Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Let Them Eat Cake


Grace's high school graduation is quickly approaching. Two weeks, don't remind her, she says as she clings to her childhood. I think she pictures us kicking her out the door when she graduates, but really, we plan to wait until August when she goes to college.
To celebrate her graduation, we're having an Open House, which basically means people are welcome to come and go as they please on the Saturday afternoon before her graduation. We chose that time because my parents will be in town from Florida for the graduation, and my brother in Dayton will be able to come up on the weekend. I already feel bad that she said each family gets 8 tickets for graduation and I said we only need six. Earl and me, the boys and my parents. Really, who else do you invite to sit through the graduation?
I want to make the graduation party fun. I was thinking of different food ideas. Traditional grad party food would be platters of lunch meat with buns for sandwiches, along with vegetable trays and fruit. Then I thought we could do shish kabobs. Then I had a stroke of genius.
Grace at one point had said she wanted many kinds of cake at her graduation party. The memory came back to me, and since it is in the middle of the afternoon anyway, I decided on an all cake party. Thus, the theme, "Let them eat cake," that and the fact that Grace is a little bit like a queen and she loves royalty.
My friend Ruth may come down the day before to help me bake cakes. I want to have at least 10 different kinds.
Some choices are easy. I'll order cookie cakes that look something like this but say "Congratulations Grace" rather than If you give a mouse a cookie.
I'll also order an ice cream cake, but I won't really be able to set that out on the table with the other cakes.
Then I'll bake some favorites. Turtle cake is similar to the turtle candy. It is chocolate cake with caramel and chocolate in the middle. I skip the nuts.
Cola cake is a southern favorite here in the U.S. It has Coke, as the name implies and marshmallows in it. It is one of the moistest chocolate cakes I've ever had.
I also have a great recipe for carrot cake that includes crushed pineapple and yogurt.
I experimented with a Pineapple Upside Down Cake the other day. It was gone pretty quickly. I'd never made one, but it was easy and delicious. What's not to like with all that butter and brown sugar.
Now, I'm stumped. I need some more great cake recipes. Does anyone have any suggestions?

6 comments:

Lucia said...

Sorry I don't but can I have your cola cake recipe!!! YUM! And congratulations to the graduate!

Stephanie said...

So? Are you asking for recipes, or cakes?

Might I suggest that you ask for cakes? Even if Ruth comes to your aid, you'll reduce your stress level tremendously with cake donations.

This made me hungry for an apple cake that my Mom makes that is do die for. Yum!

Healthy Foods Blog said...

When it comes to cake, this blog is the best for me (http://iammommy.typepad.com/i_am_baker/). Give a time to visit, I'm sure you can get an idea the author has lots of amazing knowledge about cakes.

By the way, Congratulations to the graduate!

- Tera

Linda said...

How about brownies with vanilla ice cream on top by request topped with hot fudge sauce? I do that all of the time. I'm not sure how to keep the sauce hot and the ice cream from melting however.

Paulita said...

Thanks for the ideas. I've never made an apple cake and I need to check out that blog for some recipes. Sheila was in the airport when she read my blog and she suggested a couple of yummy cakes and even volunteered to come over with a bottle of wine to help make them. So, I think I'm set! I'll take pictures and let you know how it goes.

hyma said...

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