Moravian sugar cake
{{Short description|Sweet coffee cake}}
{{Infobox food
| name = Moravian sugar cake
| image = Sugar Cake.jpg
| image_size = 250px
| caption =
| alternate_name =
| country = United States
| region = Pennsylvania, Ohio, and North Carolina
| creator =
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| type = Coffee cake
| served =
| main_ingredient = Flour, mashed potatoes, yeast, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon
| variations =
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Moravian sugar cake is a sweet coffee cake that is often made in areas around Moravian Church settlements, particularly in Pennsylvania and North Carolina. It is made with a sweet yeast dough enriched with mashed potatoes.
Preparation
The dough is left to rise in a flat pan, and just before baking, deep wells are formed in the surface of the dough with the finger tips, and a mixture of melted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon is poured on top. During baking this forms a sugary crust that permeates the interior of the cake.
History
The Moravian settlers who came to North Carolina in 1753 and founded Salem in 1766 brought this recipe with them from eastern Pennsylvania and their settlements there. Moravian sugar cake is very similar to the German Zuckerkuchen (i.e. sugar cake) made in Berlin and Butterkuchen (butter cake) in Lüneburg. Inclusion of mashed potatoes in the dough may have derived from the practice of using potatoes in dough starters to boost the growth of natural yeasts.{{cite web|url=https://www.ourstate.com/unearthed-winkler-bakery-offers-sweet-history-lesson|title=Unearthed: Winkler Bakery Offers a Sweet History Lesson|author=Quine K|work=Our State Magazine, November 18, 2015|date=18 November 2015 |access-date=12 November 2017}} Often made for Holy Week and Easter, its popularity soon led to its appearance at other holidays and festive occasions, especially Christmas. Over the centuries, the recipe for Moravian sugar cake has changed little, and its renown has spread far beyond Old Salem so that it has become a beloved North Carolina breakfast confection.{{cite book|last1=Garner|first1=B|title=Foods that Make You Say Mmm-mmm.|date=2014|publisher=John F. Blair|location=Winston Salem, NC|isbn=978-0895876294|pages=129–135}}
Moravian sugar cake is often baked for church fundraisers in North Carolina.{{Cite web |date=2019-12-23 |title=Moravian sugar cake: How this tasty holiday tradition is made |url=https://www.mcall.com/2019/12/23/moravian-sugar-cake-how-this-tasty-holiday-tradition-is-made/ |access-date=2024-02-10 |website=The Morning Call |language=en-US}} Freshly baked sugar cake is available at stores and bakeries in Winston-Salem and across the North Carolina Piedmont region.[http://visitwinstonsalem.com/moravianculinarytrail/ Fresh Out of The Oven: Moravian Sugar Cake]
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- Moravian Sugar Cake. Three Yummy Recipes; [https://web.archive.org/web/20150317140834/http://www.waconiamoravian.org/page/moravian_sugar_cake Waconia Moravian Church]
- Winkler's Moravian Sugar Cake; [https://web.archive.org/web/20160707211640/http://www.americanfoodroots.com/recipes/winklers-moravian-sugar-cake/ American Food Roots]
Category:Cuisine of the Southern United States
Category:Moravian settlement in North Carolina
Category:Moravian settlement in Pennsylvania