I remember when I was in the third grade we read a book called 'Thunder Cake' by Patricia Polacco. The book talks about a girl and her grandmother making a cake when their is a thunder storm. The girl is afraid of the thunder and her grandmother soothes her by telling her to count after their is lightning and stop counting when the thunder booms and then they will know how many miles away the storm is. The grandmother's goal is to eat the cake by the time the storm is overhead. They have to go out into the farm and collect the ingredients to make the cake. At the end of the story is a recipe for thunder cake, the cake the girl and her grandmother made. (Note: you do not need to make this cake when there is a thunderstorm ;P)
Thunder Cake
Sift together:
Cream together, one at a time 2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup shortening or butter 1/2 cup dry cocoa
1 3/4 cups sugar 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla 1 tsp salt
3 eggs, separated
(Blend in the yolks.
Beat whites until stiff, then fold in)
1 cup cold water
1/3 cup pureed tomatoes
Mix dry mixture into creamy mixture. Bake in two greased and floured 81/2 inch round pans at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.
Frost with chocolate butter frosting. Top with strawberries.
Richnigthder and Jerome said they wouldn't like the cake because it has tomatoes in it. Honestly, you dont even taste the tomatoes. We have been trying to figure out what purpose they serve in the cake. We did notice though that they made the cake a little red on the inside.. hmm... It is a really reallly reallllly goood cake though! :) I used vanilla frosting and no strawberries. I don't think that made much of a difference though :p
