Mrs Rorer's 1886 Chocolate Cake Recipe - Old Cookbook Show

Mrs Rorer's 1886 Chocolate Cake Recipe - Old Cookbook Show
This recipe appears in two old cookbooks that were generously donated to our collection. The unboxing video: • Unboxing (New) Old Coo...
MRS. RORER'S CHOCOLATE CAKE
2 ounces of chocolate,
4 eggs,
½ a cup of milk,
1 teaspoonful of vanilla,
½ a cup of butter,
1½ cups of sugar,
1¾ cups of four,
1 heaping teaspoonful of baking powder.
Dissolve the chocolate in five tablespoonfuls of boiling water.
Cream butter and add sugar gradually, add the yolks, beat again, then the milk, then the melted chocolate and four. Give the whole a vigorous beating.
Now beat the whites of the eggs to a stiff froth, and stir them carefully into the mixture; add the vanilla and baking powder. Mix quickly and lightly, turn into well-greased cake pan and bake in a moderate oven forty-five minutes.- From Mrs. Rorer's Cook Book.
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[@emilybilbow4990]

I attempted to make a chocolate cake at one point… it fell and looked like an elephant sat on it… I put it on the counter to cool and went to do the laundry planning on throwing it away once it cooled… when I came back into kitchen my nephew had eaten about 1/3 of it and went on to tell me it was the best soft cookie bar he ever had… I guess if people don’t know it’s a failure they may not see it as one… ☺️

[@lellab.8179]

As I understand it, it was common to add the baking powder at the end, because as soon as it touched the liquid it started it's action. Modern baking powder doesn't need that, because it usually has a different composition and it acts in a different way. At least, this is what I learned from a book on the science of pastry making.

[@GlenAndFriendsCooking]

The powder in the older books was most often added to a bit of water before mixing into the batter - just to avoid clumping. The lack of that mixing step with water is what gave me pause, I've never come across it just added in like this recipe. Obviously doesn't matter, and I just fell into the trap of believing a step was important when it really isn't.

[@ralac71]

I believe this is before double action baking powder which reacts to water and then again to heat.

[@dannyschaible7112]

​@@GlenAndFriendsCooking classic baking trap!

[@lesliemoiseauthor]

I have looked forward to this since Wednesday. Plus a bonus Glen rant. ❤

[@EastSider48215]

I agree about Baker’s chocolate being overpriced these days. And I was really annoyed and disappointed when they changed the packaging to a 4-ounce bar instead of 8 individual 1-ounce squares. Half the chocolate for the same price!

[@TamarLitvot]

I remember the Baker's Chocolate wrapped squares from when I was a kid. There was something extra fun about unwrapping each square, like opening little presents. My older sister taught me to bake (my mother was a terrible baker) and this brought back nice memories. She was (and is) an excellent older sister.

[@katherinetutschek4757]

I remember trying to eat a square too and being disappointed it was so bitter haha

[@williamfotiou7577]

Instead of melting the chocolate in water, I would try coffee! Great video as always.

[@angelaharris1112]

Excellent idea!!!

[@kimberlyvarvorines4933]

As kids my mom would send us to the corner store for a couple of Hershey bars to melt on top of the cake as soon as it came out of the oven, her lazy version if chocolate frosting. My favorite is still yellow cake with chocolate frosting😊

[@TamarLitvot]

Lazy, maybe. But I bet it was good!

[@BSWVI]

Genius - And she got you out from underfoot a few minutes lol

[@MrRilarios]

When I do bake cakes, that Is the frosting that I do!... I just get some bars lying around, melt them with a Little bit of butter and cream and voilá! Maybe adding some nuts on top. The best one that I Made was melting a couple of Ritter Sport chocolate bars. Those are delicious.

[@violetwithey4618]

I remember when the Baker's chocolate 1 ounce squares were individually wrapped in paper.

[@sbender3787]

Yes! I remember melting it while it was still in the wrapper and squeezing it out of the wrapper. Much less waste.

[@SaraFoehner]

Me too.

