If you are a regular blog reader, you may have noticed I have a taste for old-fashioned food. My favorite recipes often come from my grandmothers, cookbooks dating pre-1950, and foods found on our grandparents’ family farm tables. My go-to is warm, comforting foods, simple desserts, and stick-to-your-ribs-type meals. These foods bring me comfort, and it’s how I show my love and appreciation for those I care about and who are important to me.
I continue to adhere to old-fashioned practices that I find are slowly going by the wayside. One of these old-fashioned practices is taking a meal to a family when they have lost a loved one. I remember from childhood that when a family member passed, friends, family, and neighbors would come to the house with three-course dinners for the grieving family to enjoy. Kitchen counters, dining room tables, and flat surfaces were laden with casseroles, deli trays, cakes, and loaves of bread. Grief is hard, and often, there isn’t anything a person can do to ease the pain of the grieving but bring food. Food is a form of comfort.
Lately, we have experienced several losses. When a loved one passes, I make my “funeral cake.” The old-fashioned name for this cake is Sunshine Cake. It is a fresh, creamy, comforting dessert that comes together quickly and is delicious. My mom used to make this cake for Easter and funerals. I found this recipe in one of my old Grange cookbooks, which reminded me of my childhood. Today, I will share this old-fashioned recipe with you.
Pineapple Sunshine Cake
INGREDIENTS
1 box yellow cake mix
4 eggs
½ cup oil
2 (8 oz) cans of crushed pineapple, do not drain
1 (8 oz) container of whipped topping, thawed
1 small box of instant vanilla pudding
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray. Mix the cake mix, eggs, oil, and one can of crushed pineapple in a large bowl with the juice. Pour into prepared baking pan and bake for 25 - 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack. Combine whipped topping, a box of vanilla pudding, and one can of crushed pineapple with the juice in a medium-sized bowl. Spread over the top of the cooled cake.
On this seasonable Friday in February, stay safe, be smart, don't allow kind, comforting, old-fashioned gestures to go by the wayside, enjoy good food, and keep washing your hands.