The Trials & Tribulations of Fannie Farmer’s 1896 Chocolate Nougat Cake Recipe

An 1896 Chocolate nougat cake recipe from Fannie Farmer. A cake recipe from the Fannie Farmer cookbook… best hold on to something. I’m really hoping I have better luck with this recipe than any of Julia Child’s. Recipe can be found in the Original Boston Cooking-School Cookbook 1896.
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[@craft_gal]

From some reading, it looks like powdered sugar in the 1890s was more like what is known in the UK as caster sugar. Its finer than granulated, but not as fine as icing sugar.

[@gardengatesopen]

Icing Sugar being what we here in the States call powdered sugar.

[@terry7907]

@@gardengatesopensome of us call it confectioner’s sugar.

[@jonathangauthier2686]

Seems that it would also sometimes have Corn starch in it to prevent clumping. Wonder if that's the difference

[@ItsMeJenBB]

I had a british recipe that called for caster sugar and it split just like his did. When i used regular granulated sugar, I had zero issues. I thought I was going crazy because I was following the directions to a T. Im going to stick to granulated sugar. LOL

[@craft_gal]

It seemed to be connected to sugar loaves and grinding up the hard sugar by hand. Shrug. I suspect that if you're hand grinding sugar, it might not be as fine as powdered.

[@almosdrozdik6738]

Curdling in cake batter is fine, it won't really affect the finished product, and the flour does usually bring it back together (when the full amount is added). Adding a high amount of liquid to a butter based batter that doesn't have many eggs in it will almost always make it curdle and it's fine.

[@dorinachan113]

as a baker I was about to say this, He was like "oh no it's separated" and I was saying as he frowned. "add a bit of flour" Two, she would have hand mixed this so she would have done just that.

[@dtulip1]

Unless it's got spoilt milk 😅

[@almosdrozdik6738]

@@dorinachan113 Right! Man, I spend so much of the time I'm watching his channel just banging my head against the table xd. But that's the fun of it I guess.

[@mxmm572]

Knowing this info made it damn painful to watch:D

[@JanicePhillips]

I was like...don't throw that out you goof! Well...the 2 with the spoiled milk, sure. Poor Jamie's gun shy on the cakes tho. 😂

[@greyfirestone5119]

When making a chocolate cake instead of dusting the pans with flour, use cocoa. It won’t leave a noticeable residue on the cake, that flour can do.

[@gardengatesopen]

Definitely.

[@the_enby_geek]

actually, Cocoa powder isn't a good idea. It soaks up anything you greased the pan with, and will cause your cakes to get stuck

[@bloodangel13]

And while he's at it, rather than melting the chocolate directed in the pan on top of the stove, he should have use the double boiler method to ensures that the chocolate won't seize.

[@PyrrhusBrin]

​@@bloodangel13I swear he's used that method before.

[@steveolson4123]

When your post appeared the word 'cocoa' was cut off to 'coc.' I thought you were making a joke post and were going to write the word 'cocaine.'

[@pascal6871]

In a way, the batter breaking because of the difference between old and modern powdered sugar was a huge stroke of luck. How heartbreaking would it have been to finish the entire cake and then not be able to eat it because of the spoiled milk. Fanny saw you from her resting place and saved your cake.

[@SophiaPetrillosBuddy]

Fanny saved him from spoiled milk, but sure likes wasting ingredients

[@TychoKingdom]

You can bake with sour milk. Because it cooks to a high temp for a reasonably long time.

[@isobelmatheson8036]

Sour milk can give a better rise. My mum always made scones or pancakes with it.

[@lisaflower5994]

All cakes say to begin and end with dry ingredients…usually this avoids the mixture splitting…there was simply too much liquid for the butter to absorb and not split. Though splitting is not usually a problem to the final cake. The recipe is slightly strange…so little butter

[@AmbassadorKat]

You can self-curdle milk with lemon juice as a replacement for buttermilk so I think it might actually have been ok

[@lilbatz]

When the syrup "threads" it actually looks like thin syrupy threads. You lucked out that the frosting worked. The sugar syrup wasn't reduced enough. It was still like water. That's why your frosting was much looser.

[@martinlehtonen]

came here to tell the same. Cooking sugar is tricky and you could make an episode about it. Try to make candy or fudge

[@nectarina3891]

Yeah I think this recipe is basically a swiss meringue, sugar was way under reduced.

