I recently tried to replicate a cake that my aunt used to make when I was a kid, a spice cake with peanut butter frosting. I loved it and looked forward to it every time there was a family gathering at her house. She hosted the whole extended family just about every July 4th, since her house had a pool to keep us kids occupied. There is even a picture of me eating this cake—I must be about five or six, in a wet bathing suit, wrapped in a towel sitting at her picnic table decidedly focused on my cake, probably anticipating the sparklers and fireworks to come later that evening. Inevitably, the cake would be accompanied by a tall plastic tumbler of red fruit punch, which we never got at home and just seemed to be so delicious and sweet. In my mind, the cake and the punch go together.
I began with a Betty Crocker SuperMoist Spice Cake Mix and made it according to the instructions on the box.
I knew that the frosting probably had a lot of powdered sugar in it, as I recall it crusting over just a little bit but was smooth when biting through it. So, I took a half cup of smooth peanut butter and melted it in the microwave until it became smooth and pour-able (probably two minutes, but it may vary in your microwave). Then, I stirred in powdered sugar by half cupfuls, and ended up adding about 2 ½ cups. I wanted to make the frosting a bit more spread-able, so I stirred in about ¼ cup of water a little bit at a time. The, of course, I mixed up a pitcher of fruit punch.
This is the result:
I guess this cake has been on my mind a little while, since my aunt passed away last fall. I think of this cake as essential to who she was to me.
It makes me think of my last culinary endeavor with my 4 year old niece, princess cake cones.
It is amazing how food connects us to other people. What sweet memories do you have?