As we await the Resurrection, looking back over the week it was for me, a truly “Holy Week”. Throughout the week so many small incidents came together into a special pattern, which has been a real blessing.
Monday evening was the Day Camp Committee Meeting, with all but one member present, so we covered plenty of territory discussing Host Churches, potential Team itineraries, Team Applicants (WE NEED MORE), the New Slide Show (and the e-books which will be launched through this Blog-woot woot!) and lots of other topics as the coming month is quite jammed with Day Camp related events, from beginning to end!
Tuesday and Wednesday I was so engrossed in following up on all the suggestions and ideas, which had come out of the meeting that I completely forgot to Post our Guest Blogger Post- SO SORRY Mae Anne!!! I did get it up yesterday afternoon and hope everyone will take time to read it, as it is extremely interesting and very well written.
As of Maundy Thursday the usual daily barrage of emails slowed down with Clergy and Lay Leaders turning their attention to the Great Festival of Easter.We had had such beastly cold weather early in the week I was of two minds whether to go ahead and try to wash all the windows for Easter, but Thursday morning dawned sunny (if cold!) so I felt this was a sign I should launch into this major task. It is so lovely to have all clean curtains, slipcovers and windows after such a long winter. So now, after 2 solid days of labour, several cuts and scrapes and countless loads of washing, the project is completed!
Other activities squeezed in during the week included an evening of Pysanky-making with two of Nick and Sue’s boys, frantic last-minute sewing of butterfly finger-puppets for my Godsons and their siblings, making a pair of orange felt booties for the newest member of St. Stephen’s and continued knitting on my green cardigan.
Thanks to YouTube I have watched both Maundy Thursday and Good Friday Services and tomorrow evening, plan to view “Easter Lessons and Carols from Kings”. Right now Messiah is blasting out of the CD player as an accompaniment to “Bake & Blog” day. The last batch of Macarons will soon go into the oven and other baking consists of Tropic Aroma Cake, both of these confections will be later filled and iced, the Macarons to then be delivered in Easter Baskets and the Cake to serve as Dessert for Easter Dinner.
Yesterday would have been my Mum’s birthday. When her birthday fell on Good Friday we combined the celebrations on Easter Day and Tropic Aroma Cake was ALWAYS the dessert. My Nana first made it for one of my Mum’s birthdays when she was a little girl and Mum loved it. When she grew up and left home she used to make it for herself and when I began to bake at age 10 or so, I took over and have made it every year since.In the past fourteen years, since her death I confess it is usually accompanied with tears as well as icing, but that’s okay. It is a special way of honouring her and to eat it brings joy and sorrow mingled. What better day to enjoy it this year than the Feast of the Resurrection!
We are not a family who has secret recipes so here it is. Do give it a try, it is totally yummy!
Tropic Aroma Cake
- 1 tsp. nutmeg
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 ¾ cups sugar
- 4 tsps. Baking Powder
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 2 ½ cups flour
Cream the butter, add sugar and beaten eggs. Mix well. Sift dry ingredients.add half to the mixture, then add milk and rest of dry ingredients. Separate 1/3 of the batter and beat into it 1 Tbsp. pf cocoa powder, dissolved in 1 Tbsp. boiling water. Use this for the middle layer. Grease and line three 9″ layercake tins, fill one tin with the chocolate batter and the other 2 with the spice batter. Bake in a 375F. preheated oven for 15-20 minutes.
Put following filling between layers and also use it to ice the top and sides of cake.
- 3 cups icing sugar
- 5 Tbsps. strong coffee
- 1tsp. vanilla extract
- 5 Tbsps. Cocoa powder
- 3 Tbsps. butter
Cream butter, icing sugar and cocoa very slowly, beating until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and coffee a few drops at a time until thin enough to spread.