Scripture Cake

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Scripture Cake was popular in late 19th century, especially in the Bible Belt. One of the earliest published recipes was in The Atlanta Constitution dated June 27, 1897, but other references have been traced to the late 1700s in England and Ireland. Some claim it was a favorite of Dolley Madison while she entertained in the White House. Scripture Cake gets its name from the way the ingredients were listed:

½ cup Judges 5:25

1 ½ cups Jeremiah 6:20

3 Isaiah 10:14

2 cups 1 Kings 4:22

2 teaspoons Luke 13:21

1 teaspoon 1 Kings 10:10

1 teaspoon 1 Kings 10:10

1 teaspoon 1 Kings 10:10

½ teaspoon Leviticus 2:13

½ cup Genesis 43:24

1 tablespoon Proverbs 24:13

1 cup 1 Samuel 30:11

1 cup 1 Samuel 30:11

½ cup Genesis 43:11

The idea was to help women – who did most of the cooking and baking at the time – learn parts of the bible. In more recent years, members of Bible Study Groups have brought one of the ingredients to their meeting. They read the verse, decipher the ingredient then bake the cake together. I have deciphered it for you, and this is how I make Scripture Cake.

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together 1 cup of room-temperature butter with 1 ½ cups of sugar until well blended. Scrape down the bowl and add 3 egg yolks (save the whites) one at a time. Scrape down the bowl and add 2 cups of flour and ½ cup of water (or milk) alternating and starting with and ending with the flour. Scrape down the bowl and add 1 teaspoon of mace (or allspice), 1 teaspoon of cloves, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and ½ teaspoon of salt. Scrape down the bowl.

In a food processor, add 1 cup of dried figs, 1 cup of raisins, ½ cup of toasted almonds and a sprinkling of flour. Pulse until chopped and stir into the batter. Scrape down the bowl and beat the 3 egg whites to stiff peaks and gently fold into the batter. Transfer the batter to a buttered and floured bundt pan, smooth the top and pop into a pre-heated 375-degree oven. Bake for 50 – 60 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before removing it from pan.

I like to serve Scripture Cake with a scoop of ice cream; whipped cream is good too. Or serve it for breakfast with cream cheese. Enjoy!