[@sarahbaker7100]

I thought it was going for Italian buttercream (admittedly, I did google because I couldn’t remember which meringue frosting did syrup into eggs as opposed to heating whites and sugar and might have found an incorrect source. )

[@nectarina3891]

@@sarahbaker7100 I meant italian meringue oops

[@anngcampbellbower4385]

Agreed. He didn't cook the syrup long enough for threads to run off the fork tines when he held it up.

[@esstown]

Just a hint - from experience, all basic cake batters split at that stage where you kept getting trouble. If you ignore it and carry on, it comes back together after the rest of the milk and flour is mixed in.

[@MiArcangel]

Yeah, just follow the recipe even if it looks ugly

[@mariephenix7168]

Yes and it is basic cake making

[@Puuppanalle]

Here in Finland, we have this thing called "sisu". Wiki describes it better than I could do in English: "Sisu is a Finnish concept described as stoic determination, tenacity of purpose, grit, bravery, resilience, and hardiness. It is held by Finns to express their national character. It is generally considered not to have a literal equivalent in English." I really do think that You should be nominated to be a honorary Finn.. because you have more sisu than anyone else I know. :) Thank you for 5 wonderful years of videos :) Happy Holidays!! :)

[@jody-annesullivan4547]

What a fantastic compliment!!

[@atiithe]

Sori mut Sisu just means tenacity. Tyhmä juttu tää sisulla ei oo translation, ollaanpa tosi uniikkeja

[@CollateralDamage1571]

I know this is a backhanded compliment, but I learn SO MUCH from your screw ups; not to mention your persistence and your stellar array of successes. Thank you for sharing it all with us.

[@akastardust]

The mistakes are part of the process. I also love the realness of keeping them in.

[@pjef1956]

@@akastardust Definitely ! Jamie is a great teacher when it comes to accepting that we are human, and humans make mistakes. That doesn't make us inept or stupid. AND ... when you KEEP going, you win because you didn't quit. He's become an excellent cook/baker, and the fact that he leaves in mistakes helps us learn, AND shows he's still quite humble about his skills...

[@lisapop5219]

You should check out Glenn and friends. He does Sunday mornings old cookbook show and he talks about the process that he goes through to decipher old recipes. There's a lot of things to consider. It's pretty interesting

[@rosezingleman5007]

*Glen

[@TheJaniceJoy]

Thank you Jamie, for giving people a safe retreat from the stress of the times we live in. I appreciate your channel more than you could know. From one cook’s heart to another…

[@megan4475]

I don't understand how people find his chaos relaxing, I am yelling at my screen, and yet youtube recommends and I watch..

[@Suckmuh]

​@@megan4475To me his chaos and mistakes are a sign of true authenticity with no hard scripts aswell as signs of his love of the cooking process/entertaining. Now a days that is hard to find when consuming media so I am thankful for Jamie's attitude and the way he structures his videos. Besides he's human, no one is perfect, that includes you and me.

[@natalieking2497]

Enter the sour milk, twirling a moustache, carrying a rope to tie the cake to railroad tracks . . . I didn't expect a mid-bake plot twist. Good recovery from error is a skill, too.

[@GrannyT23]

the second i see “cake” in an anti-chef video title, i know i’m in for a good time

[@tomc.8860]

Not sure if this has already been mentioned, but the fat content of milk in the late 1800s would have been much higher. They basically had two products. Skim milk, which would have been ~1% milkfat, and "Milk", which would have been 5-6% milkfat.

[@philhinds3655]

Even cookbooks from the 1980s ingredients specifically butter has changed

[@lauriehamilton2436]

Thats what I was thinking too! Also why the chocolate seized up...

[@lisaflower5994]

I hadn’t seen your comment and typed the same thing….I don’t think that’s the cause of the split batter…it may be why the chocolate didn’t melt nicely into the milk

[@tomc.8860]

@@lisaflower5994 Very possibly. I'm no baking expert.

[@lauriehamilton2436]

@@lisaflower5994 Yes I agree, the sugar was probably the culprit...there are so many interesting things about these old recipes n'est pas? Considering Fanny Farmer also wouldn't have used a electric mixer also...definitely food for thought LOL

[@donnakregel5486]

Sour milk is an excellent ingredient for cakes! It actually is more acidic and improves the rise of batters. Works great for pancakes too

[@user-ii3vn8tn3q]

Put vinegar into milk first for buttermilk, for biscuits.

