Moravian Sugar Cake
Source of Recipe
From "Secrets of the Southern Table" by Virginia Willis
Recipe Introduction
"Moravians, a religious group originally from what is now the Czech Republic and Slovakia, are acknowledged as the first Protestants, predating Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation by one hundred years. After a failed attempt to settle in Savannah, Georgia, they settled in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in 1740, where they played a large and important role in the colonies. Then in the 1750s, a group of families moved from Pennsylvania to North Carolina. A large group of Moravians still live in the area, and Old Salem is a beautifully restored living history town that meticulously re-creates the town of Salem, North Carolina, as it was from 1766 to 1840. Like many religions, the Moravian faith has associated food customs, including crisp, paper-thin ginger cookies, chicken pie, and this sweet yeast bread. Part of the Moravian worship service is a 'love feast' that consists of singing hymns and sharing coffee and sweet buns. My dear godmother, whom I call Aunt Jenny, is Moravian. She and her husband lived in Winston Salem, North Carolina, for many years, and it was there where they converted to the faith. When I was a child, it seemed wildly exotic to my seemingly pedestrian Methodist upbringing�they got to eat cake at church and all we had were communion wafers and Welch's grape juice."
List of Ingredients
For the dough:
◦ 1 russet potato (about � pound), peeled and cut into �-inch pieces
◦ 1 (�-ounce) packet active dry yeast (2 � teaspoons)
◦ � cup warm water
◦ � cup granulated sugar
◦ 8 tablespoons (� cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
◦ 1 large egg
◦ 1 � teaspoons fine sea salt
◦ 2 � to 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
For the topping:
◦ 8 tablespoons (� cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
◦ � cup firmly packed light brown sugar
◦ 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Recipe
To make the dough, combine the potato and enough cold water to cover in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat and reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until very tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove 2 tablespoons of the cooking liquid and set aside. Drain the potato and return to the pot. Add the reserved cooking water and, using an old-fashioned potato masher or a sturdy whisk, mash the potatoes until very smooth. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the yeast and warm water; let sit for 5 minutes, or until the mixture is foamy. Add the mashed potato, granulated sugar, butter, egg, and salt. Add 2 � cups of the flour and mix the dough on low speed until it is well combined, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it by hand for 8 to 10 minutes, adding as much of the remaining � cup flour as is necessary to form a smooth and elastic dough. Transfer the dough to a buttered large bowl, turning the dough to coat it with the butter. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place for 1 � to 2 hours, or until it is double in size. Punch down the dough.
Press the dough evenly into a buttered 9 by 13-inch baking pan.
Cover the pan with a kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm place for 30 to 45 minutes; the dough will be puffed and risen.
Meanwhile, heat the oven to 400� F.
Using your thumb, make indentations all over the top of the dough and then scatter the butter over the dough and into the indentations.
To make the topping, in a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar and the cinnamon and sprinkle the mixture evenly over the dough. Bake the cake in the middle of the oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the cake registers 190� F and the cake is dark brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Check it around 20 minutes; if it starts to become too dark, cover it with aluminum foil. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly, about 5 minutes, then, using a serrated knife, cut into squares and serve.
Makes one 9 x 13-inch cake
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