Baker Street

Prisms hung in my living room, the light shining through refracting rainbows onto the wall. The beautiful patterns instantly brought me back to the childhood summer. The one that not only changed my life forever but gave me a new appreciation for life and the things that some take for granted. Thoughts of Mr.Pendleton always made me smile as I watched the prisms dance on the wall. Returning to the recipe box in front of me I looked down. Carefully thumbing through the recipes inside, the neat handwriting on each card bringing me back even further to that summer.

Finally, I found it.

‘Lagerlof’s Bazaar Cake‘

Perfect! Aunt Polly and Dr.Chilton were going to love my surprise visit home but this chocolate cake even more.

Carefully measuring ingredients, I thought back to all the fun times at Aunt Polly‘s after coming home from rehabilitation. I looked down wiggling my toes thinking of the scary fall that led to my temporary paralyzation as a child. I waited for the mixer to finish beating the last of the flour into the rich batter.

This was a simple yet beautiful cake. I planned to make two, so they had options.

I was still so thankful for Aunt Polly, Dr. Chilton, and my entire medical team for allowing me to lead a normal adult life after my accident. She supported me even further than I ever could have imagined. I looked around my small kitchen thinking of the bakery shop down the street. As a child when I first came to Aunt Polly, adjusting to life with her and others was difficult. In the light of it though, knowing people like Lagerlof and Nancy helped me become the woman I am today.

A woman opening a bakery business in 1925 would normally be unheard of, but not impossible with the help of Aunt Polly and all her friends in Beldingsville.

Touching the crocheted blanket hanging on the back of a chair near a window in the sitting area of the living room, I thought of Mrs.Snow. How I wish I could give her another hug. Instead, I took solace knowing that she would have loved the flowers I had left her earlier this week and boxed the two cakes for Aunt Polly and Dr.Chilton and left.

Walking up Aunt Polly’s drive brought back so many memories, and I smiled thinking back to the days when I longed to go home but had no idea just how much I needed to be here, not just to bring happiness to people but to learn from them as well.

I rang the doorbell waiting patiently.

“Pollyanna! What a surprise We didn’t know you’d be stopping today, Polly dear, it’s Pollyanna!”

“Dear child, what a surprise what are you doing here, do come in.” Aunt Polly smiled, arranging flowers in a vase.

“I brought you and Uncle Chilton cakes for your anniversary, but not just any cakes,” I said grinning as I opened the boxes I had sat on the table.

“Are those?” Uncle Chilton asked.

“They are one snickerdoodle and one chocolate. Happy Anniversary to you both”

” Which do you want, dear?” Aunt Polly asked Dr.Chilton.

“Chocolate dear“

“I think I’ll take snickerdoodle,” she said, slicing both the cakes and placing pieces on them.

”Pollyanna?”

“Chocolate please.”

” Some things never change, do they?” Nancy said, peeking around the corner happily.

” They don’t do they” Aunt Polly laughed, taking a bite of her cake closing her eyes as she enjoyed the bite.

” Pollyanna this is heavenly, thank you for thinking of us “Dr.Chilton looked at me with a glint in his eyes.

“Of course! Happy Anniversary and I’m sure I’ll see you both around town soon, I love you both so much!” I said, jumping up flinging my arms around them with an enthusiastic hug before leaving to go home to my own small family.

Authors Note : This story is inspired by and based off the original story -Pollyanna- by Eleanor H. Porter. It is a children’s classic that was later turned into a Walt Disney Film. My story is to give a glimpse of one way Pollyanna may of been in the future, no doubt all the hearts that she touched during her time with Aunt Polly also touched her own with lessons and love. As a child and teen I loved this story and the movie, one scene in particular always stuck with me, the bazaar.

That cake, just looked so good, through lots of research I was able to determine the type of flour that was most likely used in that time as well as general ideas of what the cake May of been like. This last weekend I spent time in my kitchen recreating those cakes.