[@Curlyl0x]

@@user-ii3vn8tn3qor lemon juice works too

[@BBoxCleaner]

Isn’t there a difference between sour milk and spoiled milk?

[@electronblue8334]

​@@BBoxCleanerAll I know is that there's a difference between spoiled milk and buttermilk (which is what I would call "sour milk"). Spoiled milk is probably more like Kefir and I've never seen anyone recommend using Kefir for baking. I don't think you can actually use spoiled milk...

[@momoha222]

​@@electronblue8334In India we get raw milk, which we boil and then store in fridge. When it is just beginning to turn sour, it's the best time to add lemon/vinegar to make it split to make paneer. The residual liquid afaik is called whey...? For me buttermilk is the residual liquid from making butter. You gather the cream that accumulates on top of the milk, then you add ice water and churn it. The butter will form, and the residual liquid is buttermilk. From what I remember from when I was living in Canada, the way pasteurised and homogenised milk generally behaves, like the way it spoils, was different, but my memory might be playing tricks.

[@elizag1261]

Hello from Boston! As a historian in the city, it's super exciting to see Fannie Farmer in the mix on your channel. A few years ago I lived just a few street numbers away from the site of the former Boston Cooking School building that she studied in. But it's funny that all of her recipes look like a journey for our modern amenities lol

[@pobster88j94]

I’m not sure why I watch you. I don’t cook at all, yet find your channel so fun and relaxing. Happy holidays Jamie.

[@sunnylifecrochet]

Same here. I'm coming here for entertainment and relaxing. After all his mistakes he is better than I'm

[@HumanimalChannel]

I am watching whilst a Green's packet mix lemon self-saucing pudding bakes in the oven. We shd def feel guilt free enjoying watching Jamie learn and toil!

[@mismiserables]

Same lol

[@ItsMeJenBB]

OMG I made a lemon loaf from a British recipe a couple months ago that called for castor sugar. Couldnt find it, so I used regular granulated sugar. No issues. This week, I found castor sugar so made the same recipe and my dang batter separated just like yours did! I thought I was going crazy, so I am SO glad I watched this video to explain it was the freaking fine castor sugar that messed up the recipe- I feel vindicated! LOL Thank you! :)

[@ZuchtbulleXXX]

My guess is that the caster sugar or powdered one is stronger hygroscopic and while sitting on the shelf already accumulated some mentionable amount of moisture, which normally would lead to clumping but is hindered to this by industrial additives, e.g starch. When adding this moisture to the fat (butter) without enough of an emulgator, e.g egg yolk, this may result in the emulsion separating.

[@bedetteb1111]

Castor is the same as our granulated sugar in north America.

[@tisketisja5528]

just put your granulated sugar in a blender and you have castor sugar

[@WolfGoddess77]

This is why I always smell the milk before I use it for anything, regardless of whether it's reached it expiration date or not. Milk is sneaky; it can go bad when you least expect it to.

[@gardengatesopen]

Milk & Eggs. Sneaky players. Always check their qualifications before entering.

[@Acolis]

i just buy a fresh quart(or whatever i need) of milk everytime. i hate using milk as an ingredient for this very reason. going by smell isnt really enough imo. there is an overlap where milk is spoiled, or on the verge of, but doesnt really smell bad yet.

[@jeanvignes]

It was not uncommon back then to intentionally "sour" the milk by adding in some vinegar (or using buttermilk) because that added another layer of flavor (not unlike sour cream.) Google: "making sour milk for baking".

[@kamicokrolock]

So... it's like the Spanish Inquisition?! (LOL,I can't believe nobody went for that joke!)

[@carliepennycook350]

My 15 month old was rapt watching this video! And laughed hysterically when you found out your milk was bad 😂 You might have a new young fan!

[@davidp2888]

One of my favorite things to do on Sunday mornings is watch your videos.

[@gardengatesopen]

Same!

[@breadpilled2587]

I love watching these episodes together with my grandma. It's how we bond and has become a ritual of ours.

