It was a busy day. Late in the afternoon I found myself judging a chili cook-off at the ATCO Kitchen for the Boys’ and Girls’ Club of Calgary — not the ideal way to reintroduce regular food after two days of an upset stomach. Later that evening I attended an organizational meeting for Ramsay Rocks, our community event, which is now only a week and a half away. By nearly 11 pm I was glad to be home, remove my contacts, and sit at the computer with a mug of tea and a slice of plain cake — suitably titled busy day.
The busy days Edna Lewis described from her childhood were very different: “Our busiest days were, of course, when we were canning, putting up watermelon-rind pickles and Seckel pears, making blackberry jelly, and preparing the brine for cucumber pickles.”
Edna Lewis is one of the most celebrated Southern cooks of modern times; she has often been called a Southern Julia Child. Her book, The Taste of Country Cooking, reads like a balm—warm and comforting as she reminisces about growing up in Freetown, Virginia. A short documentary, Fried Chicken and Sweet Potato Pie, offers a glimpse of her life and work.
One of the first lessons I learned from Miss Lewis years ago was about baking powder. She measured it by piling it on a dime when she didn’t have measuring spoons, and she preferred to make her own, believing commercial double-acting baking powder could leave a metallic aftertaste. Her homemade version is simple: sift together 1/4 cup cream of tartar and 2 tablespoons baking soda, store it in a tightly sealed container, and use it as you would regular baking powder.
Lewis wrote: “A busy-day cake, or sweet bread, as it was really called, was regular cake batter, measured out and stirred in a hurry while the vegetables cooked on one end of the old wood stove and canning was carried out on the firebox end. The batter would be poured into a large biscuit pan and set into the oven to bake.”
This plain butter cake belongs in every home cook’s repertoire. It’s especially lovely with fresh or stewed fruit in summer. Skip store-bought shortcakes and those little yellow sponges in favor of a warm slice of buttery, sandy-crumbed cake. For a simple, elegant topping, simmer fresh blueberries with a small drizzle of maple syrup or honey until their skins burst, then spoon the warm fruit over a wedge. The cake often sinks slightly in the center as it bakes; if you prefer an even surface, bake it in a tube or Bundt pan.
Miss Lewis noted: “Busy-day cake was never iced, it was always cut into squares and served warm, often with fresh fruit or berries left over from canning. The delicious flavor of fresh-cooked fruit with the plain cake was just to our taste and it was also refreshing with newly churned, chilled buttermilk or cold morning’s milk.”