A historical dessert from Recipes from here and there (1900). Serve with whipped cream.
Preserved exactly as written in the original source
Cream scant one-half cup butter
Add one cup sugar, two eggs, one cup milk, twenty-four graham crackers ground fine, two teaspoons baking powder, one teaspoon vanilla, one-half cup nut meats ground fine
Bake in layers in moderate oven twenty-five minutes
For filling: Thicken one small can crushed pineapple with cornstarch
Add one-half cup sugar
Serve with whipped cream
Modern guidance to help you succeed with this vintage recipe
Graham crackers provide structure while staying tender because their coarse whole wheat flour creates a cake with less gluten development than all-purpose flour alone. Creaming butter and sugar incorporates air bubbles that expand during baking, creating a light crumb. The pineapple filling's natural enzymes are deactivated by canning, allowing the cornstarch to thicken properly without breaking down—fresh pineapple would prevent proper thickening.
The cake layers can be baked up to 2 days ahead, cooled completely, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, and stored at room temperature. The pineapple filling can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container. Assemble the layered dessert no more than 4 hours before serving to prevent the layers from becoming soggy.
Store the assembled dessert covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The graham cracker layers will soften over time, developing a texture similar to icebox cake. For best texture, store cake layers and filling separately if not serving within 24 hours. Do not freeze, as the texture of the graham cracker layers will become unpleasantly dense upon thawing.
AI-generated tips from Chef Cecil's culinary database
The cake layers can be baked up to 2 days ahead, cooled completely, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, and stored at room temperature. The pineapple filling can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container. Assemble the layered dessert no more than 4 hours before serving to prevent the layers from becoming soggy.
Store the assembled dessert covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The graham cracker layers will soften over time, developing a texture similar to icebox cake. For best texture, store cake layers and filling separately if not serving within 24 hours. Do not freeze, as the texture of the graham cracker layers will become unpleasantly dense upon thawing.
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