Bisquick Velvet Chocolate Cake, Minerva Fishpaugh
An advertisement ran in the San Francisco Examiner in 1932, posing as a heavily illustrated article. The top left illustration is alarming: it shows a tearful wife looking on as her angered husband hurls a biscuit. The biscuit penetrates the wall, heading for the edge of the newspaper itself. A caption explains that such violent outbursts were common among newlywed husbands whose young wives made unpalatable biscuits. The article’s author, one Betty Crocker, informed the reader that these domestic altercations were a thing of the past “thanks to science.” Depicted elsewhere in the ad is a photo of a scientist labeling and numbering biscuits with the help of a female assistant.
What was this miracle of science that saved so many tears, and so many biscuits from breaking walls and windows? Bisquick baking mix.
“Invented” around 1930, Bisquick was hardly a revelation of science. The story goes that a General Mills executive talked to a railroad chef and found out that the chef pre-mixed his biscuit ingredients, except for water, so he could easily bake a fresh batch each day. Sounds more like efficiency than science – unless you count the baking science already enacted by the ingredients, including once-revolutionary baking powder.
Science’s main contribution to Bisquick was the use of hydrogenated oil. Hydrogenated fats like Crisco had been on the market for about 20 years at that point, but perhaps it hadn’t occurred to product developers that their room-temperature shelf-stability meant they could be mixed right in with other ingredients, boxed up, and shipped to consumers. Where the railroad chef had to keep his biscuit mix under refrigeration, General Mills’ new product could be stored in the pantry right next to the flour, sugar, and baking powder it contained.
The product was an instant hit. Early advertisements didn’t need to explain much. Instead, they offered housewives a heavy-duty baking sheet to bake their Bisquick biscuits on – a 35 cent value, for free with a 35-cent box of Bisquick. “This offer virtually pays you to try Bisquick!”
Of course, Bisquick didn’t stay confined to the realms of biscuits and pancakes. It was only a matter of time until someone had Bisquick but not flour on hand and wanted to make a cake.
By 1955, many Bisquick ads had a weird mea culpa from Betty Crocker: “Until we improved Bisquick, our Bisquick chocolate cake was only so-so. But New Bisquick makes this one of the best I’ve ever eaten.”
Minerva Fishpaugh, a member of the Idlewylde United Methodist Church, must have thought so. She contributed the recipe to a cookbook the church produced in 1963.
There were two Minerva Fishpaughs in the region. Minerva Jane Fishpaugh was born in 1870 in the Bel Air area. Minerva J. Fishpaugh was mentioned mostly in Harford County and Pennsylvania newspapers. She died in 1965, pretty soon after the publication of the cookbook.
Minerva C. Fishpaugh was born Minerva Niblett in 1922, and I believe she was the contributor of this recipe. A 2008 obituary for her husband Charles T. Fisgpaugh Jr. mentioned mourners could donate to the Idlewylde Methodist Church. Minerva C. died in 1983, leaving one son from a previous marriage to Paul Zehringer.
This was neither the best nor the worst chocolate cake I’ve ever had, but it was easy to make. Helpfully, it used up a good amount of Bisquick, which I had purchased to make Marian Barclift’s Puff Tuna Sandwich. Most importantly, nobody in my household felt compelled to hurl it through a wall.
Recipe:
- 1.333 Cups Bisquick biscuit mix
- .75 Cups sugar
- 3 Tablespoons shortening
- .333 Cups cocoa
- 1 egg
- .75 Cup milk
- 1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
Mix sugar, shortening, and egg. Add rest of ingredients alternately with milk. Bake in greased 8x8x2″ pan, until done. If desired, add about 1/3 cup moist coconut to dough while mixing.
Recipe from Idlewylde Methodist Church Favorite Recipes. Idlewylde United Methodist Church. 1963.
