Christmas, the Internet, and the Husband...

It’s that time of the year again and I’m busy finishing last minute details. The hubby’s always the hard one on my list. But this year he’s easy because he broke his watch and has been telling the time by his phone. Last year I had no idea what to get him. And then at breakfast one morning he said, “A piece of Orange Slice Cake would sure go good with coffee.”

This was a cake his grandmother made every year. She was a fabulous cook and affectionately called Big Mama. She was all of four foot eleven inches tall and maybe weighed 100 pounds. Think Granny of The Beverly Hillbillies, except Big Mama had short gray hair. My husband’s office was two blocks from her house and he ate dinner with her every weekday until she passed away at age 98.

She got up at four every morning, would make coffee and start cooking. She’d make a pie, a cake or cookies or homemade bread. My husband always had something sweet after his lunch. He should weigh at least 300 pounds, but thankfully he doesn’t. We would get an Orange Slice Cake every year for Christmas and we loved it. It’s like a fruit cake but, oh, so much better.

Whenever the hubby mentions the cake, I mostly ignore him because I didn’t want to attempt to make that cake. It would never be as good as his grandmother’s and I’ll admit I’m not the greatest cook. But last year, in a weak moment, I decided I was going to surprise him and make it. I had a mission so I called his aunt to ask for the recipe and she said Big Mama never had recipes. Coming from a family of twelve she learned to cook as a small girl watching her sisters and mother. The aunt had written down some recipes over the years, but not that cake. I’d made up my mind to make the cake so I called his other aunt. She told me the same thing. My husband’s mother didn’t have it because she’d mentioned she’d wished she’d had her mother write it down. I was stumped, but not for long. Information is at our fingertips these days. I went to the Internet and typed it in and several recipes came up. I picked out one that looked similar. I was in business.

My friend and I went to buy the ingredients. She decided to help because it sounded like something her family would like. So we put it together. Cutting up the orange slices was the hardest part. The sticky candy kept sticking to the knife. Finally we mixed all the ingredients together and poured it into a greased Bundt pan. The instructions said to bake it in a 275 degree oven for two and a half hours. My friend went to run errands and I went back to writing.

I had the cake cooling when she got back. We placed a cake plate over it and flipped it. Nothing happened. We jiggled, tapped, shook the thing and then ran a knife around the edges, but it stayed glued to the pan. I wanted to cry. I didn’t want my husband to have to eat it with a spoon. I did some quick thinking. Ah, ha, the Internet. I typed in how to remove a stuck cake from the pan and answers immediately popped up. Oh, I loved that. I got all sorts of suggestions. Most I’d already tried. One person said I should have floured the pan. Well, I’d already figured that out, but I thought Pam would do the trick. Another suggestion said to place the pan in ice water or in the freezer for 15 minutes. (Most people probably know this) So we placed it in ice water. Fifteen minutes later we turned it upside down on to the cake plate and waited. Plop. It came out perfectly. God bless the Internet.

That night I surprised my husband with the cake. He couldn’t believe I’d made it. He took a bite and I held my breath.

“How is it?”

Between bites he said, “Good, but not quite like Big Mama’s.”

He’s is no longer living and I ate the whole Orange Slice Cake myself. No, no, no. I gave some to my friend and my neighbor. No, no. He’s still living. Barely.

After he saw that I’m-gonna-kill-you-look in my eyes, he quickly added, “It’s better.” Yeah, right. But it was good and I’m glad I made it. This year I’m going to make it in little loaf pans and give as gifts. I’m getting brave.

What tasty treats are you making for the holidays? Or share a crazy cooking experience.

I’m giving away a copy of The Texan’s Christmas (print or ebook) to one lucky winner chosen at random.

Wishing you joy and love this holiday season. And many good SuperRomance novels to read.

Merry Christmas,

Linda