Isabel Fairbairns's (Gangy's) Carrot Cake

Vicky Schankula brought a carrot cake to Cornbread Supper on June 18. This proper British cake, from Vicky's mother's collection, turns all the gooey American notions about carrot cake on their icing-covered heads. It was a toasty brown circle, a single layer, looking chewy and dense, looking a lot like a carrot cake might look if it were flourless.

Sadly, we have no photo. No, wait! That's a good thing, because it means Vicky will need to bring this cake to Cornbread Supper again.

Vicky's—or Isabel Fairbairns's, or Gangy's—carrot cake astounded all who tasted it, and left them hoping for more—or at least for the recipe. Vicky's son, David Schankula, kindly supplied the recipe, and we have Vicky's permission to share it here.

GANGY’S CARROT CAKE

8 ounces of light brown sugar
6 ounces of vegetable oil
2 eggs
4 ounces of whole wheat flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
5 ounces of coarsely grated carrots
2 ounces of chopped walnuts

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Line round cake pan with greased paper.
• Put sugar in mixing bowl
• Using electric mixer, gradually whisk in the oil, then the eggs one at a time
• Mix together flour, cinnamon, and baking soda.
• Stir dry ingredients into the egg mixtures.
• Add carrots and walnuts.
• Beat all the ingredients together with a wooden spoon.
• Pour into cake tin.
• Place in center of oven. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes.
• Then at 300° for 45 – 50 minutes.
• Remove from oven. Leave in the cake tin for 3 hours, then turn out onto a wire rack.
• Peel off the paper. Leave to cool.

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Boone Tavern Spoon Bread, the 1950s recipe

We have tried spoonbreads (soft, luscious, buttery—described by James Beard as a "heavy, dense soufflé") as Cornbread Supper mainstays before, and used great recipes, but the spoonbreads always did what spoonbreads (and soufflés) do: deflate. Through serendipity, and thanks to a Cornbread Supperian, I lucked into the old Boone Tavern (Berea College) recipe for spoonbread, and it is far less droopy. Perhaps Boone Tavern developed an approach to spoonbread that preserves all its goodness while still working for a busy restaurant. In any case, with thanks to Kentucky food and foodways author and guru John van Willigen, here's an excellent recipe for that can be doubled, tripled, and quadrupled to feed spoonbread to a crowd. It did just that on Monday, February 25, 2013. From Richard T. Hougen. Look No Further: A cookbook of favorite recipes from Boone Tavern Hotel, Berea College, Kentucky. New York: Abingdon Press. 1955. Southern Spoon Bread 1955 Ingredients 3 c...

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Vicky Schankula, at right, in purple One of life's most gracious and delightful people, Victoria Fairbanks Schankula, found Cornbread Suppers early on, and took joy in the weekly gatherings. She came to Cornbread Supper faithfully, bringing beautiful food, laughter, a camera for her "picture of the day," a lovely British accent, a commitment to helping clean up, and a constant interest in each other person in the room. When Vicky entered the house on Monday nights carrying a particular large round plate, children (and a few adults) trailed her to the dessert table to see what she had brought. The favorites: lemon bars, brownies and her mother's most unusual, delicious carrot cake. Vicky graciously shared and allowed us to publish recipes for Lemon Bars and Isabel Fairbairns's (Gangy's) Carrot Cake on this site. Gangy's Carrot Cake on Vicky Schankula's special dessert plate When illness prevented Vicky from returning to Cornbread Supper...

Cornbread Supper now is resting

For all the Cornbreadians and would-be Cornbreadians -- it was a good run. A bit more than nine years. You came on Mondays. Conviviality ensued. You made community. Gratitude to all. It was a gift to us.

Cornbread Supper

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