Bishops Cake

[Sean Gadhar]

Anyone make a Bishops Cake? My mom made a simple version, :hmm: all I remember was brazil nuts, cherries, and pitted dates.

She only made it at Christmas and I was thinking on giving it a try to send to my siblings, she has been gone these 16 years and I think the recipe went with her.

I remember as a kid going to a down town Denver nut shop to get brazil nuts because they were not to be had at the grocer back then.

 

[Black Hand]

Perhaps there is a recipe here that would work for you. https://www.bing.com/search?q=bishop's+cake+recipe&pc=MOZI&form=MOZTSB

 

[Nativearizonan]

This reminds me of the extent my dad used to go to to make family correct jam cake every Christmas. Jam cake, of course, can be made out of any kind of jam, but what he remembered as being the special version from when he was a child was made with home canned citron preserves. Citrons, for those that are not familiar, look like watermelons with nothing but rind when you cut them open. They were introduced, but grow wild like gourds in parts of TX. Store bought citron preserves, if you could find them, had the flavor of store bought fruit cake, which was not at all what he was after. He got some citron seeds from a relative in TX and grew his own in the garden just so he could make citron preserves, which nobody cared for except in his Jam cake, which was especially good.

The excess citrons were thrown over the garden fence to the cattle, who could eat them once the were broken into pieces. They spread the seeds evidently in their poop and on wet years we would have citrons coming up in odd places all over the ranch; but a few dry years with no citrons growing in the garden did away with them. He canned enough citron preserves in the first year to last for a long time. We would sometimes eat them on biscuits, they were okay, but nothing compared to plum jam.

 

[Brokennock]

No idea who got your mom's cookbooks and recipe box/es?
We are a very food oriented family, on both sides, and relate a lot to food we remember. We were talking about some food my mom's mom used to make and seeing as my uncle lives in Grammie's old house, I went up and "raided" her recipe box. So glad I did. Lots of memories, and some of the notes she made on recipes, such as on a donut recipe made with leftover mashed potato; "these sell well at church bake sales,, family eats too many," are priceless.
However, many were not hand written, they were from local newspapers or off boxes from the ingredients. So maybe try searching local papers, even put a request in with them. The recipe you seek is out there. Good luck.

 

[ddoyle]

what a great project. If you cannot track down you Mother's OEM recipe that is OK. Just start making them (cakes) and thru trial and error your taste buds/memory/brain will lead you to the right combo.

But here is the important part----she probably would rather be watching you bake the wrong cake for the people she loved than not baking the exact cake. The recipe is 1% of the equation the 99% is the doing/sharing.

You have me inspired. I am heading to the kitchen to make a mess of scallop potatoes and toast for the crew. Probabley put on a crock of beans tommorow and maybe a pie......wish I had some rhubarb.....

 

[Sean Gadhar]

But here is the important part----she probably would rather be watching you bake the wrong cake for the people she loved than not baking the exact cake. The recipe is 1% of the equation the 99% is the doing/sharing.

You have me inspired. I am heading to the kitchen to make a mess of scallop potatoes and toast for the crew. Probabley put on a crock of beans tommorow and maybe a pie......wish I had some rhubarb.....

:bow: That is my mom to a T.

My niece just made her 1st film in film school, and my sister was lamenting my mom not being here to see it.

Smart A** that I am :wink:

I told her "You realize if Mother was alive she would want 800 copies of this? Half on VHS half on DVD and we would spend the next two weeks giftwrapping them & writing hand written notes to EVERY living relative getting done just in time to rush down to the Post Office terminal annex at 20 minutes until closing on the last day to get them out before Christmas."

I guess it is a bit of a inside family joke....but trust me, In my youth, I have been, with my mom, at the Denver USPO terminal annex mailing this vary cake we are talking about to my Brothers on "THE LAST DAY TO MAIL FOR CHRISTMAS" at 11:40 pm at least 5 or 6 times. My moms hart was always bigger then her watch

I think I'll pick a recipe that is close, and for traditions sake, mail them off this Friday at 20 min. until closing......the poor people at the post office will never understand the tears.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

I had an extensive collection of hand me down family recipes. I lost all of them in a fire. My grandmother's have been gone for 25 and 34 years. When one of my aunts passed, her son gave me 3 old cookbooks that had belonged to my grand mother. Many of those recipes were written on the blank pages.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I know of two types. One is a fruit cake, the other a pound cake.

