RECIPE CORNER: Lazy Daisy Cake

Lazy Daisy Cake

Who and where was Lazy Daisy Cake created?

So there really is not one person to point at to say that THIS person was the origin. Depending on a difference in one main ingredient will give you an idea of the age of your recipe which could either be in the early part of the the 20th century or the 1950s. The earliest printing of the recipe is suggested to be 1914 but it was supposedly when Snowdrift shortening printed the recipe in a 1920s newspaper ad that it became part of many recipe boxes.

In 1950, Quaker Oats created their own recipe to include in advertisements.

The word lazy is in the title because it was considered an easy and quick cake.

Here are both updated King Arthur's version and an excerpt of the Quaker Oaks.

This simple yellow cake with a broiled coconut-butter-brown sugar topping is an all-time favorite. It's quick and easy, and travels very nicely right in its baking pan.

Lazy Daisy Cake

Ingredients:

Cake

• 2 large eggs, at room temperature

• 1 cup (198g) granulated sugar

• 1 cup (120g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 cup (113g) milk

• 1 1/2 tablespoons (21g) butter

Topping

• 4 tablespoons (57g) unsalted butter, cold

• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (131g) light brown sugar or dark brown sugar, packed

• 1/4 cup (57g) milk, at room temperature

• 1 cup (60g) large-flake coconut, unsweetened or 1 cup (53g) shredded

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour an 8" square or 9" round baking pan.

2. To make the cake: In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs until frothy, then add the sugar, beating at high speed until mixture is thick and lemon-colored. Stir in the flour, baking powder and salt.

3. In a saucepan, heat the milk and butter together to boiling. Add to ingredients in bowl, beating to combine.

4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes, until the top springs back when lightly touched with your finger, and the edges begin to pull away from the pan. Remove from oven and place on a rack to cool for 10 minutes or so.

5. Turn on the broiler in the oven.

6. To make the topping: Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the brown sugar, milk and coconut, stirring to combine.

7. Pour the topping over the warm cake, and place under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and bubbling.

8. Store the cake for up to 3 days on the counter, or freeze for up to a month.

Tips from the Baker

• Watch the topping carefully as you broil it, because it goes from golden to burned very quickly.