I wish you could go grocery shopping with me and see the limit there is to most every kind of foodstuffs. I can't begin to describe how frustrating it is when I am used to Walmart Super Stores!! Things like corn meal are non-existent, so I guess I will live without 'real' cornbread. Even chocolate chips or raisins are not always stocked, so I buy extra when they are.
I have learned to bake 'mince, bacon and cheese pies' [which are ground beef, ham and cheese in American]. You can buy them in most dairies, bakeries and restaurants, but it's always better when you make them from scratch and my bunch prefer bacon on everything!
I have discovered that there are several food items that I have cooked for years as staple foods but are 'new' to my NZ family. Among them are home-made mac and cheese, home-made soups, home-baked breads of any kind, cookies of any kind and cakes. Their favorites, by far, are Toll House cookies and American pound cake. [In case you're wondering, there are 'pound cakes' in many countries. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pound_cake ]
So, in tribute to those who have yet to experience my version, I gladly share it now.
Betty's Pound Cake
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 tsp flavoring
4 eggs
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sour cream
Powdered sugar for final dusting
Preheat oven to 325 (160C). Grease and flour 10-inch bundt cake pan.
Cream together sugar, butter and flavorings [I sometimes use strawberry, orange and banana, but you can use your own combinations, or just vanilla]. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each.
Combine flour, baking powder and salt and combine with butter mixture alternately with sour cream.
You can stop there for a delicious plain cake or add a cup of chocolate chips, raisins, nuts, dried currants, dried mixed fruit, coconut or whatever you like best!
Bake 70 to 80 minutes, until toothpick in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for about 15 minutes. Remove and cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar.
Serve plain or with fruit [if yours lasts that long!]
7 comments:
No home-made cookies, cakes or macaroni! I had no idea. That is very interesting. I notice when I visit the U.S. there is a lot more variety in foods than in Canada. Of course, we have one tenth the population so I guess that is why.
We couldn't find many of the food we were used to in Holland and what they sell is twice as expensive here so we had to change most of our habits. Can't wait to go to holland next year and eat croquets and drop and rookworst
But you can get various kinds of kumera (sweet potatoes) that are not available here in the States, and there are stacks of pavlova meringues!
The cake sounds lovely.
Found your blog via another one, interesting reading.Fortunately your negative experiences of small town New Zealand are not those shared by many other immigrants.
I am born and bred in New Zealand and have grown up with homemade mac and cheese, soup, bread, cakes and biscuits. My mother made them for us and I have been making them for my family for the past 30+ years. We were taught at school, yes unfortunately the next generations are not always continuing these skills and thats not just in New Zealnd. My heritage is also dutch and my mother made her own croquettes, rookworst while more expensive than in Holland has been available in Christchurch for more than 50 years and drop(salt licorice is also readily available. Yes its more expensive but thats the price you pay for living in a country at the end of the world with a small population.
Count your blessings and look for the joy in everyday!
Join the local Country Womens institute and you will discover that New Zealanders have been cooking and baking for their families since they arrived in this country.
Saar: I am just telling you the point of view that is mine--I am not making judgments.
Things are simply different from what I was used to, not necessarily worse.
I have learned to adapt :)
You might just start a food revolution there. Your recipe sounds DELISH! Thanks for sharing-
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I will definitely have to try it. I never eat pound cake from the store, but I never had a good homemade recipe either. I think your recipe might do the trick. :)
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