Recipe: Washington Pie - Civil War recipe (layer cake with jam filling)

WASHINGTON PIE - CIVIL WAR RECIPE

"It's really a cake-pie. Two fluffy layers of butter cake with jam between and a thick coating of powdered sugar on top. Did you ever hear the real story of this delicious dessert?

Well, it dates back to Civil War times -- when fresh fruits for pies were not to be had in the city of Washington. Nothing daunted, some clever housewife raided her own hidden store of jam. To make it go further, she spread it between two layers of cake, and humorously called it Washington Pie. What started as a substitute, has won a nation-wide place in its own right." - from 1935 newspaper

1/3 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 3/4 cups sifted cake flour
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
raspberry or apricot jam
powdered sugar

"First cream butter until light. Then beat in sugar gradually. Add eggs, well beaten.

Combine sifted cake flour with baking powder and salt, and sift again.

Combine vanilla and milk. Add dry ingredients and milk to first mixture alternately. Turn into two 8-inch greased layer-cake tins.

Bake in moderately hot oven (375 degrees F) about twenty-five minutes. When cold put together with jam and dust with powdered sugar.

And notice this smart trick:
Lay your wire cake-cooling rack lightly on the top before giving the heavy sifting of powdered sugar. When you lift the rack off, the cake surface is marked into powdered sugar squares, with the golden crust of cake showing between."

Source: Rochester Evening Journal newspaper,
Friday, March 22, 1935