like to made some beautiful edible gifts for Christmas, try this. Follow the recipe above using “white” chocolate and substitute 1/2 cup chopped green candied cherries plus 1/2 cup chopped red candied cherries for the chopped nuts. Oil or butter large Christmas tree cookie cutters, place on waxed paper, and pour the warm fudge into them. Let sit overnight until set. Wrap each tree, including the cookie cutter in a see-through bag and tie with a bright ribbon. VOILA!

The image, My Christmas Fudge, was originally uploaded by barneykin. It is posted here from

How to Make Your Own Easter Egg Dye

Mix 1/2 cup boiling water, 30 to 40 drops of food coloring, and 1 teaspoon of white vinegar. Let the dye cool completely before dipping eggs. You can use crayons to write and draw lines or stripes on the eggs before dipping.

The image, Easter Eggs, was originally uploaded by jbrownell. It is posted here from