Chocolate Cake Recipe by Ruth Paget

Chocolate Cake Recipe by Ruth Paget 

Serves 6 

Ingredients: 

-2 cups cake flour 

-1/2 tablespoon salt 

-1 ¼ cups sugar 

-2 tablespoons baking powder 

-2 beaten eggs 

-1 cup milk 

-1 tablespoon vanilla 

-3 (1-ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate or 1/3 cup cocoa 

 -1/4 pound softened butter 

Steps: 

1-Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. 

2-Place flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda in a large bowl and mix well. 

3-Mix eggs, milk, and vanilla in a separate bowl. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and blend well.

4-Melt chocolate for 30 seconds to 1 minute in a microwave or in a double boiler. Mix butter into the chocolate. Mix until the butter is the color of the chocolate. 

5-Grease an 8-inch baking dish and shake flour all around pan to coat edges. 

6-Pour batter in the pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

7-Run a knife around the cake edges and rub a cloth soaked in cold water on the bottom of the pan. Put a large plate over the pan and invert the pan. 

8-Let the cake cool and then frost. 

Source: Rose Pennington – circa 1950s 

By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Click for Ruth Paget's Books

Cheese Straws Recipe by Ruth Paget

Cheese Straws Recipe by Ruth Paget 

Makes 24 straws 

Ingredients: 

-1 cup flour 

-1 teaspoon baking powder 

-1 cup grated cheese 

-3 tablespoons cold water 

-1 cup softened butter 

-parchment paper for the cookie sheets 

Steps: 

1-Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. 

2-Mix the flour with the baking powder. Mix in the grated cheese and stir till well blended. 

3-Add the water to the cheese mixture along with the butter and stir till a dough forms. Use your hands to roll dough into a ball, pulling in stray pieces of dough. 

4-Roll out the dough and cut into ½-inch thick cheese straws. 

5-Bake 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on rack. Good alone or with a beverage. 

Source: Rose Pennington – circa 1950s 

By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Click for Ruth Paget's Books

Chocolate Cookies Recipe by Ruth Paget

Chocolate Cookies Recipe by Ruth Paget 

Makes 24 cookies 

Ingredients: 

-2 cups flour 

-1 cup sugar 

-1 teaspoon salt 

-1 beaten egg 

-2 (1-ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled 

-2 tablespoons milk 

-1/4 cup softened butter 

-parchment paper for cookie sheets 

Steps: 

1-Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. 

2-Mix flour, sugar, and salt together in a bowl. 

3-Mix egg, melted chocolate, and milk together. Combine the egg mixture with the dry ingredients and thoroughly blend. 

4-Mix the softened butter into the batter and thoroughly blend. 

5-Use two spoons to scoop and push the batter into 24 drop cookies on two baking sheets. 

6-Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on a rack. 

Source: Rose Pennington – circa 1950s 

By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Click for Ruth Paget's Books

Caramel Cookies Recipe by Ruth Paget

Caramel Cookies Recipe by Ruth Paget 

Makes 100 Cookies 

Ingredients: 

-3 ¼ cups flour 

-1/2 cup brown sugar 

-1 cup sugar 

-1 teaspoon salt 

-1 teaspoon baking soda 

-2 beaten eggs 

-2 teaspoons vanilla 

-1 cup soft butter 

-parchment paper to line the baking sheets 

Steps: 

1-Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. 

2-Mix flour, brown sugar, sugar, salt, and baking soda together till thoroughly blended. 

3-Mix eggs and vanilla together. Add egg mixture to the dry ingredients and turn until the mixture is homogenous. 

4-Add butter to the mixture and blend well. 

5-Use two spoons to scoop and push dough into drop cookies on the cookie sheet that are 1/2-inch wide. 

6-Bake for 10 – 12 minutes and cool on a rack. 

Source: Rose Pennington – circa 1950s 

By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Click for Ruth Paget's Books

Hors d'oeuvres Puffs Recipe by Ruth Paget

Hors d’oeuvres Puffs Recipe by Ruth Paget 

Makes 30 Puffs 

Ingredients: 

-1/4 pound butter 

-1 cup boiling water 

-1 cup sifted flour 

-1 teaspoon salt 

-4 eggs with yolks and whites separated, beaten, and placed in separate cups 

Steps: 

1-Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. 

2-Melt butter in boiling water. Add flour and salt. 

3-Stir mixture until a ball forms that does not separate. 

4-Add egg yolks, beating to full incorporate the eggs in the dough. Then, add egg whites, beating to fully incorporate the egg whites into the dough. 

5-Bake for 15 minutes at 450 degrees Fahrenheit and then at for 25 minutes at 325 degrees Fahrenheit.  

6-Cool on a rack before cutting open to stuff. 

Source: Rose Pennington – circa 1950s 

By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Click for Ruth Paget's Books

Apricot Mousse Recipe by Ruth Paget

Apricot Mousse Recipe by Ruth Paget 

Makes 1 ½ pints 

Ingredients: 

-1 cup cooked, sweetened apricots 

-2 beaten eggs 

-1/2 cup sugar 

-1/2 teaspoon vanilla 

-1 cup whipping cream 

Steps: 

1-Mash apricots thoroughly and press through a sieve to further mash them up. 

2-Beat eggs with sugar until light and creamy.  

3-Combine apricot purée, egg mixture, vanilla, and salt. Blend thoroughly. 

4-Add whipped cream to the apricot mixture and thoroughly blend. 

5-Place in a metal bowl, cover, and freeze until firm (usually overnight). 

Source: Rose Pennington – circa 1950s 

By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Click for Ruth Paget's Books

Rocks Candy Recipe by Ruth Paget

Rocks Candy Recipe by Ruth Paget 

Serves 6 to 8 

Ingredients: 

 -1 pound chopped walnuts 

-1 cup melted butter 

-1 ½ cups brown sugar 

-2 beaten eggs 

-1 teaspoon salt 

-2 cups flour 

-parchment paper for the cookie sheets 

Steps: 

1-Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. 

2-Combine nuts, butter, brown sugar, and eggs in a bowl until thoroughly blended. 

3-Combine salt and flour and add to the wet ingredients. Mix batter until well blended. 

4-Use two spoons to drop tablespoon-size dough onto parchment paper lined cookie sheet. 

5-Bake for 10 – 12 minutes or until light brown. 

Source: Rose Pennington – circa 1950s 

By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Click for Ruth Paget's Books