Virtually all clays are made of aluminum phyllosilicates - the aluminum is locked into insoluble layered crystals. In fact, turface is calcined montmorillonite / illite, both of which are aluminum phyllosilicate clay minerals. It's only soluble aluminum ions that cause phytotoxicity, the form in clay is essentially inert. Attapulgite as a turface substitute is discussed by Al in the link below. Its not clear if the product you bought is calcined - perhaps you could call and ask. Or just do the water test - soak it in water for a couple days and see if it stays hard, intact, and stable. If you have freezing temperatures, you may want to try freezing/thawing as well. Calcining converts the clay to a hard, stable, inert ceramic - making it useful as a growing media. The upshot of the linked thread is that surface area, porosity, and nitrate retention of attapulgite are inferior.

Norma, I went to a few other recipe sites and someone had the Just Desserts cookbook. Here is the recipe: SWEET BABY CARROT CAKE Cake 2 c. self-rising flour 2 tsp. ground cinnamon 2 (4 oz.) jars strained baby carrot food 4 eggs 2 c. sugar 1 1/2 c. vegetable oil Frosting 1/4 c. (1/2 stick) butter, softened 1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened 1 (16 oz.) box powdered sugar 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract Preheat oven to 325*. Grease & flour three (3) 8" or 9" cake pans. Mix all cake ingredients together & blend with a hand-held mixer. Pour batter into prepared cake pans. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool in pans for 5 minutes. Invert onto lint-free dishcloth, or waxed paper and allow to cool completely. For frosting, mix all ingredients with a hand-held mixer & blend until smooth and creamy. Frost layers, top, and sides of cooled cake. Serves 16.

