Railroad Cake

Portrait of Leola Giles, from the Oxford County Archives

During the COVID-19 pandemic we were donated the diaries of Leola Giles written in 1915-1916. The daughter of Daniel and Emily Giles, Leola lived on a farm with her family on the 14th Line of East Zorra Township. At the time she penned her diaries, she would have been in her early 20s. They provide an interesting understanding into what life was like for her at the time; touching on family, farming, social functions, potential loves, and WWI. Throughout her first diary, she often makes mention of various community gatherings. An example is the following entry dated April 6, 1915: 

“A fairly nice day. This A.M. we washed and this afternoon we were awfully busy. My dad went to Hickson with pigs in the morning and didn’t get back until after dinner so there was a lot of chores to do and Waldo wasn’t home from this holidays yet, so mum and I had to go out and help. Then I made a cake and iced it for the box social at Marshall’s. I had to practice a little too. Mamie made some sandwiches and we milked before supper but didn’t get through till seven o’clock. Then we had to get supper and get ready for the A.Y.P.A. My supper consisted of a cup of weak tea. Mamie and I drove ourselves and took the lantern for it was so dark. The A.Y.P.A. was a great success. There were nearly fifty there. Mr. and Mrs. Hobson were both there and he gave his lecture on “Birds” which was splendid. I could have listened all night nearly. The boxes sold well. Mr. Hobson acted as auctioneer and made lots of fun. There was angel cake and rail road cake, and liver and bacon and roast turkey in almost every one according to him. Oh, he made lots of fun! Mamie got Archie Rice and my lot fell on Norman Stanley. I didn’t eat very much but Norman did justice to what was left…”

She can be quite detailed in her entries, as one can see, and there’s a lot there one can analyze. As I have an interest in cooking and food history, I was interested in the mention of the items made for the box social, and in particular the Railroad Cake. I had never heard of that type of cake before, and it got me wondering what is in it and how did it get such a particular name.  

It turns out the Railroad Cake dates back to at least 1850, and was supposedly called that due to its portability. There are a few versions of Railroad Cake, most of which seem to be a solid pound cake. However, some are more like a soda bread consistency with raisins or nuts added to a very bread-like dough, rather than a cake batter. In fact, Railroad Cake is also referred to as Spotted Dog or Curnie Cake, which is a slightly sweet Irish soda bread. It differs from traditional soda bread due to the addition of the fruit, as well as egg and sugar. Still, other recipes describe it more of a jellyroll style of cake, with the idea that the roll goes “‘round and ‘round” like a railroad. Sadly, no clear details exist as to how the Railroad Cake came to be. It’s possible that it got its name in the early day of railroads, when passengers were responsible for bringing their own food on the journey. As this cake was a fairly sturdy simple meal, it would have been ideal for travelling. 

The, 1915, Five Roses Cookbook includes a recipe for Railway Cake, and it’s possible that the person that made this cake for the A.Y.P.A. box social used this recipe or something similar:

1 pound Five Rose flour

6 ounces butter and lard mixed

6 ounces sugar

2 eggs

½ pint milk

1 teaspoon carbonate of soda

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 ounce caraway sees

2 ounces candied peel

This cake requires no beating. Put into a quick oven at once, and bake 1 hour. 

I’m hoping as I continue to transcribe Leola’s dairies, I can share some more interesting entries and insights. Stay tuned!