[@sarakent52]

I like to think i am a veteran home baker. I bake some meeeean desserts. But today, while trying to bake a butter tart square, the stars just weren't aligned, and I kept making mistakes and messes, and I was so annoyed!! Then, I got a notification for this video, and I was so happy. I love how you make us feel like we have an ally in the world of culinary disasters 😂. We all have these days. Thank you for making me feel human today lol

[@anounimouse]

Many cakes incorporate 'BUTTERMILK' just having the addition of Baking Soda to neutralize. The amount of liquid added to a butter mixture is causing the split/curdle (in spite of the egg of whose fat will be an emulsifier), but please continue as the end result will be normal/fine! These cakes actually have a more tender crumb!!

[@user-tr5jc7ge9e]

Given the quantity of ingredients, I’m not surprised there was only enough batter for one 9” layer. I have a set of 6” cake pans and when I want a small layer cake I find that one 9” layer equals two 6” layers.

[@silkelillig4864]

And I am not sure but I assume that the side was not that high on the pans she might have used. I am not sure where I might have seen or read it but there are also cake pans that are not as tall as the one he used. Right when I am writing this Baklava comes to mind, where the sides of the pans are more shallow.

[@merseyviking]

The area of a 6" round tin is about 28 sq in, and that of a 9" tin is 62 sq in, so your rule of thumb is pretty spot on.

[@jeanvignes]

When I first started helping my elders bake (sixty years ago) cake tins were 8" in diameter. A 9" diameter pan (or larger) didn't exist in our homes (mother, grandmothers.) That 9" pan looked enormous to me. I think two 8" cakes would have been small enough (and thin enough) to make a small layer cake if the nougat had not been so thin (see other comments about the too-watery sugar syrup.)

[@janegardener1662]

In the Fannie Farmer Cookbook she gives directions for 7 inch cake pans, which are unusual now. I like the smaller recipes myself.

[@myjewelry4u]

The pan flip has made my day! 😂

[@amberford300]

Sometimes I really wish some of us were there so we could help him but gosh he's so entertaining and he's come such a long way

[@gardengatesopen]

Now you know: Granulated sugar in the cake itself. & Powdered sugar is for frosting. Is a pretty good rule of 👍 Honestly, I feel Fanny should have been more specific. But then, how was she to know Jamie would be asking these questions A CENTURY LATER! Can you imagine being Fanny, and thinking you've GOT TO aim your writing style to a person 100 years in the future???! If I were Fanny, and someone told me that, I'd be all: 😳 🤷🏼‍♀️ 😬

[@NellieNeedsMeat]

Oh Jaime, I wish I could have helped you with the first batch because I could have saved you a lot of stress. It's perfectly fine that it split, and you could have used the sour milk, your cake would have been delicious! It splits because the fat isn't mixing in with the liquid. It's fine, I have a yellow cake recipe that I used for years and it happened every single time. Years and years of making that recipe, and it was always perfection coming out of the oven. Wasn't just my family eating them either, other people ordered that cake.

[@lauriehamilton2436]

Thanks for the video! It was painful to see how much you struggled with this recipe, but sooo entertaining LOL...I'm a pastry chef and even I had questions about this recipe and amounts. I've never used icing sugar when creaming butter for cake batter (cookies, yes, cake no). My theory: perhaps the fat content of the milk caused the curdling and the chocolate to seize. Maybe in Fanny's era the milk they used might have had higher than 2% milk fat? Whole milk or cream probably would have done the trick, considering the small amount of butter...so sad about the spoiled milk OMG I felt so bad for you! I would have creamed the butter and sugar much longer first, emulsifying that well (more air/volume), then added the egg and mixed well before adding the milk and flour. Jamie, don't forget to scrape down the sides of your mixing bowl too! Now I want to try this recipe for myself HAHA! You rock!

[@gra3z]

Jamie from the past could not recover as well as you did this time around, indeed you are learning and paying attention in what’s happening in your mixing/ cooking/baking process. Kudos 🎉👏🏼👍🏼 Always so fun watching your videos. “Keep on rocking in the free word” and “Doot doula doot doo…”🇨🇦🍁

[@user-fn3ej4ry9u]

39890

[@StreamingNomad]

I remember working with an early Betty Crocker cookbook and coming across multiple references in the ingredient list of the same item, and my mother explained they were spelled out twice as each iteration was used for a different purpose. later recipes would call out the ingredient once and call for it to be seperated within the instructions.

