It’s true! Cake is one of my favorite things in life! I honestly think it is synonymous with happiness! And whether you are mixing, baking frosting or eating somehow you know that in the end joy will be had by all who indulge in such a treat.
Growing up my Mom baked on Saturday for the entire week. I was the youngest of four and with two very active older brothers and I think she partially was trying to fill them up. So on early in the morning on those days she would set about making a few of batches of cookies, a couple of pies and, YES!…..a CAKE! After Sunday dinner we always got to choose from the list of homemade treats. All week long in our lunches Mom packed cookies and after dinner there was the option for dessert. It was a token of love expressed by her for her family.
I carried on the tradition, not so much on Saturday mornings but throughout other days of the week. Being the mother of four I, too, felt the love pouring out of me for my family as I stirred the batter, greased the pans, frosted relentlessly and sliced every piece of the delicacy that was at the forefront of every birthday celebration, routine lunch making requirements or just a “warm fuzzy” time. Cake, I soon came to realize, is an easy treat that truly takes a few minutes to make and while baking you can do something else. It’s a great multitasking treat! It has a great ROI (return on investment: time and money) for the little time spent preparing it! It generally looks good, ALWAYS tastes good, produces about 12-15 servings and infinite smiles.
It has been used over time to relish in celebrations. To mark milestones in one’s life. To converse over coffee. We can wake up with coffee cake. We use the reference ” it’s a piece of cake” to describe the easy of a task. “Frosting on the cake” is extra…anything extra outside mandatory anything for anything. It also appears differently: many, many different colors, different flavors and shapes: small (cupcakes), round, square, rectangle, or what I am about to share; with a HOLE in it!
My “go-to” cake for years has been my simple Poppy Seed Cake! It has been a family favorite for 30+ years and is still a hit at luncheons, picnics, for after dinner treats, snacks and lunches, just to name a few. It is a solid cake with no frosting but a sugar crusted edge that makes it good for travel and in a lunch sack. It can be served as a finger food as well because you don’t really need a fork to eat it. This recipe literally takes a few minutes to prepare and the oven time give you enough “free” time to go about whatever else needs to be done. I am sharing this recipe today because my desire is to create a movement back to “home.” I know SO MANY people are SO BUSY outside of home; but we ALL have one. Here is one quick way to shower your love on your family, put on your Betty Crocker hat for a brief moment and love the simplicity of, dare I say, looking domestic!
POPPY SEED BUNDT CAKE
1 Yellow cake Mix
1 cup sour cream
2/3 cup oil
3 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup poppy seeds
Mix with SPOON! NO MIXER!
BUTTER bundt pan and dust with granulated sugar.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 mins. Remove from oven and let set for about 10 minutes. Invert on serving tray and let it continue to cool. This cake is also good refrigerated.
Here is to a good time with good CAKE!