Moravian sugar cake facts for kids
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| Type | Coffee Cake |
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| Place of origin | United States |
| Region or state | Pennsylvania, Ohio, and North Carolina |
| Main ingredients | Flour, mashed potatoes, yeast, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon |
Moravian sugar cake is a yummy, sweet coffee cake. People often make it in places where the Moravian Church has settlements, especially in Pennsylvania and North Carolina.
This special cake is made with a sweet dough that uses yeast to help it rise. It also has mashed potatoes mixed in, which makes the dough extra rich. Before baking, bakers press their fingertips into the dough to make little holes. Then, they pour a delicious mix of melted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon over the top. As the cake bakes, this sweet mixture creates a tasty, sugary crust that goes deep into the cake. Moravian sugar cake is best eaten warm, but it stays fresh for a few days at room temperature and can also be frozen.
Contents
The Story of Moravian Sugar Cake
Where Did Moravian Sugar Cake Come From?
The Moravian people were settlers who came to North Carolina in 1753. They founded a town called Old Salem in 1766. These settlers brought the recipe for Moravian sugar cake with them from their earlier homes in eastern Pennsylvania.
Moravian sugar cake is a lot like some German cakes. It is similar to Zuckerkuchen (which means "sugar cake") from Berlin and Butterkuchen (meaning "butter cake") from Lüneburg. Adding mashed potatoes to the dough might have come from an old practice. People used potatoes to help natural yeasts grow in their dough starters.
When Do People Eat Moravian Sugar Cake?
This cake was often made for special holidays like Holy Week and Easter. But it became so popular that people started making it for other celebrations too, especially Christmas. Over many years, the recipe for Moravian sugar cake has stayed mostly the same. Its fame has spread far beyond Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where it is a beloved breakfast treat. You can find freshly baked sugar cake in stores and bakeries across the N.C. Piedmont region.
See also
In Spanish: Pastel de azúcar moravo para niños
