Tigeron October 18, 2021 at 6:14 pm
I love the little house books. I read them every winter. It makes the winter go faster. I tried some of the recipes in the books.
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Barbara Parsonson July 10, 2020 at 9:04 pm
Pate a choux can be fried into French crullers. Leave out sugar. Voila!
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Jessicaon April 13, 2019 at 6:18 am
I am thinking maybe like a cream puff batter only fried?
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Annaon July 2, 2019 at 5:00 pm
I think so too. Cream puffs are made from the French dough “pate a choux,” a dough that’s the basis for many desserts, which Ma probably knew about, given her upbringing. It’s yellow, mostly egg, not sweet, and puffs up with a hole in the middle. Plus it melts in your mouth. Im pretty sure it was pate a choux.
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Kayon March 16, 2020 at 8:40 pm
I looked into that, pate a choux incorporates a lot of butter and also is oven baked.
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Kayon March 16, 2020 at 8:57 pm
Never mind my previous post, I think you may be correct. I have found a couple of videos that help.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcL2EfHerds
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxkKU4ZvqME
If it is reported that Laura didn’t remember the actual recipe, then it must have incorporated the butter.
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Missyon February 21, 2021 at 7:52 pm
Love this! A choux paste makes sense!
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Jessica L Capizzoon December 8, 2020 at 11:32 pm
Yes ❤️ vi agree
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maryon January 4, 2019 at 3:27 pm
I love this recipe
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Michiakion September 24, 2018 at 4:10 pm
Hello, this is very nice site! Does anyone have real authentic recipe for this vanity cakes? Would very appreciate. Mostly egg and not sweet, and I will cook in lard just same as Mrs. Ingalls all the years ago. Thank you!
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Jessicaon September 9, 2019 at 12:05 am
They sound like cream puff batter, it’s not sweet, and is a crisp bubbly puff
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NicoleKon August 2, 2018 at 4:06 pm
They can’t have had sugar, Plum Creek specifically says they are NOT sweet.
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Anne Schnoebelenon June 7, 2018 at 1:39 am
In On the Banks of Plum Creek, “Country Party” chapter, Ma makes vanity cakes, and Laura specifically remarks that they are not sweet. So the additional of confectioner’s sugar is definitely a modern addition. Remember the Ingalls family rarely ate sugar.
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Cindy Hatcheron April 16, 2020 at 7:37 pm
Carrie wanted sugar on hers.
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Christine Capelleon February 26, 2017 at 5:38 pm
Would the Vanity Cakes turn out just as well if I doubled or tripled the recipe?
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Beth Odabashianon February 28, 2017 at 8:28 am
I am going to double the recipe. I don’t see why it wouldn’t work?
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Carol Callahanon February 24, 2017 at 7:47 pm
They didn’t have powdered sugar back then. I don’t remember the dipping sauce either. Did she just sprinkle white sugar on them ?
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Danitaon June 15, 2017 at 11:15 am
In her letter memoirs, from the book “The selected letters of Laura Ingalls Wilder”, written by William Anderson, she (Laura) says “They are mostly egg, fried in deep fat, eaten hot, crunchy, not sweet. Sort of a bubble”… So, I don’t think they had the sweetness… if they had strawberries, I’m sure that would have been wonderful, or maybe honey… But, from her comment, it sounds like they were just fried and eaten hot.
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Jessica L Capizzoon December 8, 2020 at 11:30 pm
Sounds like a pastry batter, like for cream horns or something.
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Anwaron January 9, 2021 at 12:42 pm
Yes!! We just read that chapter and were looking for the recipe. Laura specifically said they were not sweet but rich. Thank you. We want to experience the real prairie party fun. Next we need to find a creek…
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Pamelaon June 5, 2019 at 6:21 am
I am reading “The Selected Letters of Laura Ingalls Wilder” by William Anderaon. In chapter six Laura states in a letter that she cannot remember the recipe. At the time she wrote the letter Carrie was the only other sister still living and Carrie also did not remember the recipe. Laura did say in this letter that the vanity cakes were NOT sweet. She stated they were mostly egg and yellow in color. She said the yellow was from the egg yolks.
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Barbara Parsonson July 10, 2020 at 9:02 pm
They weren’t a sweet treat. No sugar . I believe they drank milk with them.
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mary powellon February 24, 2017 at 5:22 pm
Lard is good for you.
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Gaylaon February 13, 2019 at 2:14 am
This is correct. According to Prevention Magazine lard is lower in saturated fat than other animal fats like butter and tallow, and higher in heart-healthy monounsaturated fat—the type that gives olive oil its health halo. Lard is made up of 50% monounsaturated fat—compare that to only 32% in butter and 6% in coconut oil. Plus, in its natural form, lard has none of the trans fats that we know are bad for you.
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Bethon April 25, 2020 at 9:07 am
What once was old is now new.
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Molly Hayeson August 3, 2020 at 10:37 pm
lard is NOT good for you
please, use organic olive oil or coconut olive.Reply
Jessica L Capizzoon December 8, 2020 at 11:28 pm
Olive oil will burn at the temperature needed to cook these. Just use a vegetable oil.
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Connie in Coloradoon February 24, 2017 at 1:28 pm
Vanity cakes always seemed to be a mystery to me until I read Barbara Walker’s recipe in “The Little House Cookbook” years ago. Once I made them I was overjoyed to see they were just like my favorite sopapillas in Tex-Mex restaurants. And then, on a trip to New Orleans I discovered the famous beignets – all puffed up and dusted with sugar! Laura and Ma were sharing their simple pioneer culture with a gentle nod to humility when making vanity cakes for not only Nellie Olson but readers of the Little House books.
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Charion February 24, 2017 at 11:34 am
I clicked on the, “Posts you might like.” It deletes the posts instead of taking you to the link.
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