Sunday, June 19, 2011

Grandmother's Cake: A Family Favorite


When I want to connect with my family.
When it's a holiday.
When it's time for a Parker visit.
When I just want to be proud of something yummy I made.
I make cake.
Not just any cake.
Grandmother Romberg's Cake.
The recipe calls it "Mrs. Dowell's 5-Flavor Cake", but we don't know who she is or was.
Although I'm sure we'd love her, it's Grandmother's Cake.
And I made it.
Reason this time (although, is there really a need for a reason to make cake?):
It's Father's Day weekend and Vaughn loves it.
Something tells me Grandmother would have made it this weekend too, if she was here.
Let's have some.


Mrs. Dowell's 5-Flavor Cake 
Serves: 10 or more

2 sticks margarine
1/2 cup shortening
3 cups sugar
5 well-beaten eggs
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1 teaspoon rum extract
1 teaspoon butter extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 
Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1 teaspoon rum extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon butter extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract

Cream butter, shortening and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs which have been beaten until lemon colored.  Combine flour and baking powder and add to creamed mixture alternately with milk.  Stir in flavorings.  Spoon mixture into prepared 10 inch tube pan and bake at 325 for 1 1/2 hours or until cake tests done.  Add glaze if desired.  Cool in pan 10 minutes before turning out.

For glaze, combine ingredients in heavy saucepan.  Bring to boil, stir until sugar is melted; pour over hot cake in pan.

3 comments:

  1. Mrs. Dowell was my great-grandmother. She was one of the sweetest ladies I ever knew. She loved to cook anything that pleased our stomachs(she had 6 children and many many grandchildren and great grandchildren). My great-grandfather owned a store that sold Watkins products, so the original recipe have used that brand of extracts. This recipe is famous in our family. Thanks for posting!

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    Replies
    1. I am so excited that my little ol' blog post made its way to your computer out in the wild blue yonder and we are connected by this wonderful cake recipe and two lovely grandmothers. What a sweet message you shared.

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