RECIPE: Grandma's Christmas Cake

Grandma’s Christmas Cake

Author: Wanda Brunstetter

Recipe type: Dessert

Prep time:  30 mins

Cook time:  35 mins

Total time:  1 hour 5 mins

Ingredients

For Cake:

• 3 cups sifted cake flour
• 2½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ⅔ cup butter
• 2 eggs
• 1½ teaspoons vanilla
• 1¼ cups milk
• 1 small (3 ounce) box red Jell-O
• 1 small (3 ounce) box green Jell-O
• 1 (8 ounce) tub Cool Whip

Filling:

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 (8 ounce) tub Cool Whip

Instructions
For Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl and set aside. In mixing bowl, cream sugar and butter. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat until fluffy, scraping down sides of bowl frequently and pour into two greased and floured 9-inch round pans.
2. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until done. Cool. Prick cakes several times with a fork and leave in pans. Dissolve red Jell-O in 1 cup boiling water and carefully pour over one cake. Dissolve green Jell-O in 1 cup boiling water nd pour over other cake. Refrigerate overnight or for a few hours.
3. Take cakes out of pans using a spatula and put on a plate, one on top of the other, spreading filling between layers (see recipe below). Frost cake with cool whip. Decorate with red and green sprinkles if desired.

Instructions
For Filling:

1. In a bowl, mix cream cheese and Cool Whip until combined.

Notes

If you have trouble removing the cakes from the pans, try placing the bottom of the pans in a shallow sink of warm water for 2-3 minutes.

This will make a fluffy cake. It shouldn’t turn out lopsided unless you’d like to purposely do so by shaving off part of the cake.

This weeks recipe is brought to you by Kristin from A Simply Enchanted Life. 
Kristin is a stay-at-home mom to six beautiful girls. She enjoys reading, photography, aromatherapy, Sims (2 and 4), Star Wars, The Legend of Zelda, and the random show about crime scene forensics, particularly Bones. Although she has been known to binge on NCIS on occasion.
A self-described dreamer, Kristin enjoys all things bookish. She identifies herself as a Sith and was sorted into Slytherin House—making her a Sitherin.
Kristin enjoys large cups of coffee, music by Lindsey Stirling and curling up with a good book.
In addition to her hobbies, Kristin also advocates for awareness of invisible illnesses such as Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, POTS, Chronic Migraines and Orthostatic hypotension. Her dream is to see a world where people are accepted for all their perfect imperfections. For we are all truly, fearfully and wonderfully made.

BOOK REVIEW: The Lopsided Christmas Cake by Wanda E. Brunstetter and Jean Brunstetter

Join the Hochstetler twin sisters on stage as they bumble their way through baking a cake for a charity auction in front of a live audience. The take-charge Elma and the klutzy optimist Thelma manage to entertain their audience—and attract the admiration of two bachelors, an outspoken woodworker and a shy harness maker from a neighboring Amish community. As fall leads into the Christmas season, could romance be blossoming for one or more of the Hochstetler twins?

When their Grandparents pass away in a buggy accident Elma and Thelma are surprised when their home and store are left to the twins in the will.  Moving away from their family to take over their Grandparents' place provided it's own set of challenges, including finding ways to meet and build relationships within their new community.  Enter the charity auction.  Through some bumps and bruises, the girls manage to find their way in the house (that needs umpteen repairs), the store (which needs a thorough overhaul and inventory), and in finding their place in their new community.  And where love does, reluctantly, blossom.

This is my first 5 star review of the year.  I don't know if this book is just that much better than other really good books I've read or just my mindset while reading it was just that much different.  Don't second guess it because I might have to overthink and change my mind!  This book was exactly what I needed when I read it, a light-hearted feel good story.  Elma drove me batty, exactly as she should have, with her somewhat judgemental take on everything.  Thelma made me laugh with her anything goes fly with what takes you outlook.  Together they make the perfect odd couple.  Though I honestly felt as though Thelma was immature for her age and possibly lacking in her own confidence.  I mean seriously, she wants to keep a kitten and thanks her sister for letting her?  Please woman!  

The sequel to this book, 'The Farmer's Market Mishap' comes out on June 1st and I can't wait to read it.  I actually have the book through on of my review programs so sent Ma off to the library to grab this one for me so that I had a good balance and order before diving into the next one. 

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About Wanda E. Brunstetter

Wanda E. Brunstetter is an award-winning, New York Times best-selling author of Amish and historical fiction. She's also written Amish cookbooks, Amish-themed devotionals, and several children's books with Amish characters.
Wanda E. Brunstetter writes about the Amish because they live a simple life, which she feels we all need in this day and age.
Wanda and her husband Richard, who grew up in a Mennonite church, have Amish friends in several Amish communities.
Besides writing books, Wanda's a professional ventriloquist. In her spare time she photography, gardening, knitting, looking for shells and agates on the beach, and spending time with her family.

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About Jean Brunstetter

Jean Brunstetter enjoys writing about the Amish and takes every opportunity to visit her Amish friends in many communities.

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