A gathering....

We had a "gathering" here over the week-end.  Muncho Mom, Macho Man, and the Munchkins planned a short visit.  As often is the case when they come to town, City Girl came as well.  Country Girl and Country Man were also able to be here!  This was the first time for us to see one another since Christmas, so it was a special occasion!

A roasted chicken, a dozen eggs, and fewer than 24 hours later, they had all returned to their own places, but not before this was demolished.

You may remember the recipe from a Cookbook Wednesday feature a few weeks ago.  Perhaps this will jog your memory.

Unfortunately, Louise, I wasn't able to find that Calumet Baking Powder here, so it really wasn't an authentic Calumet Devil's Food Cake.  Nonetheless, it was apparently a hit as there were not any leftovers!

I do not remember the process Mother went through to make this cake.  I do, however, remember it when it was almost finished.  The top cake layer never wanted to stay in place, and the recipe for the sea foam frosting didn't cover the entire cake.  I had the same experience.  The top layer for this one kept sliding to the side, although the cake plate was level.  I finally just tilted the plate until the layer made that final slide into the correct place and stayed there!  

The sea foam frosting was a "first" for me.  To cover the entire cake, however, the recipe should probably have been doubled.  There were a few "disasters" while I was making the frosting.  First, I failed to have the beater in a low enough position while I was pouring the syrup into the egg white, and my shirt (where is that apron?) became decorated with tiny spatters of syrup!  Next, while unable to hold onto the large mixing cup that I had used for beating the egg white, it spun around out of control, encountered a spoon rest, and voila!  A broken spoon rest - plus - the ear of the cup broke off as well! I'm not sure I will try the sea foam frosting again anytime soon.:-)

The sun was out here this morning just long enough for that groundhog to see his shadow!  Now - what does that mean?   I'm not sure I trust a groundhog as a winter weather predictor.:-)

Keep warm, and stay safe!