[@danam.8709]

Wow, the boxes of Baker's chocolate went from 8oz. to 4oz. here in the US 8(?)+ years ago. Mind you the prices stayed the same. Was gob smacked/jealous at the size of your package. Thanks for all the fun/excitement you bring to my own cooking

[@Ammoniummetavanadate]

At the rate things are going we will start seeing eggs sold in packs of 10.

[@dragonrising11]

I LOVE Julie's sweater!!!!

[@TamarLitvot]

She often wears really great sweaters.

[@3kids2cats1dog]

A+ on Julie's sweater!

[@aconsideredmoment]

That was totally cool that you identified the recipe in two cook books. Thanks for sharing and for showing the pages.

[@VeretenoVids]

Regarding your Baker's rant... I spent a lot of years teaching college. I've ceased being surprised at people not reading instructions (or anything else). It still bothers me, but it doesn't surprise me. 😑 Of course, I grew up in a family who read the cereal boxes at breakfast so I'm probably the total weirdo here.

[@yvonnerogers6429]

No, you’re not weird. You’re just thorough.

[@jeanworriedaboutdemocracy5413]

Didn’t everyone 😂?

[@katherinetutschek4757]

I read cereal boxes at breakfast!

[@lorelei9393]

My kind of happy mail. Frosting or powdered sugar on top. Looks like a good cake

[@spleen63]

Mrs. Armstrong's Chocolate Pudding looked good. Might give that a go next time I have stale bread.

[@justmutantjed]

I'm rarely this early, LOL. And one from the new batch of old cook books? Neat!

[@annaschmidt2]

Thank you for this information (regarding "one square equals one ounce."). I actually have an older recipe for cake that calls for "six squares of Baker's unsweetened chocolate" and I thought that that just couldn't be right. Knowing that means six ounces makes more sense!

[@humdrumdontsuccumb]

That 45 min bake time had me worried. I should have known to trust Glenn.

[@l.c.6282]

I first read Mr. Roger’s 1986 chocolate cake. Oooh. I thought, he must have baked a cake on his show and Glen is recreating it.

[@katherinetutschek4757]

That would be cool😄

[@TwoBassholesandaKaren7107]

Commenting more on your last video than this one- I collect "old" cookbooks from the 1950's-1980. These recipes were what my grandmother was cooking for my mother and in turn my mother was cooking for her family. I mention that here, that my grandma's favorite cake was chocolate cake and she was always on the hunt for a new recipe to try. I will try this one in memory of her. Thank you Glen.

[@maluorno]

split it in half like a sandwich, put some peanut butter in the middle with a chocolate buttercream icing.

[@joantrotter3005]

Or banana pudding in the middle with peanut butter frosting? Or strawberries and that frosting with gingerbread crumbs, or snickerdoodle hummus?

[@mc2594]

2 cake tins, raspberry jam in the middle, chocolate icing? or liquor cherry's and fresh cream in the middle, fresh cream on top with chocolate flakes and more cherry's to decorate - aka black forest gump cake!

[@erzsebetkovacs2527]

Here's an idea. You mention here the difference between old and new world leavening techniques (egg white vs. baking powder). From an European point of view, using vanilla extract is also quaint, because European recipes still do call for vanilla sugar or vanilla pods. Do you want to maybe do a video on the origins of vanilla extract and its use in American recipes?

[@adambrocklehurst4211]

Glen uses a big slug of vanilla in almost every recipe which is typical in North America, something European cooks are some times critical of, most Europeans use a good quality extract for baking, pods flavour sugar and are used in custards and milk based desserts.

[@mikerichards6065]

In the UK, there’s also a long history of using extract (or the cheaper ‘essence’) rather than vanilla pods or vanilla sugar both of which were still hard to find even in the 1980s. I wonder if the US and UK moved to cheaper forms of vanilla (as well as synthetic vanilla) as part of the industrialisation of food in the late 19th and early 20th centuries?

[@andreabaker7618]

Cake turned out great looking. Frosting yes

[@AuntieEm]

I dearly love Jules's sweater! It's fantastic! The cake looks like a fun basic to try as well!

[@rabidsamfan]

I work down the road from the Baker factory, which has been converted to other uses now.

[@alanholck7995]

It bothers me that a square of chocolate is actually a rectangle.

[@1980peterv]

All squares are rectangles. Not all rectangles are squares.

[@wendydawe3874]

I love your rants and in my opinion, they are right on point. Love your show. Thanks

[@jonabriggs8829]

I got an Oven like your's years ago, and never knew that I had to adjust my Baking times !! I either burnt or over baked every single thing I made in it,lol Convection ovens are great , but so many recipies don't give the adjusted baking times for them...

[@BusArch42]

My convection oven automatically adjusts the temperature

[@RoddieH]

I thought this said "Mrs. Roper" at first and I was all excited for a Three's Company flashback.

[@tomaparo6552]

I can see this causing confusion if one did not know the previous square = 1 ounce ratio, calling for a single square without calling out that is one ounce will cause many people to simply add a single rectangle thinking it is what is being called for, but is instead a single rectangle and not actually a complete square.

[@rileyreed1261]

Love the history that goes with recipe.

[@jeraldbaxter3532]

Thank you!😊

[@tammyhumphreys57]

Thanks!

[@mitchyoung93]

Great job, keep it up.

[@BellefontePerson]

When I first saw the title I thought it said Mrs. Roper's 1886 chocolate cake recipe. I was wondering how you would get a recipe from the Three's Company TV show.

[@lesliemoiseauthor]

😂

[@km12054]

I saw it as Mrs. Roper's too! :)

[@YouTube_can_ESAD]

I thought this was a brick of full melt hash in the thumbnail… You got me, Glenn! 🤣

[@szde]

Would love to see you making First Nations Canadian recipes. Are there many books of those? Do you collect them?

[@anthonydolio8118]

Thanks.

[@ianthewoot]

Who is Mrs. Rorer? Glenn speaks of her like she should be a household name

[@thomasw3285]

2nd week in a row I read it as "Mrs. Roper" at first and then...a let down. I would have loved to have seen her cook book. I am thinking terrible 70s recipes with lots of jello and lots of oysters, for reasons I don't think I need to explain.

[@Just1Guy1000]

People's lack of attention to detail never amazes me.

[@Lucysmom26]

Lindt Excellent dark (including the 85%, 90%, 95% and 100%) was on sale for 2.22/100g recently and at that price was significantly cheaper than the Bakers. I bought a TON for my Christmas baking.

[@tobysmith3351]

If you used hot milk instead of water, would the chocolate break?

[@Ammoniummetavanadate]

Yes, the chocolate breaks when it sees water

[@fadetoblack1026]

I've seen a lot of Mrs. Rorer's recipes on Sandwiches of History.

[@SCRAMBLER390]

Bakers Chocolate probably went to the quarter ounce size squares so people like me, could eat the smaller squares guilt free! They also fit in your mouth better. 😃

[@amandas4517]

😂😂😂 like how you think

[@kitefan1]

Yes, but a bunch of my old family recipes just say 1 square of chocolate. One of my friends ranted about it. I think she got caught out on one of her Christmas recipes. And she was right. It is now one of my rants. It was around 2013.

[@GlenAndFriendsCooking]

1 square of chocolate is 1 ounce - always has been always will be. Just because they changed the shape of the package, they didn't change the fact that 1 square in a recipe means use 1 ounce of chocolate.

[@kitefan1]

@@GlenAndFriendsCooking Thanks! I had two points: You said you didn't know when the Baker's Chocolate changed. It was about 10 years ago in 2013 or so; Second - Not being you, I am probably not going to retain the one ounce thing for the next 15 years so until the next fudge so I will write it on the family recipe fudge card, and probably on the lid of the box. I am grateful to my friend's rant because anytime I run into "one square" I will remember to figure out what the recipe wants.

[@sheilak1844]

No salt? Hmm

[@erzsebetkovacs2527]

Do you know why all the manufacturers changed the quantity contained in a square from an ounce to a quarter of an ounce, at the same time?

[@rabidsamfan]

I am betting new machinery.

[@virginiaf.5764]

For increased profit margins. It's why 5 lbs. bags of sugar are now 4 lbs., but cost the same or more. This has happened to many canned/boxed/bagged etc. food products.

