The Gift of Cake

My childhood summers and Christmases were spent with Mom's family in her hometown of Davisboro Ga. Her sisters and their families would gather with us at Grama's home. What wonderful memories I have of barefoot summers, and cousins in matching red Christmas pajamas, and Grama's house stuffed and overflowing with family; memories of making biscuits, and learning to drive, and slicing thick slabs of cake from the bounty that filled the dining room sideboard. I can still see the parade of great aunts and distant cousins stopping by with gifts of cake.

There was always Pound Cake. I love Pound Cake. So did Mom. Maybe that's why her recipe collection is filled with Pound Cake recipes. This recipe is from my Great Aunt Sara and was often one of the offerings on the sideboard. When I found the recipe I couldn't remember it, but after baking it, the crisp lemon flavor brought me right back to my barefoot childhood.

My friend, Allison, who is about to enter 8th grade, wondered how I would choose which Pound Cake recipe to bake. She pondered if I'd make all the cakes in the collection, or select a few. Last week I had lunch with Allison's mother, my dear friend Kris. We talked about the possibilities. I selected this recipe because the lemon is unique in the collection and because of my Aunt Sara's beautiful script. You'll notice there are no baking directions. I beat together butter (not Crisco) and sugar until light, then added the remaining ingredients. Using a buttered and floured loaf pan, I baked the cake at 350 for 1 hr and 15 min. Next time I'll bake it for an extra 5 minutes or so.

After my family sampled the cake, I wrapped up the remainder and brought it to Allison. I was stunned over how she had grown the past year. She's becoming a beautiful young lady. I could almost hear the voices of my great aunts when they arrived at Grama's house on those long ago hot summer's days with gifts of cake. Aunts and distant cousins exclaiming, " I can't Believe how big you've grown. You were just a little girl last time I saw you!" "You're such a young lady, just like you're Mama when she was your age." It made me smile, then and now.

I hope Allison and her family enjoyed their treat as much as I enjoyed baking it. Now I understand the joy that comes from arriving at someone's home on a hot summer's day with a gift of golden cake.