Bake me a cake

I can't ever remember a time in my grandmother's life - before those dark days when she lost her eyesight and her memory - that she didn't have some sort of cake in the house.

Most of the time it was a simple yellow cake that she baked in a bundt pan and iced with a powdered sugar glaze. She called this "coffee cake." Other times, it was a coconut cake, a fruit cobbler, or a carrot cake.

Grandmother kept a percolator of coffee going on her stove at all times - from the time she got up in the morning until she went to bed. She drank coffee all day long and anybody who stopped by was always invited to have at least a cup of coffee and a piece of cake, if not more. I'd give anything to have one of Grandmother's percolators (and one of her cast iron skillets), but, alas, the family would rather let those things sit idle in a locked up house rather than give them to someone who would love and cherish them and keep the memory alive by carrying on the tradition.

Last night, I got the urge to have some cake... and pineapple. So, I baked this one, which is also one of the ones my grandmother used to make.

PINA COLADA BUNDT CAKE
1 box yellow cake mix
1 cup water
1 8 oz. can crushed pineapple, with the juice
2 Tbsp. oil
3 eggs
1/2 c. flaked coconut
1 Tbsp. rum flavoring

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a bundt pan.

In a large bowl, stir together all ingredients. Beat well for 2 minutes. Pour into bundt pan.

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until cake tests done. Cool completely.

This cake doesn't really need any icing, but it is wonderful topped with a dollop of Cool Whip or some extra pineapple with juice.

Of course, my grandmother had no idea what a pina colada was, so she would have called this a Pineapple Coconut Cake.

Holidays at Grandmother's house were always special and there was always a big crowd of people. Grandmother would always bake a very special cake - a Hummingbird Cake.

There are a couple of theories as to how the cake got its name. One says that the cake is so good, it makes you hum with delight. The other is that the cake is very sweet, like hummingbird nectar. I don't know which one is correct, but I do know that the cake is delicious.

HUMMINGBIRD CAKE
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups chopped bananas
1 cup crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup oil
2 eggs , beaten
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup finely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour 2 9-inch round cake pans.

Stir dry ingredients together into a bowl. In another bowl, stir the bananas, pineapple, oil, eggs and vanilla until combined. Do not use an electric mixer (it will puree the bananas and you want to keep banana chunks in your cake). Pour into the dry mixture and fold together with a large spatula just until smooth. Do not beat. Fold in the pecans. Spread evenly into the pans.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until cake tests done. Cool completely.

Icing:
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 lb. confectioners' sugar (about 4 1/2 cups sifted)
1 tsp. vanilla

Beat the cream cheese and butter together in a large bowl until combined. Gradually beat in the sugar, then the vanilla, to make a smooth icing.

Place 1 cake layer, upside down on a serving platter. Spread with about 2/3 cup of the icing. Top with the second layer, right side up. Spread the remaining icing over the top and sides of the cake. Top with extra chopped pecans. The cake can be prepared up to 1 day ahead and stored, uncovered in the refrigerator.

This last cake is the first cake I ever made from scratch. I was a teenager and had discovered one of my grandmother's old cookbooks. I saw this recipe and decided to give it a try. Much to my surprise, it was a success. (Up until this time, I couldn't cook much of anything. I was the kind of person who'd burn water.) This is the recipe that taught me to love cooking. I baked several of these for my dad over the years.

MISSISSIPPI MUD CAKE

4 eggs
2 cups sugar
3 Tbsp. cocoa
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted
1 pkg. miniature marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine eggs, sugar, cocoa, vanilla and flour. Mix well. Add nuts and butter and mix well. Bake in greased 9 x 13 pan for 20-25 minutes or until cake tests done. Spread marshmallows over the top of the cake and return to oven for 5 minutes. Spread icing (below) on top of hot cake.

Icing:
1/2 (1 stick) butter, melted
3 Tbsp. cocoa
1 tsp. vanilla
1/3 cup milk
1 16 oz. box powdered sugar
pinch of salt

While cake is baking, mix ingredients well. Spread on top of cake after marshmallows have melted.