Heres The Recipes

"Lagerlof‘s" Chocolate Bazaar Cake

Note * To get the full cakes like above you need to double both the cake and the frosting recipe. Same with the snickerdoodle cake!

1 cup unsifted unsweetened cocoa

2 cups boiling water

2 3⁄4 cups swans down cake flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup butter, softened

2 1⁄2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 1⁄2 teaspoons vanilla

Frosting

6 ounces semisweet chocolate chopped

1⁄2 cup light cream

1 cup butter

2 1⁄2 cups unsifted confectioners' sugar

Filling

1 cup heavy cream, chilled

1⁄4 cup unsifted confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, combine cocoa with boiling water, mixing with wire whisk until smooth.

Cool completely.

Sift flour with soda, salt & baking powder.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Grease well and lightly flour three 9 by 1 1/2 inch layer-cake pans.

In large bowl of electric mixer, at high speed, beat butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla, scraping bowl occasionally until light-about 5 minutes.

At low speed, beat in flour mixture (in fourths), alternately with cocoa mixture (in thirds), beginning and ending with flour mixture. Do not overbeat.

Divide evenly into pans;smooth top. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until surface springs back when gently pressed with fingertip.

Cool in pans 10 minutes.

Carefully loosen sides with spatula; 4. Remove from pans; cool on racks.

Frosting: In medium saucepan, combine chocolate pieces,cream, butter;stir over medium heat until smooth.

Remove from heat.

With whisk, blend in 2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar.

In bowl set over ice(I use ice cubes) beat until it holds shape.

18. Filling: whip cream with sugar and vanilla;refrigerate.

To assemble cake: On plate place a layer, top side down;spread with half of cream.

Place second layer, top side down;spread with rest of cream.

Place third layer, top side up. To frost: With spatula, frost sides first,covering whipped cream;use rest of frosting on top, swirling decoratively.

Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.

To cut, use a thin-edged sharp knife;slice with a sawing motion.

And forget the swirls.

I think it looks gourmet just to spread the frosting.

It dries really dark and looks cool

Lagerlof’s Snickerdoodle Bazaar Cake

Ingredients

3 cups swans down cake flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

2 sticks butter, softened to room temperature

1 3/4 cups fine or superfine sugar

4 large eggs, room temperature

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups whole milk, warmed to room temperature

2 batches of Brown Sugar Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting Recipe

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Butter and flour two 8- or 9-inch round cake pans.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.

Cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy and pale in color.

Beat the eggs in one at a time, fully incorporating each egg and scraping down the bowl between each addition. Beat in the vanilla.

Add about 1/3 of the milk, beat to incorporate, then 1/3 of the flour, again beating to incorporate.

Repeat this process, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until all of the milk and flour are added and mixed in evenly.

Divide the batter evenly between the two pans and bake, rotating midway through, for approximately 40 minutes or until the cake tests done (toothpick comes out cleanly).

Let the cakes cool in the pan on a rack for 5 minutes before turning out onto the racks to finish cooling.

I doubled the recipe to make the full cake (4 9-inch cakes).

Ingredients (Brown Sugar Frosting Double This if doubling the cake recipe. )

4 and 1/2 sticks butter, softened to room temperature

1 cup dark brown sugar, packed

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

8 cups confectioner's (powdered) sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Instructions

Beat together the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon until fluffy and pale in color.

Add 6 cups of the confectioner's sugar and the vanilla extract and beat, starting on low and moving up to high, until it is fully incorporated.

Scrape down the bowl and add the half and half. Beat to incorporate again.

Add another 2 cups of the confectioner's sugar and beat, starting on low and moving up to high, until fully incorporated. Check the consistency of the buttercream. If it needs to be thicker, add the remaining confectioner's sugar. If it is too thick, add more half and half a teaspoon at a time, beating after each addition, until it reaches the consistency you like. Store unused portions of the buttercream in the refrigerator for up to a week.