Baking with Pet Milk
Pet milk display, Jacksonville, Florida, 1949, Courtesy of the Florida State Archives Florida Memory Project
Today we share this story in celebration of National Baking Month.
Here is a recipe from my new book Southern Food and Civil Rights from a 1959 article entitled the “Best Cake maker” in New York City is a man! He is Allen Mulberry, of Manhattan, who is married and the father of four children and expects another momentarily. Mr. Mulberry baked the cakes that won both first and third prizes in the Cake making contest of the New York Amsterdam News Home-Food Show at the 369th Armory on October 1, 2, and 3. He is a native of Palatka, Fla., where his Godmother, Mrs. Orlanda Brinson taught him to cook at 11 years of age in her restaurant- the “Brunson Street Restaurant. The recipe calls for Pet Milk which is an evaporated milk. I provided a link below to the history of the pet milk company for those who want to learn more. As someone who grew up on Carnation evaporated milk, I had never heard of it before. A food writer from Arkansas told me yesterday that she grew up on Pet Milk. So the marketing of the product might have been regional. Can anyone confirm that?
New York Amsterdam News, October 17, 1959
Pineapple Delight Recipe
Ingredients for Cake Layers
10 eggs
2 ½ cups flour
1 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1 level teaspoon Baking powder
Directions for Cake Layers
Whip egg and sugar together, fold in flour, baking powder and salt. Bake in two layers at 350 degrees F.
Ingredients for Custard
2 ½ cups Pet milk
1 cup sugar
3 level tablespoons cornstarch
2 level tablespoons butter
3 eggs
Directions for Custard
Boil 2 cups of Pet Milk and half of the sugar in double boiler. Mix the remainder of the sugar, the eggs and starch and add to the boiling milk. Stir constantly until smooth, and then add butter. Let cool and add the last ½ cup milk.
Pineapple
1 ½ cups cooked pineapple
Ingredients for Icing
2 cups butter
3 cups powdered sugar
Pinch Morton’s salt
1 tablespoon rum flavor
Directions for Icing
Mix sugar and butter with salt and flavoring, beat until smooth.
New York Amsterdam News, Oct 17, 1959
