AI-generated image
Shoofly pie
Wet-bottom molasses crumb pie from Lancaster County
AmericanShoofly pie is the signature sweet of the Amish and Mennonite farms around Lancaster, Pennsylvania, sold at roadside stands and farmers' markets and eaten for breakfast with strong coffee as often as for dessert. This is the 'wet-bottom' kind: a gooey layer of molasses custard under a cakey middle and a buttery brown-sugar crumb. Chef's tip: use mild, light molasses; strong blackstrap makes it bitter.
- Total time
- 70 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the crumb
- 5 ½ oz plain flour
- 3 ½ oz soft brown sugar
- 2 ⅛ oz cold butterdiced
- 1 pinch salt
For the filling
- 10 ½ oz shortcrust pastry
- 1 cup light molasses
- ¾ cup boiling water
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 eggbeaten
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Fresh ingredients (2)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 400°F (350°F fan). Roll the 10 ½ oz shortcrust pastry to line a deep 23 cm pie dish, crimp the edge and chill while you make the rest.
15 minStep 2: Rub the 2 ⅛ oz cold butter into the 5 ½ oz plain flour, 3 ½ oz soft brown sugar and 1 pinch salt with your fingertips until it looks like coarse crumbs.
4 minStep 3: Stir the 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda into the ¾ cup boiling water (it fizzes), then stir in the 1 cup light molasses and leave to cool for 5 minutes before whisking in the 1 egg.
6 minStep 4: Pour the molasses mix into the pastry case and scatter the crumb evenly over the top; some will sink, which is what makes the cakey middle.
2 minStep 5: Bake for 10 minutes, then turn down to 350°F (300°F fan) and bake 30–35 minutes more, until the top is puffed and set and only the very centre jiggles.
45 minStep 6: A common mistake is cutting it warm, when the bottom is still runny. Cool for at least 2 hours so the wet layer sets to a soft, sticky goo.
120 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 62 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does shoofly pie take?
- About 70 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 45 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of soft brown sugar?
- White sugar + 1 tbsp molasses or treacle per 200g.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Kartoshka cakeCocoa and cake crumb truffles
Soviet cafés and school canteens sold these knobbly brown 'potatoes' for a few kopecks, and they began as a thrifty way to use up sponge and biscuit trimmings at the bakery. Crumbs are bound with butter and sweetened condensed milk, flavoured with cocoa and vanilla, shaped into little potatoes, rolled in cocoa and finished with two dabs of pale butter cream for the sprouts. They are fudgy and dense like a brownie truffle, need no oven, and children love making them. Traditional bakers added a spoonful of rum, an optional extra for adult batches only; this version is alcohol-free with vanilla. The usual slip is coarse crumbs, which make the potatoes crack, so blitz them as fine as sand. Chef's tip: chill the shaped potatoes for at least 20 minutes so they hold their shape and slice cleanly.
Russian
Undu walaluFried urad dal rings in treacle
Walalu means bangles, and these dark, sticky rings of fried urad dal soaked in kithul treacle are a sweet that Sinhala families bring out for Avurudu and for special almsgivings, often made in large batches by an aunt known for her steady hand. A thick, fluffy paste of ground black gram is piped into loops and fried until crisp, then plunged straight into warm treacle, so the rings stay crunchy on the outside while drinking up the syrup. They taste a little like a darker, smokier jalebi, with a toffee finish from the palm treacle. Watery batter is what ruins them; it spreads into flat blobs, so grind the soaked dal with as little water as possible and beat it until light. This recipe uses no asafoetida, so it is naturally gluten free. Chef's tip: pipe the rings onto small squares of baking paper and lower them into the oil paper and all; the paper peels away in seconds.
Sri Lankan
MarquesitasCheese and cajeta crepes
Evening in Mérida's Plaza Grande means the smell of marquesitas: thin batter pressed in hot hinged irons until crisp, then rolled like a cigar around grated Edam cheese and a sweet filling such as cajeta, chocolate-hazelnut spread or jam. Edam came to the Yucatán through the port trade with the Netherlands and became part of the local cooking, and the salty-sweet combination is the whole point. At home you can cook them in a thin, wide frying pan. Edam is usually made with animal rennet, so check the label or use a vegetarian Gouda-style cheese. Chef's tip: roll while the crêpe is still in the pan and hot; within seconds it hardens and will crack.
Mexican