Thundercake!

Hi Parents,

Today was a day were I decided it would be a good idea to take a detour from my original reading lesson plan! What a storm! Thunder, Lightning, Wind, Hail, and a Downpour! All that combined with the metal roof that tops our school, well, it was quite a distraction!

We read the book Thundercake by Patricia Polacco. The story takes place when the author was a child living in Michigan. The Grandma helps Patricia overcome her fear of thunder by making a Thunder Cake. Grandma teaches Patricia how to watch for lightning and count slowly until she hears the thunder to know the distance of the incoming storm. As the storm approaches, all of the ingredients are gathered for the cake, and the two mix and prepare and get the pans in the oven just in time.  As they wait for the cake to bake, Grandma tells Patricia how brave she is for helping gather the ingredients from around the farm. They enjoy their Thundercake with tea as the storm rolls in. Patricia realizes that she is no longer afraid of the sound of thunder. Hopefully my students have learned this lesson as well!

The recipe for Thundercake is included at the end of the book.

Thunder Cake

*1 cup shortening   *1 ¾ cup sugar.  *1 tsp vanilla.  *3 eggs, separated.  *1 cup cold water.  *1/3 cup of pureed tomatoes.  *2 ½ cups cake flour.  *½ cup dry cocoa.  *1 ½ tsp baking soda.  *1 tsp salt.  *Chocolate Frosting.  *Strawberries

Cream together one at a time shortening, sugar, vanilla, eggs, water, and tomatoes. (For the eggs, blend the yolks in. Beat the egg whites until stiff, then fold into the creamy mixture). Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Mix the dry mixture into the creamy mixture. Bake in two greased and floured 8 ½ inch round pans at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. Frost with your favorite chocolate frosting and top with strawberries.

Looks great, doesn’t it?

 

 

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