Gumdrop Cake

Whenever I see an elderly caker, I think of all the old-fashioned words that person probably uses; words like “girdle” and “horse feathers” and “chequebook” and “gol-dern.”

Another word I associate with seniors is “gumdrop.” So when my mom asked me to make something for a senior’s bake sale, this was the first thing that came to mind. I imagined an old person buying it and saying, “Gumdrop Cake! Why, I haven’t had this in a fortnight!”

I’m not sure why you can’t use black gumdrops. I’m guessing the colour bleeds into the batter. Which would make this a grey gumdrop cake. And that would only go over well with seniors who have bad vision.

Grey or not, this cake is gol-dern tasty. It’s dense, citrusy and the gumdrops cling to your teeth for hours afterwards.

1 cup butter or margarine
2 cups white sugar
3 eggs
1 cup crushed pineapple, drained
3 ½ cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon flavouring
1 pound cut up gumdrops (no black ones) (about 2 cups)
½ pound raisins (about 1 ½ cups)
½ cup milk (added last)

Combine and mix all ingredients with milk added last. Bake in a greased tube pan at 325º for 1½ hours.

Source: Celebration Cookbook, Canadian Bible Society (I know I used this book last week, but it's my latest obsession. Over 612 pages of coast-to-coast caker recipes!)