I haven't forgotten about this~just been a little swamped with other reading! But I've finally managed to track down another children's book with a recipe in the back.
Thunder Cake
by Patricia Polacco
This is a picture book for older readers (or patient preschoolers) dealing with childhood fears and how a grandmother helps her granddaughter overcome them. The biggest fear is of thunder, and Babushka teaches the girl the secret to defeating that particular fear: by baking a Thunder Cake.The air was hot, heavy and damp. A loud clap of thunder shook the house, rattled the windows and made me grab her close.
'Steady, child', she cooed. 'Unless you let go of me, we won't be able to make a Thunder Cake today!'
'Thunder Cake?' I stammered as I hugged her even closer.
'Don't pay attention to that old thunder, except to see how close the storm is getting. When you see the lightning, start counting...real slow. When you hear the thunder, stop counting. That number is how many miles away the storm is. Understand?' she asked. 'We need to know how far away the storm is, so we have time to make the cake and get it into the over before the storm comes, or it won't be real Thunder Cake.' p. 9
As the storm progresses, the grandmother and granddaughter gather eggs, milk and other essential ingredients to make the cake, popping it into the oven just in time. The illustrations are charming, as all of Polacco's works are, and help round out the story.
Cream together, one at a time
1 c shortening
1 3/4 c sugar
1 t vanilla
3 eggs, separated
(Blend yolks in. Beat whites until they are stiff, then fold in.)
1 c cold water
1/3 c pureed tomatoes
Sift together
2½ c cake flour
½ c dry cocoa
1½ t baking soda
1 t salt
Mix dry mixture into creamy mixture.
Bake in two greased and floured 8½ in round pans at 350ยบ for 35 to 40 minutes.
Frost with chocolate butter frosting. Top with strawberries.
My notes: As much as I wanted to be authentic, I didn't gather the ingredients as Babushka did, but I'm hoping you'll bookmark this and be able to do so, especially if you have convenient access to a Farmer's Market. The tricky part is tomatoes and strawberries together... I used one larger tomato from a can of whole tomatoes and used Crisco (regular flavor) as my shortening.You're going to need more pan than the recipe calls for, as mine spilled over. I even think I forgot to add enough flour. Ever have that moment (when it's too late) that you sudden think you didn't do the recipe correctly? Yeah, had that with the amount of flour. As a result, my cakes kinda fell out of the pan (due to stickiness) and took longer to bake. The final result is NOT pretty and I hate to admit this, but here you go:
You don't need a storm to enjoy this!
Book recommendation: Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco
Recipe recommendation: My Grandma's Thunder Cake
YouTube recommendation: Rain Choir
11 comments:
So, how did it taste? I'm intrigued by adding tomatoes to a cake recipe!!
It doesn't matter to me what it looked like after you cut it up.
I need me some Thunder Cake! Did it taste good?
Well, girls, it tastes okay.
The stuff that baked really crispy on the edges of the pans was like a cookie and fab, but the cake itself is a little too dense and heavy (which, I know, can be good) for the frosting.
The one that fell apart could be paired with ice cream and fruit... I should get some and try it.
THUNDER CAKE is a book I read to my first grade class every year during our unit on "Weather". Of course the children loved it and we would always eat Thunder Cake after we finished. I never made it myself. One of the student's mom would bring it in for the lesson. It always tasted good, especially with the strawberries on top. Thanks for sharing this book and bring back some sweet memories.
what a great idea to make a thunder cake, and it looks pretty darn yummy too! pretty wild with the tomatoes, i bet it makes it dense and moist.
how fun sarah knows this book AND cake, love seeing the thread that ties us together :-)
thanks so much or playing at food for thought, next storm i am baking a cake!
i hope you don't mind, i added one of your pics to my blog food for thought, the link is on my blog~
I'm all about anything that's cake, chocolate, and strawberries. Looks good!
Yea for Thunder Cake in the classroom!
I really need to try making this one again (or hope one of you will and reports back to this post!) with proper equipment and flour...
This is such a small world!! My girls are at a friends house making this right now!! I love Patricia P..one of my favorites. Thanks for visiting Big Smiles and Bigger Hips.
Interesting cake with the pureed tomatoes, but a lot of pureed vegetable can be used in cakes-I've heard of beets, for one. Great name for the cake, too.
I've had soooo many recipes turn out wrong lately, I can totally sympathize with you on this one! I'll have to look for Thunder Cake at our library & bake a cake with Ms. C. next time she visits. Thanks for the idea & the review.
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