[@bobandkelly]

I love when Jamie starts chucking things around 😂

[@pinkhope84]

I use butter and sugar instead of the flour in the cake tins. Gives a nice crust and the cakes comes out perfektly

[@lorassorkin]

The Old Cookbook Show on the Glen and Friends cooking channel is a phenomenal resource for decoding old recipes.

[@999Giustina]

Ok Jamie, thread syrup really looks like stringy threads. Also, you would do well to research what powdered sugar meant when the recipe was written. I think it means sugar that is not in a cone and is white. So more like caster sugar, but granulated would work fine. The average farm wife would not have access to icing sugar. But I'm glad it turned out alright.

[@terrylawrence4121]

Just discovered your channel a couple weeks ago. Loving every episode and your terrific commentary.

[@TheJaniceJoy]

Same here, it’s like a sugar addiction.

[@LSodacret]

The best content on YT is right here

[@pjef1956]

Just make sure if you are eating or drinking, to be careful ... Jamie frequently makes me literally Laugh Out Loud, and if I was having coffee, it would have been a true spit-take !!

[@TrainsFerriesFeet]

Yes! The Silver Fox. The finished cake was gorgeous.

[@lhzook]

All of the difficulties that your having with this cake,is probably why no one, online, has admitted to baking this cake.

[@GrammarSplaining]

Mystery solved

[@lilbatz]

My two pennies into the opinion hat. Powdered sugar in older recipes is castor sugar. Confectioners sugar is what they would have called our fine sugar plus cornstarch mixture. The recipe isn't the problem. It's not understanding older vocabulary and using the wrong ingredients.

[@ravenwillowhart4501]

I have an oatmeal cookie recipe from my great-grandmother. Every time I get to the point where after creaming the butter and sugar I add the two eggs (so far so good). Then I add the milk. And it looks curdled every single time. The key? Don't stop. Trust the recipe. By the end of the process, I have a beautiful cookie batter and they are wonderful. They have a cake-like texture which is different from most every other oatmeal cookie. I'm so sorry Jamie, but until we found out your milk had curdled I kept wanting to tell you to stop thinking so much, and just stop and keep going. I think just about anyone will tell you it takes a few years of doing these things to get the hang of it and be able to trust your gut when to deviate from what the author of the recipe says. Keep at it. I love watching your videos and they remind me that what I find sometimes second nature (about anything) may not be the same for anyone else.

[@disjustice]

Modern confection sugar often has corn starch or other anti-caking agents in it that might affect how it integrates. You could try running some granulated sugar through a coffee grinder to get something closer to what Fanie was working with.

[@MemeMary926]

Jamie, you should do it once more, continue with the separation, as ppl have said in the comments, just to see if it turns out. Absolutely love your channel!!

[@suran396]

Yes! I want to see it. Let's get a cage fight ....same cake 3 ways. 1) granulated sugar, 2) separated, powdered sugar, 3) buttermilk or spoiled milk instead of regular milk (the the addition of a tsp baking soda in the flour

[@zaphodbeeblebrox6627]

I’m wondering whether the problem is the fat content of the milk. Way back in Fanny’s day the only milk that was available is what today we call ‘Whole’ milk. If you were using skimmed or 2% milk it may be like adding water to the batter/ cake mix.

[@hannakinn]

Jamie I have 2 ideas that may have contributed to your cake batter separating. The 365 brand of powdered sugar, both the regular and the organic, contain tapioca starch. Historically powdered sugar did not contain starch, the fine sugar that had starch added was called confectioners sugar, the sddition of starch kept the finely ground sugsr from clumping from moisture. Also powdered sugar used to be available in varying numbers designated by a number followed by an X, the number indicated how many times granulated sugar had been processed. In the US it became most standard for powdered sugar to be sold as 6X and 10X sugar with 10X odten being used for confectioners as it has finer sugar particles than 6X. If Fannie's recipe was designed to have no starch in the batter the tapioca starch in the powdered sugar you used may have created a problem or your powdered sugar may have been more finely ground than what was available to Fannie back in her era. Another issue could've been the butter, store bought butter can be quite different than what Fannie may have used, the milk she used may have had a higher fat content. I can remember when the last of the milkman still delivered milk in glass bottles that the milk had a layer of cream on the top, milk was creamier back then. Products do change, often a lot, over the years. How an old recipe performs with modern day ingredients can be surprising. I think it would be interesting to look at the modernized version of Fannie's recipe to see what changes were made. I wonder if the modern version resulted in a broken batter too.

