Harvest Cakes

A great biscuit recipe, even if you're not a harvester from back in the day.

harvest cakes heritage recipe

"This biscuit recipe was to be submitted to the Pion-Era Cookbook No. 2 in 1967 with the note: 'This recipe was my great grandmother's. They were made for the mid-morning and mid-afternoon lunches for the harvesters, served with coffee.'" - Amy Jo Ehman, writer and author of Out Of Old Saskatchewan Kitchens.

Harvest Cakes

4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp nutmeg
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup shortening, cold
1 cup raisins or currants
1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and sugar.

Cut shortening into small pieces and mix into the flour with a pastry blender and your fingers until it resembles coarse sand. Toss in raisins or currants.

Pour in buttermilk and stir briskly with a fork to combine.

Form dough into a ball and knead briefly on a floured surface.

Roll to a thickness of 1/4 inch. Cut round biscuits with a cookie cutter or an inverted glass.

Bake on a lightly greased cookie sheet until lightly brown, about 12 to 15 minutes.

Yield:
12-16 biscuits
Prep Time:
5 minutes
Cook Time:
15 minutes