Historic recipe from Malinda Russell's 1866 cookbook "A Domestic Cook Book". Page 16. One of the earliest known cookbooks by an African American author.
The high ratio of butter to flour (1:2 by weight) creates a tender, rich crumb by coating flour proteins and limiting gluten development. Creaming butter and sugar together incorporates air cells that expand during baking, providing lift alongside the chemical leavening from soda. The small amount of baking soda reacts with acidic ingredients (likely from the eggs and butter) to create additional rise and golden color through Maillard reactions.
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Mix ingredients together
Bake ten or fifteen minutes
The batter can be prepared and refrigerated in the cake pan, covered tightly with plastic wrap, for up to 4 hours before baking. Add 5 minutes to the baking time if baking from cold. The baked cake improves in flavor and texture after 24 hours as the crumb sets and flavors meld.
Store the cooled cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days, or wrap tightly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw frozen cake overnight at room temperature before serving. The high butter content keeps the cake moist during storage.
