Cookies and Cakes and Other Sweet Bakes Quiz

Answer: molasses

Popular in the northeastern USA, shoofly pie is almost more a coffee cake than a traditional pie. It can have either a 'dry bottom' or a 'wet bottom' and is usually served with whipped cream. The name is a bit more puzzling, although popular theory is that because of the sweet ingredients, when the pie was cooling the baker had to 'shoo' the flies away.

Answer: pound cake

Traditional pound cake recipes call for a pound each of flour, butter, eggs and sugar, but any equal ratio will work depending on the size of the pan. The traditional pound cake is very popular in the southern USA. There are also variations of the recipe that add such diverse ingredients as sour cream, raisins, vanilla and baking powder among others.

The three other cakes are all butter-less recipes and contain eggs as their main ingredient.

Answer: beets

Grated cooked beets were used in the 1940s to deepen the color of the cake. Red food coloring is more commonly used these days, but the older recipes are equally functional. There are also red velvet cake recipes that do not contain any chocolate. And, while cinnamon hearts and maraschino cherries are fairly common additions in certain cakes, tomato soup is a surprisingly good 'secret' ingredient in a number of spice cake recipes.

Answer: boiled

Originally made with a suet dough rolled around a jam filling, an alternative to boiling the treat was steaming. Newer recipes have changed some of the ingredients, and the method of cooking to baking. In 'The Tale of Samuel Whiskers' by Beatrix Potter, rats rolled Tom Kitten into a roly poly pudding (he escaped). A common slang term for a roly poly was 'dead man's arm'.

Answer: Germany

Usually a rather large round cookie, the shapes and sizes can be different depending on the recipe and/or baker's preference. As with the sizes, ingredients can vary, but most recipes include honey, cloves, cinnamon, allspice and almonds. And, they're not just for Christmas.

Answer: an empty soup can

Back in the 1940s and 1950s, domestic frugality was normal, especially for those who had lived through the Depression. Reusing empty soup cans was just one strategy for saving money. After cooling, the loaves could be removed, wrapped in wax paper and refrigerated to 'age'. And the cans could be reused.

Answer: yeast bread

A Czech yeast-bread that contains almonds and raisins, vanocka is usually baked at Christmastime. The traditional shape is a three tier braided loaf which can be glazed with a simple vanilla or lemon glaze. The English pronunciation is 'von-ooch-kah'.

Answer: regular milk and vinegar

The substitute for one cup of buttermilk is one tablespoon of vinegar (or lemon juice) mixed with one cup of milk. You can also use yogurt in an equal amount. If you need a cup of heavy cream, you can substitute three-quarters cup of milk and one-quarter cup of butter.

In most baked goods, yogurt can be used in place of sour cream, and coffee creamer can be used in recipes that call for light cream.

Answer: crackers

Published by Nabisco for Ritz crackers, the 'mock apple pie' recipe was an instant hit back in the 1950s. Comprised of very few ingredients - pie crust, crackers, water, sugar, butter, cream of tartar and cinnamon - there was no need to peel, core and slice apples.

Answer: Waldorf-Astoria/New York

The first 'Bake-Off' was held in 1949, and was attended by Eleanor Roosevelt and Art Linkletter. The Waldorf-Astoria was home to the contest until 1957 when the venue changed on a yearly basis. The first winning recipe was for no-knead water-rising twists, and was created by Theodora Smafield of Michigan.