Greater Midwest Foodways Alliance

FAMILY HEIRLOOM RECIPES

Illinois State Fair

August 12, 2022

 

 

Contestant

 

Funny Cake
Leslie Adams, Decatur, Illinois

 

Grandmas Gifts

 

Grandmas are an important part of our lives. They teach us with their patience and their unconditional love. I have been lucky to have had amazing grandmas in my life both from blood and marriage.

 

I decided to make a cake my husband’s family calls Funny Cake. This cake has been a part of my husband’s family for 85 years. It was served in his family for holidays and get-togethers and I continued that tradition when the recipe was handed down to me from his grandma, Anna Oakleaf.

 

When looking for an original copy of this recipe I found the same recipe in my grandma’s recipes also. Unknowingly this had a connection to my side of the family too.

 

My husband’s grandma, Anna Oakleaf, was born to Irish Catholic parents and married her high school sweetheart in the 1930’s. After her husband came back from World War II they bought a farm in Missouri where they raised 4 children. Anna learned to live frugally while raising her four children on the farm. The Funny Cake recipe made its way to the Oakleaf family when her children joined 4H and they brought home a cookbook. The recipe was a great addition to family recipes because it used basic inexpensive ingredients. For 80 years the recipe has been part of their family and for 40 plus I have continued the tradition. Only making the mistake once to dare to add chocolate curls to the top to decorate it, that mistake was never repeated.

 

My husband has great memories of being at his grandparents home. John, his grandfather, started training racehorses when my husband was young so my husband would spend summers with them. Anna would wake them up at 4 in the morning to take care of the horses at the track and when they returned at lunch time she would have a complete meal prepared for them. Anna would put so much food on the table at times it would seem like there wasn’t room for the plates.

 

The racetrack was a special place for my husband. Taking care of the horses during the day and entering in the races at night were the highlights of my husband’s childhood. While John was racing the horses Anna would be out front placing her bet. Anna loved taking people to the track to watch and was a pretty good handicapper. She would quietly look at her program and pick her horse. When she was ready to make her bet you would turn around and she would rapidly walk to the window without a word to anyone.

 

My husband would spend the evening with his grandma playing scrabble. She was the queen of scrabble taking a 4 letter word (because you didn’t dare use only 3) and achieving more points then anyone would ever imagine possible. She would take pleasure in helping you find a better place to put your word so you could get more points and also so you didn’t mess up the board.

 

Anna could make a meal faster than anyone I had ever met. Whether she knew you were coming or you just showed up she could whip up a meal that would leave you stuffed and satisfied. The table would be complete with everything from refrigerator pickles and wilted salad to start to a beautiful homemade dessert to complete the feast. There were always pies ready in the freezer in case someone stopped by for coffee.

 

Anna and John had always had a garden but in later years the garden at their home in St. Louis was a sight to see. When you would arrive for a visit you had to make a tour of the garden and discuss the crop before heading in the house. Going into the house you always had to make a trip to the basement kitchen to see what was being canned or frozen and also to see the wine John was making.

 

Besides being an amazing cook Anna could sew anything she could ever need. She made all her own clothes. Anna also made the jockey silks for several of the horse’s owners that her husband trained. The yellow and red apron on the display is made from the leftover material from making silks.

 

The other apron on the display is from my grandma, Lily. Lily had a much different life then Anna but still could make a meal that would make any chef proud. Lily also raised four kids but had an alcoholic husband so she was left to do all of it on her own. Lily worked at Hi-Flier kites most of her life and would bless us with the most amazing flying kites. My cousins and I spent many Saturdays in the church parking lot across the street seeing who could get theirs the highest. My uncle swore for years that his kite got so high it came back with frost on it.

 

My memories of my grandma were spending the night and having her make me hand cut fries before they were a trending item on menus. We wouid spend Saturdays when i spent the night going to the grocery store with my aunt and then on to Kmart. Kmart was an exciting place at that time. Waiting for the blue light specials was the highlight of the trip. I have many memories of hearing the announcement and seeing all the women take off in a near run to grab whatever bargain they just realized they couldn’t live without.

 

After shopping it was back to grandmas for dinner and watch TV till bedtime. I can still hear the whir of the window air conditioner and see her dog, Shorty, snuggled up with me. Grandma Lily taught me to sew and how much love goes into feeding your family. She was known for her fried chicken and noodles but dessert at her house were reserved for special occasions or get-togethers.

 

My grandmas passed shortly after I was married so that left Anna to teach me how to feed my family. She showed me how to preserve the many gifts she raised in her garden and gave me the passion I have for making pies. My skill for cooking grew when Anna came into my life, however I credit my grandmas with giving me the DNA that carried the love for cooking. I feel I was blessed because there was always a grandma in the kitchen and even though they have passed their spirits are still in mine.

 

 

Contestant

 

Funny Cake
Leslie Adams, Decatur, Illinois

 

1 1/2 cup flour
1 cup sugar
¼ cup cocoa
1 t soda
½ t sale
1 t vanilla
1 t vinegar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup cold water

 

Sift together all dry ingredients. Add remaining ingredients and 1/2 c of the water. Stir well. Add the other 1/2 cup of water. Blend well. Bake in 9×9 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes