Wardrobes are mysterious, wonderful things. They do not just hold all your fur coats, but some also serve as gateways to other worlds. Some people are lucky enough to stumble across such a wardrobe, walk through its ornate doors, and step into the white snowing world of Narnia. While perhaps lovely and delicate at first, the snow, a bane brought by the White Witch that has long plagued Narnia and its inhabitants, makes the land cold. Fauns, dwarves, centaurs, and talking animals keep warm in their small, humble dwellings as they sit by their fireplaces, drink steaming cups of tea, and eat sugar-topped cake. This ROCK (Recipe for One-of-a-kind Characters in the Kitchen) must be tried by any who happen to walk through a magic wardrobe, enter Narnia, and meet a gentlemanly faun who offers afternoon tea. Make some of this sweet, fruity cake to take with you as you leave one world and embark on a new adventure in another.
Sugar-topped cake will take 10 minutes (excluding baking time) to make and will provide 1 9-in. cake. Collect the following ingredients for this ROCK:
- ½ cup molasses
- ¼ cup oil or applesauce
- 1 cup water*
- 2 cups flour
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- Pinch of salt
- 1 cup raisins*
- ½ cup chopped walnuts*
- Granulated sugar
- Confectioner’s sugar
- Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Prepare a 9-in. round cake pan by greasing and flouring it.
- In a large bowl, combine the molasses, oil/applesauce, and water. Mix the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, and salt in a separate bowl.
- Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, stir the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients until combined. Fold in the raisins and walnuts.
- Place the batter in the prepared pan and spread the batter out evenly. Bake for 25 minutes, and then sprinkle 2 tbps to ¼ cup of granulated sugar on the top of the cake. Bake for another 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the center clean.
- Allow the cake to cool inside the pan on a wire rack for a couple minutes. Remove the cake from the pan and cool completely on the wire rack.*
- Sift some confectioner’s sugar onto the cake and serve warm. Enjoy!
Water: To add more fruity flavor, you can substitute 1 cup of apple or orange juice instead of water. Or you can use ½ cup of water and ½ cup of juice.
Raisins: For those who don’t like raisins, you may substitute an equal amount of craisins, other dried fruit/s, or nuts. If you use a dried fruit that is much larger than a raisin, be sure to cut it into small pieces before adding to the batter. You may also do half and half with the fruits, similar to the water and juice.
Walnuts: You may substitute ½ cup of another type of nut if you prefer.
Cooling the Cake: If the cake does not come out easily, there are a couple of different options depending on how sticky the cake is. If the cake is just sticky enough it will not come out of the pan easily or cleanly, let it rest in the pan on the wire rack for another few minutes. If the cake is heavily sticking to the pan, it may be underbaked. Try placing it in the oven again for a few minutes if it has not cooled completely.
Works Cited:
“Sugar-Topped Cake: The Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe.” Fiction-Food Café, 21 January 2018, www.fiction-food.com/2018/01/sugar-topped-cake-lion-witch-wardrobe.html.
Photo Credit: Fiction-Food Café