If I'm making a fruit cake, I prefer White Fruit Cake which, if you change the nuts and fruit might be your Bishop's Cake...quite possible it was the same recipe but folks didn't know it was called Bishop's Cake so called it "white" fruit cake.

LD

 

[Sean Gadhar]

Got it made & shipped :grin:









I also shipped a dozen Pearl Ash Cakes to each.

One brother got his today, the other, it is at the post office & he will get it tomorrow.

 

[coloradoclyde]

I'm not a fan of fruitcake, but I'm probably going to swipe one of those pearl ash cakes on the right when you're not looking.... :grin:


Care to share the recipe.... :hmm:

 

[Sean Gadhar]

I'm not a fan of fruitcake, but I'm probably going to swipe one of those pearl ash cakes on the right when you're not looking.... :grin:


Care to share the recipe.... :hmm:

I used whole wheat summer wheat (soft) cake flour, Sorghum molasses as my sweetener, soured the milk with lemon and added a handful of pecan bits (I think the sorghum & pecans gives it a slight southern hint)

[youtube]hD7mNUAj9MA[/youtube]


:hmm: You know I don't like fruit cake myself, nor did my mom. But most would sure call this fruit cake.

 

[Sean Gadhar]

:hmm: You know I don't like fruit cake myself, nor did my mom. But most would sure call this fruit cake.

That might be a bit confusing. I was speaking about the Bishops cake here, but the rest of my post was about the Ash cakes sorry :redface:

 

[coloradoclyde]

Thanks, Sean.... :grin:
I wondered if it was a Townsend recipe.... :thumbsup: :hatsoff:

 

[jackley]

Sean,

If you don't mind sharing the recipe. I love fruitcake.

Thanks
Jerry

 

[BullRunBear]

Sean, Another request for the bishop cake recipe. I could only eat small amounts at a time, (need low carb to deal with mild diabetes) but love the taste of fruit cake and yours looks like a winner.

Jeff

 

[Sean Gadhar]

I kept one for here, we will cut it tomorrow. I'll post the recipe & results after a few folks have tried it.

:wink: And as a bit of a Christmas gift, something to look forward to...... I used this method

[youtube]UNTpZkiiqUs[/youtube]

but on pears, from my garden, about 4 months ago I intend to open the jars tomorrow heat these up to a soft boil to kill anything that might be alive :shocked2: and make a pear/raisin ??? turnover or tart or something :grin: I'll post results on this as well....if we live :rotf:

 

[Sean Gadhar]

I kept one for here, we will cut it tomorrow. I'll post the recipe & results after a few folks have tried it.

Well to me at least I think I was Vary close. My son ate it : Wife was none too keen Heard from one brother that it was spot on :grin:





To make two 8"x 3 7/8" loaf pans

*6oz. Flour
*4 eggs
*6.5 oz. brown sugar
*1 and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
*1 teaspoon baking powder
*14oz. brazil nuts (whole)
*14oz. dates (pitted)
*11oz. Maraschino cherries

Per heat the oven to 300f
grease the loaf pans (I add a small sheet of greased parchment paper at the bottom to aid in removal.)

Put nuts dates & cherries in a large bowl and dust with about 1/3 cup of your flour while stirring (enough flour to coat all but not much more)

Sift remaining flour with the baking powder in to a mixing bowl.

Stir eggs, Brown sugar, and vanilla in there own bowl until well mixed. Pack the dusted nuts & fruit into loaf pans. Slowly add dry ingredients (flour with the baking powder) to wet while stirring (should end up about like pancake batter)

I then spoon the batter over the two pans, in order to get it evenly over the fruit & nuts, and also to be sure to get an even amount in each pan. *** it seemed like I didn't have enough batter & I remember it was always so when my Mom made this. *** You will want to scrape the bowl and use every bit of batter.

Tamp the pans on the counter a bit to help settle everything, then middle rack in the oven & on a cookie sheet for 60 to 75 minutes Check after 35 and cover with foil if the tops are getting too brown.

Now that I have it, I will likely try a change or two. I find the Maraschino cherries vary "Christmas" any other time of the year, I think I would try dry tart cherries instead.

 

[jackley]

Thank You

Looks great! Will give it a whirl.

Jerry

 

[BullRunBear]

Sean, Thanks for the recipe. I can substitute Splenda brown sugar and use your suggestion of the tart cherries, which will keep the sugar/carbs down. Lightly toasted with a couple of eggs on the side and some of my home made Greek yogurt would make a delicious breakfast.

Thanks for sharing and Merry Christmas.

Jeff