Thursday, November 6, 2014

Oh, Do You Know The Muffin Pan?

I found this very heavy and very nice enameled cast iron muffin pan at a thrift store:
I thought it looked like a great pan to use for some nice, autumn muffins. The pan is not marked.
 Have you ever seen one like this? Do you have one?
 Do you know who made it  - and/or when?
I'd love to know something more about it.
And while I'm on the subject:
How many of you, dear readers, remember The Muffin Man song?
I wonder whether children these days even still learn these great old songs?
I hope so.
The page you see below is out of one of my favorite old song books, "The Fireside Book Of Children's Songs", dated 1966 -  with illustrations by the fabulous John Alcorn, whom I have written about before.
Here is the bottom of the pan, where you can see the shapes:
It's a really nice heavy duty, well-made pan.
I had to try it out the other day!
The muffin shapes are not quite as well-defined (and distinguishable!) as I had hoped, but they tasted good, so no worries:
  The "recipe" I used almost isn't even a recipe, really, because it's so darned simple:
One box spice cake mix (I used Betty Crocker)
one (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree
1 tsp. cinnamon (or more - and I am going to add nutmeg and cloves next time, too))
1/2 cup oats (or more)
3/4 cup raisins or other dried fruit (Craisins, dried apricots, golden raisins, even prunes - any of those would be great, too)
Combine everything, mix well.
Bake in muffin/cupcake tins either sprayed with cooking spray or use muffin cups.
350 degree oven for about 15 minutes or so (check for doneness)

 And to finish off today's post, I have one more page from a vintage songbook.
This one is from "The Golden Songbook" (1945) with illustrations by Gertrude Elliott:
  If you should happen to visit Drury Lane, and you run into the The Muffin Man, ask him if he knows anything about my pan, won't you?
And let me know, if he does?
Thank you.
( Hope you enjoy the muffins!)

3 comments:

Tina Dawn said...

Your muffins look very delicious. I don't have a pan like that but I do have a little collection of cast iron cornbread pans, where they are shaped like little corns-on-the-cob. Great find, and I do hope the old songs are not forgotten. How sad for them to last so many years and then just go away. Love T

Melanie said...

Heidi,
This one looks very similar except that it doesn't seem to be enameled.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-John-Wright-JW-Heavy-Cast-Iron-Fall-Harvest-Corn-Bread-Muffin-Pan-/291268822334?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43d0f9853e

farmlady said...

I do know the Muffin Man and he still lives on Drury Lane. Ha! I have that last song book too.
I don't know what your muffin pan is made of. I have a NordicWear bundt pan and a muffin pan, but I haven't seen one like this before.
You always bring back the memories with these things.