Grandma Cannon's Famous Breakfast Cake

Grandma Cannon's Famo...

August 19, 2009

I can remember my Grandma fussing at my Grandfather because he had such a big “sweet tooth.” He was always asking her to bake. Needless to say, he was quite spoiled. Grandpa, tall and lanky, would sit a the table after a meal rubbing his stomach and exclaiming, “Thank God, I left room for dessert!” Grandma would slice him a big old piece of cake or pie. He would never scarf it down; rather, he would savor each bite with his coffee or milk. Never would a piece be eaten without a “mmmmm, Bonnie this is good.” Stroking her ego for more dessert was his plan.

Grandma was famous for lots of sweets. She always had “Little Debbies” stashed away for us grandkids. She would always have a homemade cake or pie cooling at the table when Grandpa would come walking across the old field after a long hard day at the factory. Or in the early hours of morning she was up making a breakfast cake that was out of this world. I can remember times we got to have “cake for breakfast.” It was almost unheard of at home, but at Grandma’s it was the coolest thing to do.

This breakfast cake was always served warm. If there were left overs it was served as dinner’s dessert. Grandpa loved this cake. It was one of his favorites. It was everyone’s favorite. She would even make it before we would go camping . She always had the ingredients on hand.

Well, as I grew up, I married and started a family of my own. When my daughter was just a tot, I got to craving the breakfast cake. I always remembered stories of how Grandma would mix this cake all day, pouring her heart and soul into the batter. She always said it was a pain to make. Thinking I had enough spunk to encounter such a labor of love, I asked for her recipe. Oh she gladly offered the recipe for me. She had never written it down. She had it memorized and expected me to pay close attention to the details of this infamous cake recipe. She told me the following:

Mix 4 eggs, 1/2 cup oil, 1 cup water and a sprinkle of butter flavoring to one white or yellow cake mix.

Cake Mix!! She had us all fooled!! She cracked a smile and simply chuckled, “Now don’t be telling your Grandpa my secret. He has no business knowing that it is just a cake mix!”

She went on with the recipe….

Pour 1/2 of the batter in a bundt pan (greased of course). Mix in a small bowl 2 tsp sugar, some cinnamon and chopped nuts put 1/2 of the cinnamon sugar on the batter in the pan. Pour the rest of the batter over the spices and nuts. Sprinkle the rest of the sugar, cinnamon and nuts over the top. Bake at 325 degrees.

I guess her secret is out… God rest her soul…. And I guess Grandpa now knows the truth behind the labor of love. I am sure she got a tickle out of telling him when he arrived in heaven.

Thank God for Grandmas!!
Regina