[@GlenAndFriendsCooking]

Manufacturers didn’t change the quantity contained in a ‘square’ of chocolate. 1 square = 1 ounce; 1 ounce of chocolate is the same no matter the shape.

[@MichaelReidOttawa]

@@virginiaf.5764I lived in the Philippines years ago and witnessed this. I call this the Philippination of portion sizes 😂

[@virginiaf.5764]

@@GlenAndFriendsCooking Yes, I understand that . I was more wanting to quietly rant about companies decreasing quantities (but not prices), and thinking we're all to stupid to notice. It has bothered me no end that some produce stopped being sold by the pound, but rather by the each, as if that was how the store bought them. But I digress.

[@marymcilvean2926]

I had to check but here in Canada bulk barn still sell baking chocolate squares. I didn’t buy any so cannot confirm they are 1oz. They could be metric.

[@GlenAndFriendsCooking]

Yes they would be 28g

[@zrobertez]

Take a shot when Glen gets out the copper bowl 🎉

[@BSWVI]

Let's use these two hashtags and get them trending for our favorite cooking couple! #JuliesSweaters and #GlensRants

[@MichaelYoder1961]

It's always difficult translating old recipes to modern terms - never mind oven temps. I have a book from 1906 with knitting/crocheting instructions and it took me weeks to figure out what they meant.

[@SurfDetector]

5:18 A large percentage of people are inherently stupid unfortunately. I thoroughly enjoyed the video. I look forward to recreating the cake in my own kitchen. Cheers.

[@rebeccadaswick8639]

Back in the early days did churches print cookbooks?

[@joantrotter3005]

Google says 1864 for Union fundraising. Had a Russian Jewish friend that it was a brand new thing for her, but when she asked they had previously printed several. The one she put together had so many hot dog recipes, that I thought Hebrew National should sponsor it!

[@pamelabraman7217]

Hello Glen Do you store your eggs in the refrigerator or in the pantry? If you do put them in the fridge do you let them come to room temperature before using them?

[@GlenAndFriendsCooking]

In Canada eggs are washed, so they need to be kept cold. When I bake here on camera they come to room temp by the time I get to the point I’m filming. When I bake in my home kitchen, I usually just take them straight from the fridge.

[@BSWVI]

Good q, great a!

[@StGSteve]

Icing? I thought you don’t do icing 😂

[@amandas4517]

Glen, where did you get that mixing paddle?

[@lanceharsh7025]

It's odd that back when the recipe was concocted the older cooks may not have trusted the new fangled idea og baking soda or powder so used both. But modern cooks may not trust or understand the old so may still use both. Just a thought l.😅

[@MeMe-Moi]

Yes. It is fun to surprise friends when they complain about not having leavening agents to make a cake by sending them a recipe for egg white leavened cake. I learned to cook out of older cookbooks (pre-1955) and from older people, so some of these methods I thought were absolutely ordinary were considered quite antiquated when I took a food prep class in college. My instructor was not prepared for me to mention beaten egg whites as a method for leavening a cake with fat in it.

[@yvonnerogers6429]

👍🏻

[@Beachdudeca]

Morning , for those of us that Trade we have been up ❤

[@ryanbartlett6672]

Where can we get that mixer blade?

[@lorassorkin]

New Metro Design. I bought one on Glen's recommendation, and it's great! Much better than a single scrapper, it really does a much better job of scrapping the bowl.

[@andrestorres4715]

Say "the way Mrs Rorer writes recipes" ten times fast.

[@dvillebenny1445]

pull out the scale?

[@dlphnsfn2830]

I learned the hard way that bakers chocolate is not for snacking. I was young and wanted chocolate saw some in the kitchen cupboard opened a box ate a piece and it tasted 🤢.

[@dragons8822]

Your egg whites did not look as tho you beat them to stiff peaks as called for, they still looked runny.

[@GlenAndFriendsCooking]

It's a long convoluted reason - but that's actually what stiff peak egg whites should look like. Most people beat them with an electric beater until they are too dry and seperate. With a copper bowl (the traditional way) you can't over beat the whites.

[@coloringanddoodling9751]

!ALGORITHM!

[@baxter1252]

All hail the almighty algorithm.