You don't have the book any more, Westelle? I found the recipe at Recipelink: Swiss Black Forest Cake (From the Cake Bible) Brandied Burgundy Cherries Make 1 pint **Brandied cherries are flavorful after only 12 hours but the longer they stand, the more mellow they become. Ingredients: 1 lb. (454g) Pitted bing cherries in heavy syrup 1 oz. Sugar 2 oz. Kirsch or Cognac or cherry-flavored brandy In a colander suspended over a deep bowl drain the cherries for 30 min. Reserve cup syrup. There will be about 1 ½ cups cherries. In a medium saucepan combine the syrup and sugar and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add the cherries and simmer, covered, 1 min. Remove from the heat. Transfer the cherries with a slotted spoon to a pint jar and add the kirsch or Cognac to the jar. Boil the syrup until reduced to ¼ cup and pour over the cherries. Cover tightly and swirl to mix. If planning to store longer than 3 months, add enough liqueur to reach almost to the top of the jar. Cool, cover tightly, and refrigerate. Moist Chocolate Genoise one 9-inch springform pan or cake tin (must be straight on the sides), greased, bottom lined with parchment and then greased again and floured. Ingredients: 4 oz. Bittersweet chocolate 4.125 oz(1/2 liquid cup) boiling water 4 large eggs (7 oz. Weight without shells) 3.5 oz. Sugar (regular white sugar is fine.) 2.625oz (75g/3/4 cup) sifted cake flour Preheat the oven to 350F. Ina heavy saucepan bring the chocolate and water to a boil over low heat, stirring constantly. Simmer, stirring, for 5 minutes or until the chocolate thickens to a pudding like consistency. (It will fall from the spoon and pool slightly before disappearing.) Cool completely. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugar with the whisk beater on high speed for 5 min or until triple in volume. ( a hand beater may be used but it will be necessary to beat for least 10 min.) Sift ½ the flour over t he egg mixture and fold it in gently but rapidly with a slotted skimmer or a large rubber spatula until dome of the flour has disappeared. Repeat with the remaining flour until all flour has disappeared. Fold in the chocolate mixture until incorporated. Pour immediately into the prepared pan. (It should be about 2/3 full) and bake 30 to 35 min or until a tester inserted in the center as easily as it does when inserted closer to the sides. The cake rises to the top of the pan during baking and will lower slightly when done, pulling slightly away from the sides. Avoid opening the oven door before the min. time or the cakes could fall. Loosen the sides often cake with a small metal spatula and unmold at once onto lightly greased rack. Reinvert to cool. The firm upper crust prevents falling. Trim the top and bottom crust removed (very important or else it will form "crusts" in between the cream after itÂs soaked in the syrup) and split in half horizontally to make (2) ½ " layers. Super-stabilized whipped cream, make 6 cups 3 t. powdered gelatin 4 T. water 24 oz. (3 liquid cup) heavy cream 1.5 oz caster (superfine) sugar 1.5 t. vanilla Refrigerate the mixing bowl and beater for at least 15 min. In a small heatproof measuring cup place gelatin and water. Allow to soften for 5 min. Set cup in a pan of simmering water and stir occasionally until gelatin is dissolved. (This can also be done in a microwave on high power, stirring once or twice.) Remove cup and cool to room temperature (about 7 minutes). Gelatin must be liquid but not warm when added to cream. In the chilled bowl beat the cream and sugar just until traces of beater marks begin to show distinctly. Add the gelatin mixture in a steady stream, beating constantly. Add vanilla and beat just until stiff peaks form when beater is raised. Do not over beat the cream. ½ cup chocolate snowflakes: The chocolate needs to be as hard as possible to make thin flakes, so donÂt leave it in a warm kitchen. A large piece of chocolate is easiest to work with, but a flat bar will also work. Use a melon-baller (or a veggie peeler) to scrape the chocolate, making short, light strokes that do not cut too deeply into the chocolate. Allow the flakes to fall onto a small cool baking sheet. Place the sheet inside a large plastic bag and shake the flakes into the bag. Avoid touching them because they melt very easily. Store refrigerated or at cool room temperature. Use a large spoon to lift chocolate flakes onto the cake. Assembling the cake: Use a 9 inch springform pan fitted with cardboard round to a depth of 2 ½". (for really smooth finish on the sides, you will need a "French flan ring".) Add the kirsch or brandy to the reserved cherry syrup to make ½ cup. Sprinkle each side of the cake layers with 2 T. syrup. Reserve 12 whole cherries for decor and cut the remaining cherries in half if they are large. Reserve 2 ¼ cups whipped cream for the top of the cake and the rosettes. (This may be refrigerated for up to 6 hours.) Place 1 cake layer in the bottom of the pan and top with the remaining whipped cream. Poke the cherries into the whipped cream, pressing some of the cut sides against the pan. Use a small angled spatula to level the cream and top with the second cake layer. Spread with 1 cup of the reserved whipped cream. Use a long metal spatula to create a smooth top, allowing the blade to rest on the sides of the ring to create a very even surface. Use the rest of the cream to pipe rosettes, about 8 - 12, depends on the size of your decorating tube. I use a size 6 (1/2in) and make about 10. Leave the cake in an airtight cake container and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving. Wipe the sides of the ring with a warm, damp towel and lift way the ring or remove the sides of the pan. Use the remaining whipped cream to decorate the top with rosettes sing a large number 6 star tube. Top the rosettes with the reserved whole cherries. Spoon the chocolate snowflakes in the center. MSG URL: http://www.recipelink.com/msgid/033253

Here's the favorite recipe of a friend who tried every recipe she found until this one. It's a winner. Absolutely delicious. Carrot Cake 2 c. flour 1 1/2 c. sugar 1/4 c. brown sugar 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. each baking powder and salt 4 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 tsp. each nutmeg and ginger 1/8 tsp. cloves 3 eggs 1 c. oil 2 tsp. vanilla 2 c. grated carrots (5 or 6) 1 T. grated orange rind 8 oz. crushed pineapple, drained saving 1 T. juice 1 c. each sweetened coconut flakes and raisins 2 c. walnuts, chopped Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease & wax paper 9x13 pan Whisk together dry ingred.; set aside. Beat eggs, oil, vanilla and 1 T. pineapple juice in lg. bowl. Mix in carrots, rind, pineapple, coconut, raisins & walnuts. Stir in dry ingred. Do not overmix. Bake 40-50 min. (9x13). Cupcakes 25-30 min. Frosting 4 oz. unsalted butter, room temp. 16 oz. cream cheese, room temp. 4 tsp. vanilla pinch salt 3 c. pd. sugar Beat butter, cream cheese together. Mix in vanilla & salt. Beat in sugar 1 c. at a time.