Comments on: Busy-Day Cake

By: M'liss

M'liss — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 23:08:18 +0000

Is this the Edna Lewis recipe that calls for creaming the cold butter by hand with a wooden spoon?
Beautiful books to read and reference. What a loving and resourceful family. When I become overwhelmed in the kitchen during special occasions I try to remember Edna’s mother and all she was able to do with a smile on her face, especially Sunday Revival Dinners!

By: Tim

Tim — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 22:32:15 +0000

Hi Kay,
This cake is kind of all about the nutmeg for me. You could try something like cardamom, cloves or cinnamon but I can’t imagine any of them being better. Maybe just pick a different cake? Let me know if you experiment!

By: Kay

Kay — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 03:25:49 +0000

This cake looks delicious, though I wonder what might be a good substitute for nutmeg? I’m allergic and even handling it can make me react very badly. It looks wonderful and I’d like to try it, but I don’t want to exclude the nutmeg and be left was a cake that feels like it’s missing something.

By: Tim

Tim — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 18:36:40 +0000

Hi Michelle,
Yes, you can use the same amount of milk, though I have never tried it. Is there a reason you don’t want to use buttermilk? The tang from it is quite nice. If you don’t have any on hand, the DIY method is to mix 1 cup of milk with 1 tablespoon of acid (lemon juice, white vinegar) and let sit for 5 minutes. You could do a half version with 1/2 cup milk and 2 teaspoons of vinegar. Happy baking!

By: Michelle

Michelle — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 17:23:17 +0000

If you use whole milk instead of buttermilk, do you use the same quantity – 1/2 cup?

Thanks much.

By: Kate

Kate — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 23:53:26 +0000

This has been a favourite of my family since I was a kid! It’s one of our classic birthday cakes.
I’ve always liked it best when you use almond extract instead of vanilla.
Top with whipped cream & strawberries it’s the best.

By: Annalea

Annalea — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 21:01:50 +0000

love love love the denseness of this cake. cutting into it was like cutting into a thick velvety brownie. we ate it over the sink. at least the first piece. as i type this i’m having a slice with fresh pairs. i topped it off with a generous slug of heavy whipping cream, unwhipped. the density of the cake is keeping it from becoming soggy in the cream. divine.

By: Annalea

Annalea — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 17:16:04 +0000

i’ve got this baking in the oven right now. while i love the warmth of nutmeg, i ended up using cardamom instead because i’ve been in a cardamom state of mind lately and i used the seeds from two vanilla beans instead of extract. i love how the batter was thick and creamy and super yummy too – we all tasted it; me more than the others which is a privilege of being the cook.

think i’ll sprinkle powdered sugar over the top. can’t wait to taste it!

By: Ambika Kumar

Ambika Kumar — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 06:21:10 +0000

Superb cake! I made this last week… just added some lemon zest and a bit of juice to the batter and scatterd some frozen blueberries on the top before baking…yummmyyyy
And the vanilla and lemon flavours deepened the second day!
Thanks for this awesome recipe:)

By: Britt

Britt — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 18:16:35 +0000

so i’m a little late to the party, but i just made this cake. and it is perfect!

By: Tim

Tim — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 20:20:34 +0000

Sarah, your son sounds like a pretty smart boy! It is one of my favorites too. So satisfying. Thanks!

By: Sarah in Ballston Spa NY

Sarah in Ballston Spa NY — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 13:03:40 +0000

This is my son’s favorite recipe, his Kindergarten teacher would make it for their birthdays….he’s 11 now and still asks for it.. Imagine… even with oreo’s, 50,000 flavors of ice cream and candies… this is his favorite! Thanks for posting Tim!

By: Tim

Tim — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 02:34:34 +0000

Erin: Glad you liked it as much as I do. Seriously can’t get enough of that cake.

By: Erin in Sacramento

Erin in Sacramento — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 00:31:33 +0000

Oh.My.God. Oh, I have already eaten a piece of this divine cake, warm, over the sink before I have made dinner! Hiding it from my kids! Soooo good. I was 1/2 t short of vanilla so I split a vanilla bean and put half the seeds in the cake. And really, there is something magical about freshly grated nutmeg, isn’t there? Thanks Edna and Tim!

By: Tim

Tim — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 19:19:29 +0000

Thanks, Scott! So good to know.

By: Scott

Scott — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 19:14:36 +0000

Makes lovely cupcakes. 25 minutes or so in standard size cupcake tins.

By: Tim

Tim — Sat, 16 May 2009 01:40:42 +0000

Glad to hear you liked it as much as I do, Amanda. If you don’t already know Edna Lewis you should look for more of her recipes. They are all pretty amazing.

By: Amanda

Amanda — Fri, 15 May 2009 23:23:43 +0000

When I read this recipe the other day I was a goner. Before I made it I just knew I was going to love it…and lo ‘n behold I totally loved it. Delicious. The texture is perfect, the hint of nutmeg is perfect and the taste of vanilla is perfect. I might just rename it “Perfect Cake”.

Hmmm…maybe I’ll try substituting some almond extract for the vanilla…which then the cake might be re-renamed “OMG Perfect Cake”. Oh my poor hips!

By: Tim

Tim — Thu, 14 May 2009 14:45:36 +0000

Thanks, Julie. I had felt the same way about the cake before I tried it, ha.

By: Julie

Julie — Thu, 14 May 2009 14:14:49 +0000

Wow, what a totally fantastic blog! Love the design. I keep seeing Edna’s Busy Day Cake, so will finally take it as a sign and just make the damn thing. Thanks!