Thursday, December 27, 2007

German Chocolate Cake...



German Chocolate Cake. Aaahhhh. My very favorite cake in all the world IF it is made by my grandmother. All the other recipes cannot compare to the heavenly sweetness of this cake when Grandmother used to make it!! OOOH BOY!!!!

My Uncle Burt and I always had a little unspoken competition going on for Grandmother's German Chocolate Cake. She made one every Thanksgiving and he used to always beat me in the race to have the first luscious bite. My grandmother actually hid the freshly made cake one year so that I would be sure and be the first one to taste the cake. She and I carefully tiptoed to her hiding place, she pulled the cake out and A PIECE WAS MISSING!!!! Grandmother gasped out loud and then we heard Uncle Burt laughing hysterically. He had found her secret hiding place!!!! Rats.

These days, however, even though my grandmother doesn't feel like making her yummy cake, I do my best to copy hers. She told me the "secret recipe" is actually inside the box of the Baker's German's Chocolate box!!!! I follow the recipe to the letter. It smells like Grandmother's and even LOOKS like Grandmother's, but I am 100% positive that she does something special to hers to make it extra delicious.

Grandmother isn't doing well these days. She's now 88 years old and in a nursing home. She doesn't always remember you when you walk in to visit and she doesn't pay attention for long, but she's still here and still cute as a button. She has created some wonderful memories simply through the love she has shown in her homemade food for her family. I am blessed to come from a long line of really good cooks.

What kind of recipe do you have that brings back wonderful memories of family? I would LOVE to hear about them!!

11 comments:

Jen said...

Ohhhh...my favorite cake as well! I made my first one this past August for a dear friend and mama whose famiyl had let her birthday slip by unnoticed. I loved the way it made the house smell and it tasted just as good! I, too, used the recipe inside the box...worked like a charm! You might try a different brand of vanilla or a different brand of coconut...both can affect the flavor.
Loved the picture you posted, too! Made my mouth water a bit...

Mrs. U said...

Ooh Jen!!! Great idea about trying a different brand of vanilla and coconut!! I hadn't thought about that. I'll have to ask my mom if she remembers what kind my grandmother used.

The picture....YUMMM!!! That's my cake in the cake stand before I took it to church for a church Christmas dinner. I sure would love a piece right now!! :)

His,
Mrs. U

Wendi said...

Oh my!! I love a piece of good german chocolate cake! I just might have to make one.

Mimi said...

I love German chocolate cake. What wonderful memories of your grandmother that you have!

Gena said...

What a sweet and funny story!

My mother used to always make me a sour cream poundcake for my birthday - every year. It is my FAVORITE! Now, she isn't so great in the kitchen. I have yet to try her recipe since I'm afraid it just won't taste the same. I salute you for trying to recreate a favorite recipe. I'm sure it is just delicious.

Jen said...

German Chocolate is my husbands favorite and his grandmother makes it for him too on Thanksgiving. I love Coconut and make one at Christmas every year...we also love my Aunt's Fruit Salad....it is always at Christmas....I'm glad you have these great memories of your grandmother...treasure them.

Kelli said...

What a delicious looking cake and sweet memories! Your grandmother is a very special lady!
Hugs,
Kelli

Julieann said...

YAY!!! You are back--I missed you, Mrs. U!!!

Your cake looks so yummy.

My grandmother is 88 too--I am sorry your grandmother is not doing too well, but I bet you sure make her smile.

Julieann

Dianna said...

Oh, wow, that looks good. Once my family had a German exchange student and she said there was nothing German about it. She thought there was sauerkraut on top!

One of my favorite childhood dishes was beef stew--my mom had a perfect recipe!

Cyndi Lewis said...

How wonderful that you still have your grandmother with you. Mine have long since passed. I will always remember my Grandmother Schuh's wonderful potato pancake feasts. My family would get together with Grandma and My Uncle's family and Grandma would cook tons of potato pancakes for us all. Unfortunately she passed before I was interested in cooking and thus wanting the recipe. I will have to ask my mom if she happened to get it. My mom is Norwegian by ancestry, not German, so I don't know if she would have thought to get the recipe for my dad. Thanks for the idea!

The Adventures of Jing and Ying said...

I love German chocolate cake as well!

My grandmother used to make the best potato-oatmeal bread. It was sooo good toasted with butter and made great sandwiches.

My grandmother never wrote the recipe down. She never measured the ingredients, she just "knew" how much to use.

A few years ago I went to my Grandmother's to watch her make the bread. I wrote everything down, and now I make the bread. Of course, it's not as good as hers, but it's still quite good.

My grandmother passed away 2 years ago at the age of 93. I am so glad I was able to watch her make bread. Now whenever I make that bread, the smell transports me back to Grandma's kitchen.

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