[@Okiepharmer]

Imperial powdered sugar 10x contains cornstarch. Is there a difference in reaction between tapioca & cornstarch? You’re commenting makes complete sense & I wonder if FF used a powdered sugar with any starch at all? I made an icing the other day and it tasted like cornstarch. I think I may try the 365 product & see if the flavor is better.

[@simonopps]

​@@OkiepharmerI often find that tapioca starch binds more liquid than cornstarch

[@electronblue8334]

American products are so weird! Why is there starch in your sugar? When I buy sugar, I expect it to be 100% sugar... Though you never know, they may have added other stuff over here, too, without me noticing. I really have to remind myself to read the label...

[@louiselage7740]

Well....that was a magnificent looking cake in the end! I used the FF cookbook for years, but will confess, never trying them all. I never had any issues, but then again, I never ventured far from the familiar. Great job Jamie in deciding to use castor sugar instead of icing sugar. I had my own issues with making my own icing sugar yesterday when I ran out...Grind castor sugar in your bullet, they said, it will be fine, they said....well, I ground, and ground....the icing still came out gritty, which was a shame because it was for v. expensive Christmas cakes (fruits/nuts are all soaked in Portuguese sherry and Grand Marnier!) All tastes delish (made with Grand Marnier and vanilla), but I am not happy giving them away as gifts if the icing is even a little gritty!! Jamie, you are learning to use your methods and intuition acquired over time...! I think that is what Jules, Paula, Nigella, and Jacques all attest to when cooking...make it once using the recipe, then modify as needed to make it your own. Of course this won't be entirely possible with all baking, but I have substituted and modified for decades and things always turn out....! (she says as she sits with 3 Christmas cakes with gritty icing.....LOL!)~ Cheers for the giggles....

[@Mister_Clean]

That clip of you slamming the bottom of the cake pan with your fist and putting a dent in it will never fail to make me laugh Cake making really do be like that

[@CesarIvanLunaVelazquez]

I always learn from my mistakes, now I learn from your videos everything that can go wrong in a recipe. I really appreciate it and we value your effort.

[@serenabolognesi1642]

The batter always splits when you add a large amount of liquid, it's not that much of a problem, the butter melts and mixes in the oven anyways! I always make a red wine cake that splits so bad it looks inedible while you're making it, but is actually perfect when you add all the other ingredients and bake it!

[@annsidbrant7616]

I love seeing you baking cakes, particularly chocolate cakes! Thank you for entertaining us!

[@heathermj3620]

EVERYTIME I watch you I have the best laughs! Thank you for your humor and baking ❤

[@camoang614]

I love your videos so much. Thank you for sharing your frustrations, cooking and baking can be so stupidily challenging and we've all been there!

[@tjhanlonjr]

I totally love all these series great job I look forward to it.

[@akastardust]

I love watching your videos. You're very skilled in the kitchen and also like a child left to their own devices. And that's what makes all of this work. So entertaining! 😃

[@riverbilly64]

When I was growing up, curdled milk was specifically saved to make baked goods…Cake. Bread. Biscuits. Cornbread. Pancakes. Not for custards or custard-based pies, though. Or the icing. A split cake batter ain’t no thang. I’m almost 60 and honestly never paid attention to a “curdled” batter ever…until your video. 😃 Also, I think the icing is meant to be more like a 7-Minute Frosting.

[@electronblue8334]

interesting! so you actually used "spoiled" milk? I wouldn't have thought that was a good idea... hrm 🤔

[@Jacob-ly8vs]

Man, Jamie. You worked so hard for this!! I'm proud of your resilience!

[@mcgoblin2062]

When melting chocolate, instead of heating it directly, use a double boiler. Put a bowl with the chocolate on top of a pan of boiling water. Make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch water; you’re heating with the steam from the water. This melts the chocolate gently enough to not seize. You could also heat the milk and sugar together until steaming then pour over a bowl of chocolate. Mix to incorporate and you’re done!

[@thunderhead180]

I love this channel. I love this channel.

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

Love your content man!😊😊😊❤❤❤

[@nhennessy6434]

Really good job. Well executed.

[@gigi3242]

I have my great grandmother's cookbook, there are so many things in it that we either no longer use, or are very different. Good thing you know how to adapt!

