2 tablespoons Spry
2 tablespoons butter
¼ teaspoon salt
3 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
3 tablespoons strong coffee beverage
2 tablespoons cream, scalded
⅓ cup ground seeded raisins
Combine Spry, butter and salt and blend. Beat in ½ cup sugar. Add coffee, alternately with remaining sugar, beating well after each addition. Add hot cream and beat well. Add raisins and mix well. Makes enough to cover tops and sides of two 9-inch layers.
Many of us grew up during the times when vegetable shortening was the special ingredient for a wide range of family recipes – including anything from crispy fried chicken to tender cookies and cakes to flaky pie crusts. For this frosting recipe, the shortening – listed as Spry – provides a creamy, stable frosting that is heat resistant and will hold its shape even for piping designs. Shortening frostings do need flavoring though so that is where the coffee and the raisins get to add their magic. For the coffee, pick your favorite version to add a baseline flavor you enjoy. But raisins? That is a surprising ingredient for frosting!
Modern families generally think of raisins as just another dried fruit. They are a common ingredient in things from rolls and cookies to cereal and trail mixes, so the superstar ranking they had in the Medieval times has faded into the background. This is still a powerhouse fruit though and bears some serious reconsideration for star status.
History shows that grapes for raisins were cultivated as early as 2000 BCE by the Persians and Egyptians. The discovery of this sun-dried treat probably began as a happy accident when ancient Mediterranean people came across grapes that had dried on the vines. As this dried fruit gained popularity, it grew to become a valuable trade item both with the local merchants and the Silk Road caravans. Raisins were eaten by Roman Emperors, used as currency, given as gifts, and offered as prizes in sporting events!
In the 11th century, the knights returning after the Crusades brought raisins with them to northern Europe. Raisins gained popularity quickly and by the 14th century, they were a staple in English cooking and had become a main ingredient in festival breads such as Germany’s stollen and Italy’s panettone. They were so nutritious and pantry-stable that they were included as a staple ship ration in Columbus’ voyages and Spanish missionaries took raisins with them into Mexico and then California. From there, California became the next raisin empire.
California first planted raisin grapes in 1851. When Armenian immigrants arrived in 1881, they put their generations of raisin cultivation and drying expertise to use. Eventually, a growers’ cooperative was created that later became the Sun-Maid brand. Today, the United States and Turkey together produce about 80 percent of the world’s raisins – although most of those raisins are seedless.
Raisins were originally seeded however, the seeds were hard to chew plus they were labor intensive to remove. The solution was to use seedless grapes instead. William Thompson began cultivating a seedless variety in California in the 1870s using a mutant shoot from a seeded vine. The new variety ended up being resistant to pests and disease and was able to be pruned and harvested by machine. It was a natural match to the market need for a seedless grape that was easy to dry. By 1925 or so, the Thompson Seedless grape took over the raisin business, and today seeded raisins may be hard to find since about 95 percent of modern raisins are created using seedless grapes.
This recipe calls for seeded raisins, but the common seedless version will work as well as long as they are not left whole. Grinding the raisins is the essential requirement. The online consensus to the easiest way to grind the raisins is to freeze them and then run them through either a meat grinder or a food processor. Grinding the raisins allows all the sugars and fruit notes from the raisin skins to blend into the entire recipe to create a fully blended rich caramel-like flavor for the frosting. That flavor meshes well with the coffee to add a creamy richness to the frosting for your choice of cake.
We hope you found this recipe and the history behind it interesting. It would be a great option to frost a coffee cake or even a spice cake, just in time for the fall season up here in the north! If you decide to try it, we would love to hear how it turns out for you. Happy baking!
Research: Jen Freed