Historic recipe from Malinda Russell's 1866 cookbook "A Domestic Cook Book". Page 26. One of the earliest known cookbooks by an African American author.
Beating eggs before combining with molasses creates a stable emulsion by breaking protein bonds and incorporating air, which lightens the dense molasses and creates a smoother custard texture. The high sugar content in molasses lowers the coagulation temperature of egg proteins, allowing the custard to set gently without curdling. Adding butter provides fat that further stabilizes the emulsion and creates a silky mouthfeel, while the spices balance molasses's assertive flavor.
One quart molasses, eight eggs, half lb butter; beat the eggs, then beat eggs and molasses together until light; add , , and .
The unbaked custard mixture can be prepared up to 4 hours ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container. Stir gently before pouring into baking vessel. Once baked, the custard can be made 1 day ahead, cooled completely, covered with plastic wrap, and refrigerated.
Store baked custard covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Due to the egg content, this custard is best enjoyed chilled and should not be left at room temperature for more than 2 hours. Do not freeze, as the texture will become grainy upon thawing.
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