[@KH-tt3wv]

Jaime, it's really satisfying to watch you work through these recipes. Most of us would struggle with an old recipe like this one, when ingredients and techniques have changed so much over the years. Seeing you problem-solve and re-evaluate and re-do is genuinely impressive, and I know I learn so much more from this process than I do from polished cooking shows where nothing ever goes wrong. You bring a combination of tenacity and humor to the kitchen that feels extremely relatable!

[@sherryheim5504]

I tried to see your sugar syrup but could not tell if it was actually threading. Thread means that little streams come off the fork and sort of set in the air like threads. If that didn't happen, that might be why your icing was a little runny. It looked delicious at any rate and I was glad to hear that it tasted great.

[@garputhefork]

This sounds like a good one for Glen and Friends. :)

[@anthonydolio8118]

It's always a lot of fun. Thanks.

[@joananderson7976]

I just love you. You always make my day!

[@whall6101]

The opposite of a dome is often called a divot.

[@paperponies8034]

Ahh! I’m so happy to see the return of Fannie Farmer! Great video Jamie :) I agree, I think Fannie would definitely use & LOVE the Silver Fox.

[@joysgirl]

Looks great! I have a 1980 edition of Fannie Farmer's cookbook and it looks like they abandoned the Chocolate Nougat Cake recipe, but kept the White Mountain Cream recipe.

[@gardengatesopen]

Order Up with Jazz Hands!! Perfect for Take Five!!!!!!! LOVING THE JAZZY TUNES!!! And I wish I could have a slice too!!❤

[@ShiraCheshire]

I love how relatable these videos are, my gosh. The pain of the curdled milk! That was such a rocky start. I ran into the same issue with my milk this Thanksgiving, was ready to pour it into the mashed potatoes and decided to sniff test it just in case first and- SOUR! Speaking of Thanksgiving, I used the lemon trick from the chicken battle video on my turkey this year. It was amazing??? I'm astounded.

[@caitlinphillips1821]

Even at an hour , I have never been so early! How exciting . Love Fanny Farmer!

[@jolfi11]

It would be so much fun to see you and Dylan Hollis in a video together. He could probably help you out with the understanding of very old cookbooks too ❤

[@Jude74]

Typos happen. A friend of mine’s mom made a recipe out of Vincent Price’s cookbook and the recipe failed because of a typo. She figured out what he meant and remade the cake correctly. She wrote him a letter and sent pictures of both cakes. He actually sent her a handwritten reply thanking her for letting him know.

[@MrFredstt]

Personally I love that you keep your mistakes. I feel like often times people watch cooking channels, see everything go perfect in the video, then think that person just must be perfect

[@livesouthernable]

Cakes today that use the creaming method start with creaming butter and sugar and adding egg. When you do that, you’re creating a water and fat emulsion that is stabilized with the friction of the machine and the lecithin in the eggs. After that, you add in flour and milk (or other liquid). You start by adding flour FIRST. If you add milk first, you overwhelm the emulsion with too much water, and it breaks. If it curdles a little bit, the flour will fix it, but I don’t know about that amount of curdling. 🤔 I don’t know what Fannie was thinking. The science of that recipe just doesn’t work the way it was written. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Also, the mixture you were making at the end is an Italian meringue. Look up how to make Italian meringue. The sugar wasn’t cooked long enough, leaving too much water in the final meringue. 😊

[@jasmia6146]

The music in this episode- on point!

[@amyparkermartin6474]

My 4 year old has decided that he is going to be on an "episode of this show" and it's going to be called "Jamie and Jamie" (it's his name too). ☺️ He says he is going to follow your directions and be a chef too. I think he might just be your biggest fan! 🧑🏽‍🍳 He did note that if a bowl drops from the sky to him, it WILL drop on the floor. LOL Oh, to have the dreams of a child! Maybe if you have guests on your videos in the future, he can make an appearance one day!

[@colleenmahony8803]

Ok -- haven't watched the whole thing yet. But wanted to make a fun point: Went to my Irish Nana. Asked her to teach me her Irish soda bread recipe. She teaches me to scrub the table with Clorox. She says, "4 cups of flour," but she pulls out a tea cup that is easily a cup and a half. "Buttermilk until it looks right."

[@dianacfleming]

Except that Fanny Farmer is famous for standardising measurements.

[@dmbalsam]

I have some of those recipes from my grandparents.

