1990 Christmas Collection · Mother’s Cookbook

Coffee Can Cake

Contributed by Karen Leisten.

Ingredients

  • 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup softened butter
  • 1¼ cups sugar
  • 1½ teaspoons vanilla
  • 1½ teaspoons baking powder
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 cups flour, plus ½ cup for coating fruit and nuts
  • 8 ounces maraschino cherries
  • ½ cup chopped walnuts

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare four small or two larger oven-safe cylindrical cake molds; the original used greased and floured coffee cans.
  2. Blend cream cheese, softened butter, sugar and vanilla.
  3. Add eggs, 2 cups flour and baking powder; blend.
  4. In another bowl, toss maraschino cherries and walnuts with the extra ½ cup flour; fold into batter.
  5. Fill prepared molds without overfilling and bake around 35 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Baking time depends on the dimensions of the container.

Kitchen Notes

Family memory: Coffee Can Cake was widely made and given away as a gift. The printed recipe specifies four 8-ounce cans or two 1-pound cans, but vintage metal cans may have coatings or seams unsuitable for ovens. An oven-safe cylindrical baking mold is the safer modern equivalent; adjust baking time to the pan.

Archived recipe, not reported as newly kitchen-tested.

Original Source

Submitted by Karen Leisten. Old Fashioned Christmas Recipes, Timesaver Shopping Guide, December 11, 1990, page 21. From Mother’s cookbook collection.