Edith's Cake That Thrilled the French

By Janette Blackwell


Twenty-three chefs who           know, Edith didn't actually   
cooked for world royalty and     feed any to a French chef.    
heads of state The Club des                                    
Chefs des Chefs were, during      I like to think Edith's   
their 1987 visit to the U.S.,    version is better than Betty  
wined and dined with the best    Groff's, because that recipe  
our finest chefs had to offer.   says to frost with vanilla or 
What impressed them most?      chocolate frosting if         
Lunch at an Amish farm in        desired. Whereas Edith's     
Pennsylvania, where they ate     gives a recipe for chocolate  
homegrown new potatoes, string   frosting MADE WITH BUTTER.   
beans with cream sauce and       And in my view the humblest   
corn, charcoal-grilled           frosting made with butter is  
chicken, and baked ham, washed   better than the fanciest      
down with homemade root beer     frosting made without. I'm   
and peppermint tea, served by    not implying that Edith's     
the family in a barn lined       frosting is humble. It isn't.
with handmade quilts.             It's purely wonderful, as is 
                                 her cake.                     
They were stunned.                                        
Happily so, it seems. The        Edith Kennedy Glidewell   
chef for the president of        went to be with her Lord in   
France said, Cooking has         March 2002, but before that   
evolved so much. Nobody         she gladdened many hearts in  
presents the true product as     many ways, this applesauce    
it is, and all of a sudden we    cake not the least of them.   
were presented that.                                           
                                 EDITH'S APPLESAUCE CAKE       
But the desserts                                           
impressed them most.             Cream together 1/2 cup    
Especially one they couldn't     room temperature butter or    
name. One they described as a   shortening and 1 cup sugar.  
light pain d'epices spice        Add 1 egg and beat together.
cake with a layer of             Mix in 1-1/2 cups applesauce. 
chocolate filling. Gilles                                     
Brunner, chef to Prince           Sift together 2 cups      
Rainier of Monaco, was so        flour, 1 tsp. baking powder, 1
taken with the cake, which he    tsp. soda, 1 tsp. salt, 1     
described as a chocolate         tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp.       
gingerbread, that he tried to    allspice, 1/2 tsp. nutmeg, and
get the recipe. His request     1/4 tsp. cloves. Add to      
was refused.                    applesauce mixture, along with
                                 1 cup raisins and 3/4 cup     
The Amish family did not     chopped walnuts.              
want their identity revealed,                                  
which refusal greatly hampered    Lightly oil a 9 x 12      
efforts to identify the cake     pan and dust with flour. Add
as well. Research by Phyllis    the cake mixture and bake at  
Richman, then food editor of     350 degrees 50 to 60 minutes,
the Washington Post, seemed to   until the top of the cake's   
show that the mystery dessert    center springs back when      
was Amish applesauce cake        touched. Frost with chocolate
with chocolate frosting, and     frosting when cool.           
the Post printed a version of                                  
it contributed by Betty Groff,    Chocolate Frosting:      
a cookbook author from the       Combine in a heavy saucepan or
Pennsylvania Dutch country.     double boiler 1 square        
                                 baker's unsweetened chocolate,
Which applesauce cake        1 cup sugar, 1/4 cup butter,  
turned out to be pretty much     and 1/3 cup milk. Bring to a
what our family had been         boil, stirring constantly, and
enjoying since my father         cook 1 minute. Cool and beat 
married Edith Kennedy in 1977,   until the frosting has a      
and which Edith's family had     satin finish.                
been enjoying long before                                      
that. Her daughter, Lorenelle                                 
Doll, who gave me the recipe,                                  
says that it was a favorite                                    
of my father and Lorenelle's                                   
husband Arnie. So far as I      

About the author:
Find Janette Blackwell’s storytelling country cookbook, Steamin’ Down the Tracks with Viola Hockenberry, at http://foodandfiction.com/Entrance.html-- or visit her at http://delightfulfood.com/main.html




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