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When it comes to "putting the pie together" before baking, the recipe handed down by my great aunt states to pour liquid in bottom of uncooked pie shell, THEN "spread" topping on top of pie.

How in the world is this possible? You cannot physically "spread" batter on top of a liquid. I've tried everything. The end result is still a "swirled" effect, when it's supposed to have a "cakey" top and "moist" bottom. I've followed the recipe to a "T", and 5 times now, same result.

I'm lost. Any takers? Yes, I would like to ask my great aunt but she passed away years ago.

Erica
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Dave Mitcheltree Jr.
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    Can you post the recipe you're using? Maybe it differs somehow from other recipes that are around. A quick search for the recipe shows they all use the same method you've described but, at a glance, I'd say the bottom liquid should be extremely dense as it's mostly molasses that has been further thickened with even more sugar. – Catija Jan 30 '15 at 02:05
  • Maybe your batter preparation is incorrect. If you have beaten enough air into it, it should be OK to spread over liquid, just like you can spread foam on top of water in a bathtub. – rumtscho Jan 30 '15 at 09:23
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    I'd never heard of Montgomery pie before your question. It looks tasty and I want to try making one now, so maybe I'll be able to help troubleshoot using a different recipe than your aunt's :) – Erica Jan 30 '15 at 12:28
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    I would spoon the batter over the top the layer (by which I mean in dollops, so you have small bits of batter all over) and lightly "spread" the dollops together. – djmadscribbler Jan 30 '15 at 19:16
  • I'd go with djmadscribbler's approach, and possibly oil or wet down whatever you're using for spreading the topping. – Joe Mar 16 '15 at 15:22

1 Answers1

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It may be that there is an unwritten/lost step of putting the pie in the oven for long enough to just set the liquid, before the topping is spread. That's certainly how I do lemon or lime custard pies with a topping.

Ecnerwal
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