This post has had more replies than all others I have ever posted, added together, and many more than average. Guess we all like cake! Flamey, thank you! senior gal, I'm right here in your shadow; always enjoy your stories. mamagoose, I got my first computer a little before Spike (Bless his heart!) began the KT, and was one of the first 3 or 4 to jump right in. sherwoodva, based on your screen name I would guess you are only about 2 hours away from the shops. I think posting a business addy is a no/no. Thanks to JoAnn Fla, for telling me how to post a picture!! Thanks, folks.

Yummy! And Happy Birthday! You look terrific! I don't have a birthday cake on my birthday - DD makes me my favorite Wolferman's Rum Cream Pie!

Wintercat, there was a little bit of protein in addition to the goldfish, at least they made the sandwiches from my own grassfed beef. (grin) Oh boy, time does fly, doesn't it? It doesn't even seem possible to me that she's in kindergarten. And taking over, of course. I don't remember having birthday parties when I was a child, or graduation open houses or a lot of other parties that are customary now. Birthdays usually included a cake after supper with the family and a couple of gifts. "Important" birthdays, like turning 13 and being a teenager or starting school might include a sleepover with a couple of friends, but that was the complete celebration. This is more fun, LOL. sleevendog, my Grandmother used to make rabbits out of pear halves, I still remember those! Lars, Ashley's favorite color combination is turquoise with chocolate brown, she decorated her bedroom with those colors. Much better than my Mother's kitchen when I was young, the "hot" color scheme then was turquoise and pink! Annie

Iris, I will include 2 great cakes for mailing. Both of them are moist and heavy-- Our Family Birthday Cake: Moisty Rich Chocolate Cake You MUST use the cocoa powder listed. Do not even bother to make this cake with Hershey's cocoa. Droste's cocoa is a Dutch processed cocoa. I used to be able to find it in most stores with the cocoa or the gourmet foreign foods. Now Gelson's or online is the best source. 2 c sifted flour 1 1/4 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt 2 c sugar 1/2 c solid shortening like Crisco 1/2 c sour milk (add 1/2 to 1 tsp of vinegar to the 1/2 c of milk before you get started) 2 eggs 1/2 c Droste Cocoa 1 tsp vanilla 1 c boiling water. Add vinegar to milk and let it sit as you set up everything. I bake this cake in a tube pan (angel food cake pan). Grease the bottom only of the pan and the tube. Cut out a wax paper or parchment paper liner the size of the bottom of the pan, cut an opening for the tube, and place the waxed paper on top of the greased pan. Grease the paper. (I like to use the Better Than Pam shared here a few years ago to grease the pan. See below.) Preheat oven to 350. Sift flour, baking soda, salt and set aside. In large bowl using an electric mixer, cream the shortening, sugar, cocoa and vanilla. Slowly add boiling water. Add milk and eggs and mix. Sift half of flour mixture into bowl while beating slowly, then add the other half. Bake 30-40 minutes in cake pan and 55 minutes in tube pan. Use a cake tester or skewer or tooth pick to test for doneness. This cake sometimes needs another 5 minutes. Remove pan from oven and rest on a cooling rack 20 minutes. To remove from pan, run a butter knife all around the edge of the pan, turn it over on the cooling rack. Remove the wax paper or parchment paper liner immediately. Cool completely. Cover in a cake server. This cake tastes better the next day. Better Than Pam--with mixer, combine equal parts of solid Crisco, flour and cooking oil. Use this to grease bread pans and cake pans. If you have never had a homemade from scratch pound cake, you do not know what you are missing! Cold Oven Pound Cake Trisha Yerwood 2 sticks of butter, room temperature 3 c sugar 6 eggs, room temperature 3 c flour, sifted 1 c whipping cream 1 tsp vanilla DO NOT PREHEAT THE OVEN. Using electric mixer, cream butter and sugar; add eggs, one at a time beating till incorporated. Add flour alternating with the whipping cream, beating just enough to combine well. Add vanilla. Grease and flour tube pan, and use a wax paper or parchment paper liner on the bottom of the pan, greasing it too. (I use Better Than Pam) Pour batter into pan and smooth it out. Place in cold oven and turn on the oven at 325 degrees. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Use a cake tester to check for doneness. Cool in pan 20 minutes, turn out on rack to cool and remove paper liner immediately.