Baking for bake sale

This has been a busy, but very productive day.  I have already baked Chocolate Chip Cookies and Peanut Butter cookies for the church bake sale and, today, I added a few dozen Sticky Buns to the freezer for that event. I will make more of those buns over the weekend and then, on August 10, I will make 2 or 3 layer cakes to take the next day.  One cake will be the Ultimate Chocolate Cake that is so sinfully rich and decadent!  Another will be a Coconut Cake and I’m still trying to decide what the third one will be.  Maybe a spice cake with a brown sugar meringue topping or an Apple Butter cake would be nice.

I have goodies in the freezer for the book release party and will make more the day before the event, which will be on August 6, in case anyone has forgotten.  We are really prepared for this, even though trying to get the media to co-operate is another thing.

Almonds and Raisins

‘Twas an Almond and a Raisin
In a dish all silver bright,
A Raisin dusky purple,
And an Almond creamy-white

Said the Raisin to the Almond
” I was once as full of wine
As a dewdrop is of sunlight,
And a glossy skin was mine.”

Said the Almond to the Raisin,
“And I’ve a tale to tell
I was born inside a flower,
And I lived within a shell.”

Said the Raisin to the Almond
“We are both from Southern lands,
And we come once more together,
Having fallen in English hands.”

“Don’t you think we ought to marry?
I am sure ‘twould be as well,
Though you have lost your juices,
And I have lost my shell.”

Said the Almond to the Raisin
“It is my dearest wish…..”
That’s why you always find them
Side by side within the dish!

F.W. Home, from a cookbook published in 1894

 

I’m sharing a recipe that was given to me when I was about 12 years old.  My friend’s step-mother made this cake often and, when I asked her for the name of the cake, she just laughed and said that it was called Crazy Cake or Wacky Cake because it was so different from other cakes and you needed no eggs, not even a mixing bowl!  Well, I have been making this cake for over 67 years now, and it has never failed me.  It has been well received by family, friends, and co-workers.

I hope that you will enjoy this moist, chocolaty cake, as well.

 

WACKY CAKE

Preheat oven to 350º

Sift into a 9×13-inch pan, ungreased:
3 cups flour, all-purpose
1 tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. cocoa
2 tsp. baking soda
2 cups granulated sugar
Make 3 holes in the sifted ingredients.  In one hole, put 2 tsp. vinegar; in the second hole, put 2 tsp. vanilla; in the third hole, put ½ cup + 2 Tbsp. oil.  Pour 2 cups water over all and stir until all dry ingredients are mixed in well.  Make sure that to scrape all corners of pan well so that all ingredients are well mixed.  Bake at 350º for 40 minutes, or until tests done with toothpick or touching lightly with finger.  If using a glass baking dish, lower oven temperature to 325º.

You can add nuts or coconut to batter or put them on top after frosting.   You can frost this cake or sprinkle with powdered sugar or leave plain to serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

 

Wacky Cake

APPRECIATING OLD RECIPES

Looking through Mother’s old recipe box, or even my own which was begun when Bill and I married 55 years ago, next month, I can see the fantastic foods which we prepared and served.  I can see Mother, in her apron, cooking or baking and making it all look so easy. Actually, she was teaching us that it really is easy to cook and bake.

Mother’s recipes have only ingredients listed on them, no pan size or oven temperature listed, nor are there any instructions or directions written.  That is often confusing to a new cook and so, in “Think With Your Tastebuds….Desserts”, I put all directions into the recipe.  Having been raised with this type recipe, I’ve had no problem but I can understand why it would cause a problem for someone else.  We, my sisters and I, have yet to make shortcake as good as Mother’s and she had no recipe.  We know what she did, but not much about the ingredients.

To me, an old and tattered card holding  a recipe, is a priceless piece of history.  The type of recipe tells us about the kind of person it belonged to.   During the Great Depression or World War II, many  ingredients were scarce or rationed and the wives and mothers during that time had to “make do” with what was available.  Still, we seemed to have all that we needed because Mother, and those like her, changed recipes to suit the times and made dishes that were both nutritious and delicious.

A favorite of mine was Coffee Soup.  We had some of Mother’s home made bread, broken into chunks and placed in a bowl  and then hot coffee and milk and sugar were added.  I made that coffee soup later but it was never the same until I learned the secret ingredient was the home made bread.  Once I knew that, and added my own home made bread, I had that wonderful treat again.  This is only one old recipe that was never even written down, but is still in my memory.

From time to time, I’ll put an old recipe on here and maybe even a new one.  I’ll show how to change it, or it can be left as it is.

Until then, happy cooking!  Make it an adventure all your own.

Changing a recipe

I think that we all have, or see, a good recipe and then change to suit our own tastes.  I have to be careful, when baking for the church coffee shop, to watch how many items that I put coconut in.  Some people are allergic to coconut and one is allergic to walnuts.  We have some allergic to onions or cheese…..so I label what I take in and put a card beside each item.  I certainly don’t want to make anyone sick.

Now, to changing the recipes; I will add, or subtract, an ingredient or two from recipes or change the meat or poultry in it.  Some recipes are just too bland and need to be “jazzed” up, as I call it.  We can no longer eat foods that are too spicy, we I cut down, or eliminate, an ingredient.  I also add a spice or herb to a dish to make it more to our liking.

Be creative and have fun while you are doing it.  You may surprise yourself when you come up with a real treasure.

Our book release party is drawing near and I am getting anxious.  I do feel that we are ready, but want everything to be perfect as we introduce Think With Your Tastebuds……Desserts.

5 Spice Blend

Five Spice Blend is called for in many dishes, especially in Oriental dishes.  No need to buy the blend when you can make your own by using spices that you have at home.  To make the 5 Spice Blend, simply put in a blender:
2 Tbsp. whole black pepper
36 whole cloves
1  12-inch stick of cinnamon
12 whole star anise
2 Tbsp. Fennel seed

Process for 3 minutes, off and on, and seal tightly in a jar or plastic container.

 

Changing an old favorite

Years ago, Mother used to make a cupcake with peaches on top.   She would put a  drained peach half (usually home canned, halves), with the cut side up and pour yellow cake batter over the peach.  This would be baked and turned out (upside down) onto plates to serve.  Oh, my, that was such a good dessert!  Well, I am going to make a newer version of that by putting some butter and a bit of brown sugar in to two 9-inch layer pans, lay some sliced peaches on that in a circular motion so that the pan is covered.  Then, I will pour cake batter over that and have a peach-upside down cake.  After baking and and removing them from the pans, (like pineapple upside down cake)  I will brush peach glaze over the tops of the peaches and add some slivered almonds.

This should be a good one to take to church for the coffee shop and to serve friends and family, as well.  A bit like having Mother here with her special treats.

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