Cooking with Mamala

My sweet daughter Talia, whose blog you can find at www. joyouslittlewife@blogspot.com, suggested I do this as part of my continuing recovery. She suggested I share some of my favorite recipes that have become family traditions. So here goes!!:)

Since I have had seven children, six now living, celebrating birthdays has been a frequent family tradition. Each child got to pick out the cake they wanted me to bake. They each had their

favorite, but there was a fallback when they could not decide.

It was "Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cake" from the Hershey cookbook.

3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter, softened

1-2/3 cups sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup Hershey's cocoa

1-1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1-1/3 cups water

Heat oven to 350. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans. In large

mixer bowl, combine butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla; beat on high speed of electric mixer 3 minutes. In separate bowl, stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and baking powder; add alternately with water to butter mixture. Blend just until combined. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30-35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with One-Bowl Butter

cream Frosting:

6 tablespoons butter, softened

2-2/3 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup Hershey's cocoa

1/3 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a small mixer bowl*, beat butter. Add powdered sugar and cocoa alternately with milk; beat to spreading consistency (additional milk may be needed). Blend in vanilla.

Daughter Jerusha on her 15th birthday

*( Our frosting bowl was and is an old Jewel Tea Autumn Leaves patterned bowl from my grandma purchased from a door-to-door- salesman in the late 1940's.)

Since we are on the subject of birthday cakes, and I found out other pictures.

I will share three other favorites.

Peanut Butter 'n Chocolate Cake

1-3/4 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 cup water

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup butter

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate, melted and cooled

Heat oven to 350. Grease and flour 2 9-inch round pans. Beat all ingredients in large bowl on

low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat on high speed 3 minutes, scraping occasionally. Pour into prepared pans. Bake 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire rack. Cool completely.

Prepare Peanut Butter Frosting:

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup peanut butter

3 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2-3 tablespoons milk

Beat all ingredients until smooth and spreadable. Fill layers and frost top of cake.

Prepare Chocolate Butter Frosting:

1/2 cup butter, softened

3 cups powdered sugar

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla

2-3 tablespoons milk

Beat all ingredients until smooth and spreadable. Frost side of cake. Decorate cake as desired with any remaining frosting. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts, if desired.

Son Elijah on his 17th birthday.

I cannot believe I am posting this picture!! I think this cake must have fallen apart

and we had to use a lot of frosting to glue it back together:)

Butterfinger Cake

Follow the above recipe and add 1 cup butterfinger bars, finely chopped.

This original recipe called for snicker bars, but we preferred butterfingers.

The original recipe included a chocolate frosting with cream cheese which Lydia refused to let me make:)

Fill layers and frost side and top of cake with chocolate buttercream frosting. Sprinkle with chopped buterfinger bars, if desired.

Youngest son Josiah on his 10th birthday!

Jerusha again!

Strawberries and Cream Cake

2-1/3 cups all-purpose flour

2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

2 cups sugar

1 package (4-serving size) strawberry-flavored gelatin

1 cup butter, softened

4 eggs

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup pureed strawberries

Heat oven to 350. Grease and flour 3 9-inch round pans. Mix flour and baking powder in small bowl. Beat sugar, gelatin, and butter in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat on high speed about 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating on high speed after each addition. Beat in flour mixture and milk alternately on low speed. Beat in vanilla and

pureed strawberries. Pour into pans. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in cente

r comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire rack. Cool completely.

Prepare Frosting:

2-1/2 cups whipping cream

4 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat whipping cream in chilled bowl with electric mixer on high speed until almost stiff. Add sugar and vanilla and continue beating until stiff.

Place one layer on plate. Spread with 3/4 cup of the whipped cream and

top with 3/4 cup sliced strawberries. Top with second layer; spread with 3/4 cup of the whipped cream and top with another 3/4 cup sliced strawberries. Top with third layer. Spread remaining whipped cream on top and sides of the cake. (The original recipe called for frosting the sides with a cream cheese frosting. Since this was frequently Lydia's favorite; the cream cheese was a no-no!) Top with 1-1/2 cups quartered strawberries. Store covered in refrigerator.

Lydia on her 12th birthday

Did you notice that all these cakes were on the same plate? A special cake plate which had been a bridal shower gift to my mother when she married my dad back in 1948.