Baking with... baby food? (and how to get your hands on a favorite cookbook)

I was going through an old cookbook my grandmother gave me - Dining With Pioneers (one of the 5 cookbooks I can't live without) - and I happened across a cake recipe that I'd always wanted to try, but never had.

NEWS FLASH: I have finally tracked down copies of the Dining With Pioneers cookbook available for purchase!

This book is as scarce as hen's teeth. People ask me all the time how they can get their hands on one.

If you'd like your very own copy, you can e-mail me for more information.

The recipe? Baby Food Cake.

You read that right. Baby food.

To be honest, I just wanted to try it for the novelty of the recipe. Little did I know that I was in for a pleasant surprise.

When I came home from my last grocery shopping trip and was putting away what I'd bought, Mr. Zen gave me a strange look when he saw the jar of baby food.

"No, the stork isn't going to be paying us a visit," I explained. "I'm going to make a Baby Food Cake."

"Baby food?" he quizzed.

Yes, baby food.

Here's the recipe:

BABY FOOD CAKE
2 cups sugar
2 cups self- rising flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans)
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup vegetable oil
2 small jars or 1 large jar baby food (plums, apricots, etc.) (I used one jar of Beech Nut Stage 3 Homestyle Apples, Cherries and Plums - because I had a coupon for a free jar)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Stir sugar, flour and spices together in a large mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients, mixing well.

Bake in greased and floured tube or Bundt pan for 1 hour, or until cake tests done.

The result? Dreamy.

This is officially my new go-to spice cake, without a doubt. It smells like autumn. I was ready to heat up some spiced apple cider and go find a pumpkin to carve!

I didn't put any icing or glaze of any kind on the cake - not even a dusting of powdered sugar. It didn't need it. The cake was wonderfully moist and delicious on its own. A perfect coffee cake.

In fact, it was so good that I let the kids have some for breakfast, which they, of course, devoured.

Cake heaven. Quick, easy, and DELICIOUS!

Again, if you'd like to snag your own copy of Dining With Pioneers, please e-mail me for more information.

Order now for the holidays - it would make a fantastic gift!