Recipe: Pumpkin Cake with Seven Minute Brown Sugar Frosting (A&P, 1940's)

PUMPKIN CAKE

2/3 cup solid vegetable shortening
2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (or 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice instead of the ground cloves, ground ginger and ground cinnamon)
3/4 cup milk
1 cup canned solid pack pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
2 eggs, unbeaten

Measure vegetable shortening into bowl. Sift flour, measure and sift again with baking powder, salt, sugar and spices onto vegetable shortening. Add 1/2 cup milk and pumpkin. Blend and beat with mixer 1 minute. Add remaining milk and eggs. Beat 2 minutes with mixer. Scrape bowl often during beating.

Bake in two greased and floured, deep, 8-inch layer cake pans in 375 degree F oven for about 35 minutes.

When cool, frost with 7-minute frosting made with brown sugar.

SEVEN MINUTE FROSTING WITH BROWN SUGAR
Makes enough frosting for a 2-layer cake

1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 large egg whites
6 tablespoons water
dash salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Place brown sugar, egg whites, water, and salt in top of double
boiler. Place double boiler over boiling water. Beat brown sugar and egg mixture with mixer until frosting thickens and holds
shape when dropped from beater blade. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Continue beating until frosting is thick enough to spread.

Source: A & P Dexo Shortening ad Woman's Day magazine 11/1/1948