Farmer's Poppy Seed Layer Cake (1959)

• 
  1/4 cup black poppy seeds
•  1 cup milk
• 2/3 cup shortening
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tbspn baking powder
• 3 cups sifted flour
• 1 tspn salt
• 4 egg whites, stiffly beaten
• Custard Filling (see below)

Add poppy seeds to milk. Refrigerate 1 to 2 hours. Cream shortening with sugar until light and fluffy. 

Stir together baking powder, flour, and salt. Add dry ingredients and poppy seed milk alternately to creamed mixture.  Fold in egg whites, half at a time. Pour into two waxed paper-lined 8-inch round layer cake pans. 

Bake in moderate oven, 375 degrees, for 30 minutes. Remove from pans to racks. Cool, then put together with Custard Filling (see below). Sprinkle top of cake with confectioners sugar. Refrigerate until time to serve. 

Custard Filling

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tbspns flour
• 1/8 tspn salt
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 3/4 cup scalded milk
• 1/2 tspn vanilla
• 1/4 tspn almond extract (optional)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Combine sugar, flour, and salt in top of double boiler. Sit in egg; add milk and blend thoroughly. Cook over boiling water 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Cook 5 more minutes. Refrigerate until cold. Add vanilla and almond extract. Add nuts, then fold in whipped cream. Spread between two 8-inch or 9-inch cake layers.

More "Lost" Cake Recipes

Shaker Cider Cake (1880)

Wisconsin Blueberry Batter Cake (1959)

(Origin - "Farm Journal's Country Cookbook" edited by Nell B. Nichols, 1959.)