Peace cakes in July

Oh how we suffered through that long, drawn out, grueling winter, (‘member that?), when it seemed summer would never again grace us with its balmy weather and drippy popsicles. We then were forced to deftly dodge those steely gazes our children threw at us as they made their way to school those last “for ev-errrr” make up days at the end of June. We were able to hold it together because we could see it, July. It was just around the corner. It was our time to play, and boy we played hard.

We held our breath on the fourth, did a little ‘no rain dance’ and were rewarded with a nice day for picnics and a great evening for viewing those little do it yourself, fountain fireworks we hooted and hollered over. The weather grew increasingly drier and the mercury climbed as the days went by while we scrambled to make all of those doctor and dentists visits we’d put off till the ‘kids were out of school’. 

Then the weekend of the eighth came around.  It was my weekend. I'd planned to spend it with my Volkswagen club folks setting up for our annual car show…one that I’d conveniently missed for many years due to poorly scheduled vacations, (wink, wink!)  We hold this event way out in Lebanon in their quaint, hayed over fair grounds.  It was hot and hadn’t rained for quite some time.  Lots of laughter, some good food and cold drinks, and a few hours later we began driving marker stakes into parched soil, moving around endless amounts of billion pound picnic tables and cleaning out refrigerators whose innards were caked in mud. (Really, who puts mud IN refrigerators??)  I’d plan on heading home that evening and returning the next day to camp remainder of the weekend. We pitched tents under a huge pavilion. I blew up my air mattress, said goodbye for the evening and took off for the long trek home. As I was driving and contemplating how on earth ANY place in Connecticut could be over 90 minutes away from home, I noticed the sky begin to turn steel grey. By the time I reached Durham, cars were pulled over to the side of the road waiting for a deluge of rain to pass.  Boy was I thankful I'd set up my tent under that pavilion!  I made a quick phone call to the folks still at the fairgrounds to apprise them of the weather and was told that my tent was now swirling around in a puddle that was quickly turning into a pond in the only low spot in that whole darn pavilion. I groaned and hung up with a lesson learned: camping is every man for himself.  If your tent goes a-sailin’  50 yards downstream in a monsoon, well that’s something you’re just gonna have to deal with when and if you find it. I learned some other lessons that weekend too: water in clear plastic bags hung above food serving areas does NOT keep flies at bay; no matter how much you care for the person you’ve pitched your tent next to, if they snore, you’ll have resorted to thinking of malicious ways to make them stop around 4:30am; after working in 95 degree heat all day, someone holding a pin pricked garbage bag filled with water over your head is a perfectly acceptable shower. But one of the most valuable lessons re-visited that weekend is family doesn’t come in one size, shape or form. Family is born from love, respect, genuine smiles, a shared story and the simple happiness of being together. And to my Volkswagen family, I wish lots of Vdub-love and plenty of peace cakes.

Tip: Everyone loves these Peace cakes.  Use white cake batter that has been mixed with all of your ingredients and divide it into bowls for as many colors you’d like in your cakes.  Color eachindividual bowl of batter with food color. I use Wilton color gels, http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=3e30b2d9-475a-bac0-5d5c3db846dfd354 .  Be sure the batter takes on deep rich, jewel tone colors. Peace cakes aren’t a cake to sport some wimpy pastels!  At this point you can really get crazy and add flavoring to coordinate with each color you’re tinting, or be more conservative and add just one flavor.  Spoon equal amounts of each color into cake papers, bake and cool. Top with fudge ganache frosting, sprinkles, slip on some round sunglasses and chill. Peace out man.

See ya next time,

~Laura 

cup.cakeCT

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