[@manitobasky]

I had a very similar experience with my Scottish gran, asked for some of her recipes. Made them nothing like hers, so I watched her make them and took notes.

[@sandmantoxicman2646]

not first but almost, love you man, keep on doing what you love

[@TimeLapsePlants]

As many people said below.. its ok if the batter looks curdled. sometimes recipes even say this will happen and not to worry. I also doubt the sour milk was an issue, many recipes use buttermilk or sourcream which is not very different from sour milk, chemically speaking. I think you could have whipped the cream more to get stiffer, spreadable peaks. keep up the good work, you are learning a lot and making progress.

[@connier1722]

That nougat topping looks great!

[@Sunny_boy17]

Would love a collaboration of taking with history and anti-chef!!!! Yall would kill it with historical recipes

[@jamesallison4875]

I’m just at the curdled milk stage and haven’t laughed so much in ages! You are a comedic genius.

[@roseflores1386]

So glad it worked out..😊

[@RPHelpingHand]

Awesome! My favorite part of this show is back. Bring the pain! 😊

[@kandyharris2195]

I just found your channel recently❤ I've been so tempted to step back in my kitchen and say" bowl me" a few times 😂. By the way , this chocolate cake with the frosting ( minus the nuts) is my hubby's all time favorite cake 😊

[@LPdedicated]

It's always a good day when AC uploads! :)

[@jabbaa6500]

Great show! Recipes tell you to alternate the flour with the wet ingredients to prevent the separating, always ending with the flour. Also, your syrup was not reduced enough, when lifting the fork out you would see threads drizzling down off off the fork. You'd did great!

[@maggiebonnett4034]

super dooper, enjoyed that my little one. xx

[@lizhaydon2250]

I have 2 versions of this book. I love the recipes in both.

[@tgriffin8179]

Perseverance, Anti-Chef Jamie is thy name…fun ride for us… hope it was rewarding for you in the end.😊 Keep’em coming!! PS toast the nuts …had to add the small bit of culinary kibitzing.

[@gardengatesopen]

Ohhhh yeah... toasted... !

[@bellosardo84]

You need to tap the pan upside down to remove the excess flour, otherwise you'll have uncooked flour around the bottom of your cake.

[@erinrobertson-brower303]

Ok. So when using historical recipes, some terms and assumptions are different. First, as I have seen another post, never use modern powdered sugar. Modern powdered sugar contains a starch of some sort to help with viscosity in icing. What she means is called Caster or superfine sugar. You dont have to purchase this as you can simply pulse regular sugar in a blender or food processor for a few seconds and get a similar product. When it comes to the oven, you did perfectly. At the time, wood fired stoves were the norm. If no temperature is listed, for the most part, assume a moderate oven (350F). A hot or "quick" oven is around 425F. A cool, "late," or slow oven would be around 275-300F. I hope that this was helpful. Loved the video.

[@johnboyd7158]

Back in the 1950’s and 60’s there was a chocolate shop named Fanny Farmer. Finally understand the name. Good Job, Jamie.

[@nikkihayes9236]

JAMIE, OMG! I swear @2:24 it looked like you spooned out some Flour and just sprinkled it on the Baking Pan beneath the Layer Pans!😂😂😂💖

[@Opusss]

Opposite of a dome. I would go with caldera for fun. Jamie baking is also peak gastronomical adventure. I love the almost state of shock when the cake came out of the pan flawlessly 😂😅

[@clayclifton3895]

❤❤❤❤ you look good with the hair trim..bravo!!!!!! ❤❤❤❤❤

[@kamicokrolock]

In the past when I met someone who said they couldn't bake or that baking was hard I would scratch my head in confusion as it's always been something that came naturally to me. Then I stumbled upon this channel and now I understand. Also the frosting recipe looks like a version of 7 min frosting which should be very fluffy and marshmallow like. I hate the stuff, but it was a staple in our house as my mother loves it especially on chocolate cake (it dries out to an airy crunchy constancy, so best eaten the day of).

[@julie6092]

Chocolate cake and boiled frosting is my *all time favourite!!!* It's a regular thing on the east coast ☺️

[@jldisme]

Wow! Julia Child's Aunt's Fluffy Pie was AMAZING!! I'll never make a regular pumpkin pie again. Everybody loved it.

[@DraconZa]

Well done 🎉❤