Ferguson Features

On April 22nd 1889, Oklahoma was opened for settlement and the rush for land began. Oklahoma City had been settled overnight in the 1889 land run; by the summer of that year the city had a population of over 5,000. Most of the women who helped settle Oklahoma had brought with them their silver and good English china, onion sets and packets of seeds. They carried in their heads recipes for sugar cakes, gingerbread, Brunswick Stew and carrot fritters. Here is a recipe for one such sugar cake called Spiced Marble Cake.

Spiced Marble Cake

1 cup butter or margarine

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

3 cups flour

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 tablespoons unsweeten

cocoa powder 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoons ground all-spice

1/4 teaspoons ground nutmeg

dash ground cloves dash ground mace

dash ground mace

Beat together butter and sugar in large mixer bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Spoon 1/3 batter into medium mixing bowl. Stir in cocoa powder, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cloves and mace.

Spoon 1/2 plain mixture into well-greased inch tube pan. Spoon in chocolate mixture. then the remaining plain mixture. Swirl gently with knife to marble batters. Bake at 350 about 45 minutes or until tester inserted near center comes out clean. Makes 16 servings.