Baking up some love

Bake & Take Cake.. an emjayandthem photo

It’s Sunday and we’re off to see my father in law today; he’s recovering from hip replacement surgery and is home-bound.  The hubbs’ mother, his wife, passed away suddenly last year and, after years of caring for her, he’s learning how to navigate on his own. He’s done well, but we know it’s hard. We see how lonesome he is for “The Boss,” as he affectionately called her.  He never had children of his own, but he’s been a Step-Dad and Grandpa to all.  He’s part of the family, and it’s our responsibility to be there for him. And we are. 

We visited last weekend and I set him up with enough homemade food for a week’s worth of meals: Swiss steak with mushroom gravy, mashed potatoes, dressing, vegetables, baked ham, chicken salad, rolls, bread, spice cake and peanut butter cookies.    He ate a lot of it and froze the rest.  He teased that I was “trying to fatten him up” but I saw the little grin on his face and I know he felt … loved.  Now, he’s feeling good and ready to get out. Today’s the perfect day for an outing as the temps are supposed to be near 40 F.

I know he has a lot of food around but I’m not one to show up empty-handed.  Plus, he has all those people stopping in – nurses, physical therapists, friends & neighbors. It’s rather nice to have something to offer others when the coffee’s on. 

So, I decided on an old standby called a “Bake and Take cake.”  This recipe is from the ladies rink auxiliary cookbook in my hometown of Macrorie, Sask.   While not my mom’s recipe, she made it so often that I think of it that way. It was not uncommon to come in after school and find Dad at the table, reading the paper, sipping coffee and having a piece of this ultra moist and delicious cake.

When I told Mom that I was making this for John, she commented, “Oh that’s a good one! It travels so beautifully and keeps nice.”  And she would know. She’s made it for hockey tournaments, showers, and parties; she’s taken it to the field during harvest and served it to company after a BBQ.  

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Here’s what you’ll need to make your very own “Bake and Take cake:” 

• 1 ¼ cup boiling water
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup white sugar
• ½ cup shortening (I used Crisco but you can use margarine)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/3 cup flour
• ½ tsp salt

Directions:

In its own bowl pour boiling water over oatmeal and let stand until cooled.  In mixing bowl, cream sugar, shortening and then add in eggs, one at a time, beat well. Add in vanilla then stir in rolled oats.  Lastly, mix dry ingredients together (baking soda, sugar, flour salt) and slowly stir them into the wet batter.    Pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan and bake at 350 F for 25 min.  Test with toothpick for doneness. When cooked, smother topping over the cake (see below) and cover evenly. Return cake to oven and cook an additional 4-7 min or until topping is golden brown.   Let cool.  Freezes well; travels so beautifully it should have its own passport!

Topping:

• 1 cup coconut
• 1 cup brown sugar
• ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ½ cup margarine, melted