Snippy Noodle Cake

I was 99% finished with the recipes for Aspics, Chicken Salad, and Ice Cold Celery: Finding Community through Maryland Recipes, my grant funded mini-cookbook when I came across this recipe in a “now and then” cookbook put out by the Howard County Historical Society.

Obviously, the name was eye-catching! It also included a story about how this cake was popular to throw together when traveling ministers came to visit unexpectedly. I love an anecdote even if I’m a little skeptical of it—the recipe was also very clear that you needed all ingredients to be room temperature—which implies quite a bit of thinking ahead. Maybe the ministers gave more notice than you’d think. One part of the recipe that is quick however is that, unlike a lot of cake recipes, you don’t cream together the butter and sugar before adding the dry ingredients—everything gets tossed in the bowl together and then mixed. It also bakes in about 25 minutes. This is my kind of cake! 

Finally, it included the instruction to grease wax paper and use it to line your cake pan. This is a horrible idea as the wax will melt into your cake. I don’t find that even parchment paper was needed, you can turn the cake out onto a wire rack like any other cake. 

I could not find much information about how the cake got its unusual name but I did find some variations of the name like snip doodle (which perhaps makes a tiny bit more sense since there are no noodles in this cake) and the idea put out by baker Stella Parks that snip doodle cake is a precursor to the classic snickerdoodle. That’s certainly possible! It does have a similar cinnamon-sugar flavor profile and cakes are basically cookies with more flour. 

I took these to a meeting of my weaving guild and they were a massive hit! The cake had a solid but light texture and the nutmeg added just the right amount of spice to enhance but not overpower the cinnamon.

Snippy Noodle Cake

A possible precursor to the snickerdoodle cookie! Adapted and updated from Avis Selby Pfefferkorn's recipe in Let’s Dish: 50th Anniversary Edition, Then & Now Recipe Collection, Complied by the Howard County Historical Society 2014

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 18

Ingredients

  

for the cake:

• 1 ¾ cup cake flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• ½ cup milk, at room temperature
• ½ cup butter, at room temperature
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• for the topping:
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon I used Saigon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350°. Butter and flour a 9×13 inch metal baking pan. Set aside.
• In a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the flour and sugar. Add the remaining ingredients and beat by hand or with the paddle attachment of your mixer until a smooth, soft batter forms.
• Scrape it out into your prepared pan. Smooth the batter to completely cover the bottom of the pan in a uniform layer with the back of your spoon.
• Bake 25-30 minutes and cool in pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Invert onto a wire rack and flip using another rack or platter so the cake is right side up.
• Allow to cool completely.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the topping ingredients. Use a wire sieve or dusting wand to coat the cake in the mixture. Cut into small squares.

Notes

Saigon cinnamon is a variety of cassia cinnamon that has a distinct and strong cinnamon flavor. Any variety of cinnamon can be used instead with great results.

Keyword cake, grant cookbook recipe

Adapted from Avis Selby Pfefferkorn’s recipe in Let’s Dish: 50th Anniversary Edition, Then & Now Recipe Collection, Complied by the Howard County Historical Society 2014

A version of this post appeared in Aspics, Chicken Salad, and Ice Cold Celery: Finding Community through Maryland Recipes