A single anachronism in a historical novel can draw a reader
out of the story and impact the credibility of the writer. Therefore, to ensure
my books are accurate, I conduct a tremendous amount of research. I am
fortunate that a World War II museum, the Wright Museum, is located in the town
where I live. I have access to genuine artifacts and a curator who has answered
many questions through the years.
During a recent research junket about the availability and
rationing of food during WWII, I stumbled on a website called www.1940sexperiment.wordpress.com.
The author of the site is using recipes from the war to help her lose weight. I
wasn’t interested in the dieting part of her site, but I was fascinated with her
use of wartime recipes.
I’m not much of a cook, but I love to bake. Probably because
that’s what I love to eat! I was intrigued by the idea of doing hands-on
research by using a wartime recipe and baking without or with a limited amount
of certain items that we take for granted in the 21st century, such
as eggs, sugar, and milk.
In possession of a bag of apples I needed to use before they
spoiled, I wandered the internet until I found a recipe that used ingredients I
already had in the house. The recipe, originally from the 1943 Victory
Cookbook, came from a blog authored by a staff member of the National D-day
Museum www.ddaymemorial.blogspot.com
in Bedford, VA: “Spicy Apple Coffee Cake.” 
I was rather skeptical of how good the cake would be when the
recipe created a dough rather than a batter, and an ungreased cake pan was called
for. (I had visions of hacking the cake out of the pan – didn’t happen). The
end result was a huge success. The cake was deliciously sweet despite the
reduced amount of sugar in it and had a texture more bread-like than cake-like.
I’ve already had requests to make it again!
Here's the recipe:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt4 tablespoons shortening
2/3 to 3/4 cup milk
2 to 3 apples (your favorite type)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter
½ cup nippy cheese (I didn’t use and never missed it)
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Mix brown sugar and cinnamon together in small bowl and set
aside.
Sift flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together. Cut in
shortening (and cheese, if using it). Add milk to make a soft dough. Turn onto
lightly floured board and knead for about 30 seconds. Pat the dough into an
ungreased 9-inch cake pan. Pare and core the apples. Slice them into 1/4”
slices. Arrange apples in petal design on top of dough. Sprinkle with brown
sugar/cinnamon mixture and dot with butter.
Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center
comes out clean.
