Welcome, Everyone! I’m so delighted to see you! The virtual kettle’s on the boil, and the goodies are all ready. Come in outta the heat and, as the Welsh might say, “fill your boots!”
There are lots of summer berries and grapes in our shops just now, so I’ve got selections of a few favourites, plus some new flavours for you to try.
Goodness! Are we really half way through August? It doesn’t seem possible!
There I was yesterday, anticipating greeting you lovely blogdom friends, whilst mixing up my American granny’s Foundation Cake recipe.
I’ve no idea where she got it. It almost reads like an offshoot of the Depression and war-era recipes I’ve served in the past, until you get to the then-expensive or rationed eggs and milk.
Taking time, I measured out everything before getting out the mixer and really doing things thoroughly. The result is a very light cake with a lovely texture. (See top photo)
I added “pumpkin pie” spices (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice), but no raisins. You might think it would be too much like a Raisin Spice Cake, but to me it’s lighter in flavour.
Ripe berries are now in season, so strawberries and blueberries are on offer for today’s tea, along with the lightly spiced Foundation Cake, and chocolatey Wacky Cake, which I made in a loaf pan this time.
The recipe says you can do that, so I lengthened the cooking time and it turned out beautifully. I did the same with the Foundation Cake, so there were the two loaves to slice and sprinkle with fruit and cream, as desired. (Sorry, I didn’t get a piccie.)
Now let me tell you a bit more about grannie… She never talked much about her childhood, and only came to stay with us when widowed. Even then she shared her time between her two sons, so she wasn’t always with us.
As a child, her family traveled westward from the Ozark Mountains by covered wagon, settling in what’s now Oklahoma. (“Indian Territory” was the government’s designation then.) I learned more recently that the boundary between Texas and Oklahoma was very fluid then, which today’s genealogists find very confusing.
Growing up in the heart of the Depression’s Dust Bowl region made for a hard life, and neither dad nor uncle talked much about their experiences. My uncle said sometimes they would shell pecans for a nickel a bucket. If you’ve ever shelled a pecan, you know how hard that it.
Many of our ancestors have known and survived hardships and deprivations over the years. I hope that remembering them can help bring today’s problems more into perspective.
Meanwhile, go in Peace and Be Safe, Dear Friends. . .
❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️
I’m joining in with Su’s Virtual Tea Party. Do go over and try one of her tarts – they look amazing!
Curls n Skirls 
Your Grandmother was quite the pioneer, what a fascinating story she had to tell, and hard to think that those days weren’t so long ago. She would be thrilled to know you were using her recipes.
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Foundation cake looks interesting. I may have to give it a try 😋
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Let me know what you think if you do, Kim.
I think I decided today I’m too used to the heavier raisin spice cake, but might try the foundation cake recipe with lemon next. We’ll see…
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As always your afternoon tea looks and sounds delicious, and I’m so glad your shared your granny’s story. I really believe that knowing about our grandparents and earlier generations can teach us so much — especially about resilience in the face of hardships that didn’t just last a few months or a year, but we’re woven into the fabric of people’s lives.
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Thank you, Su. History can teach us lots of things . . .
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Your granny’s handwriting is just like my granny’s. Was she a teacher by chance?
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Looks delicious!!
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Thank you!
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