Graves 8: Daphne and Eva Bake a Cake

 Do You Have Kids Who Love to Cook or Bake?

Our 8 year old, Eva, has loved to cook and bake since she could walk and talk. At four years old she cooked Mom breakfast in bed for the first time by herself.

We try to feed Eva's passion for food the same we do for all of our kids. We give her opportunities to express her creativity - even if it is a little messy.

One of the reasons we home school is so we can encourage our kids to do the things they love and exercise their strengths. It is a wonderful feeling to watch your child develop into the creative being they were meant to be. So, so, so much better than watching them struggle to fit into the box our society, school systems, television, magazines, social media, (and the list goes on) tell them they NEED to be.

You don't have to be a homeschooling parent to build your child up. It's as simple as this: What do they love? Feed that. Read them books, watch documentaries, go to events, find ways to get them into classes and do activities on your own that feed their passion. There are so many free resources at our fingertips these days as well.  Blogs, YouTube tutorials and more. Find a way to help them grow.

And find a way to grow your own creativity. Many of us grew up in homes and school systems where our creativity was not only stifled, but it was looked down upon. Let go of that, remember what you love and pursue it - even if it's just as a hobby. Do what you love.

We are all individuals. The thing that makes us special and the qualities that allow us to excel, are the traits we posses that separate us from the crowd. THOSE special, maybe even quirky, parts of each of us are the things we should cherish, feed, grow, and never be afraid to pursue.

 
Watch the video below to see Eva enjoy one of her passions. Mom (who doesn't bake well) reads the instructions while Eva and Daphne bake a cake together.

Here is the recipe we followed:
We found it in a vintage cook book mom picked up at a garage sale (yes we are huge garage sale fanatics)
Betty Crocker's Picture Cook Book published in - couldn't find the publishing date due to lost pages.

CAKE: Rich Silver Cake

Grease generously and flower 2 -9" round pans 

Sift together:

• 3 1/2 cups sifted flower
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 5 tsp baking powder

Add

• 1 cup soft shortening (we replaced with butter since shortening doesn't exist in our home) 

Pour in

• 1 1/3 cups thin milk (half water)
• 2 tsp. vanilla flavoring

Beat for 2 minutes & then add

• 6 egg whites

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a fork comes out clean when inserted into the center. Let cool and then frost with below frosting.

Custard Cream Filling for Coconut Cream Cake

Mix together in saucepan

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Stir in

• 1 1/3 cups rich milk

Cook over low heat, stirring until it boils. Boil 1 minute. Remove from heat.

Pour a little of this mixture into:

• 1 large egg lightly beaten 

Blend into hot mixture in saucepan. Bring to boiling point. 

Cool and stir in:

• 2 tbsp. soft butter
• 1 1/3 tsp. vanilla

Add about 1/2 cup coconut to 1/3 of the filling and spread between the layers. Coat top and sides of cake thinly with remaining filling. Sprinkle generously with coconut (about 1 1/2 cups)

And wala you have an amazing tasty coconut custard cake. Yum!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Want More?

Find our entire

 Graves 8 - Family Adventure Series on Youtube HERE.