Today, January 19, 2023, would be my Grandmother Whalen’s 149th birthday. Grandma was 91 years old when she died in 1965, so she was able to celebrate a lot of birthdays! This photo is from one she celebrated in 1955 or ’56.
Grandma had what today we would call a “signature” cake. It was a highly spiced, 8″ square cake topped with a thin white icing. As my dad used to say, “…it was the kind that sort of chips off when you cut it.”
I indeed do remember it, and have replicated it a few times using a simple mixture of 10X sugar, milk, and vanilla. I have the recipe for her cake too, although when I make it I modernize it a bit — you’ll see what I mean.
Grandma Whalen’s Cake Recipe
1/2 cup lard
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup hot water
1 tsp baking soda
cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, or combination of spices
2 cups flour or more
Raisins, dates, nuts,candied fruit as desired
Happy birthday Grandma Whalen. You are still loved and remembered.