A few days ago I came across a true treasure, a box that I had not opened in over 28 years. I originally obtained this box from the estate auction of my grandmother Lillie Mae (Long) Coe. Upon opening, I found well-preserved recipes, written upon paper in her handwriting, along with other hand written recipes that I assume she swapped with friends. It took my breath away! Some of the recipes had no directions, while others were vague on what the actual measurements of ingredients should be. Many of the recipes I had never heard of before, and others my mom had used and passed on down to me or my sister.
After a little thought, I decided to take on the task (more like a challenge) to sort, organize, and preserve each and every recipe that I found. Some of the recipes I will have to do a little research on to see if I can decipher what the directions or measurements might be, but I found each recipe and the paper they are written upon unique, and I can only imagine the stories some of them might have to tell.
The first recipe is Hobnail Icing. It was written upon an old Central National Bank of Cleveland, Ohio Time Credit slip. I researched the bank and discovered it operated during the years of 1890-1965, and that its location was 509 Euclid Avenue. The information on the back of the recipe showed private information besides the bank name so I will not post a picture of the back, just the front to show what it originally looked like.
I will have to try this recipe out sometime, it actually seems easy and delicious, but for now, I am just sharing it with all of you, deciphered to the best of my ability. If this is the same chocolate frosting recipe my mother always made, I can truly testify it has an amazing taste!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of sifted confectioners’ sugar
- 2 or 3 egg yolks (or 1 small egg)
- ¼ cup of milk (I bet she used whole milk)
- 3 squares of unsweetened chocolate equal to 3 oz. melted
- 1 Tablespoon of soft shortening
- ½ teaspoon of vanilla
Directions:
Place a mixing bowl in ice water
Beat all of the above ingredients with a mixer 3-5 minutes or until a consistency that is able to be spread.
Here is the fun part!
Using the tip only of a teaspoon, press the tip gently into the icing and pull it up and out to make a hobnail pattern. Until writing this recipe, I had not realized there was a name for this pattern that I have done many times over while frosting a cake. Simple and elegant in design, I originally learned this frosting technique from my mother, and I am pretty sure now she learned it from my grandma Coe.
Enjoy! From: “In the Kitchen with Sheryl”
