It took me longer to make her ninth birthday cake than it did to give birth to her, but it wasn’t as painful. I used a Cook’s Country recipe for strawberry poke cake. I made it the first time a few years ago and when Sarah asked for a strawberry cake for her birthday I went straight back to that recipe. It’s special because unlike other poke cake recipes, this one uses less sugar, tastes much fresher and is less artificial tasting. In my opinion, it’s perfection.
We have our own flock of chickens which is why there is a feather in the egg bowl. 😉
At 8:00 am yesterday morning I was whipping up the cake batter in my ever-useful red KitchenAid mixer.
The recipe used up 6 egg whites. The cake pan had to be greased, lined in parchment, and then greased and floured. Extensive. Sarah licked the bowl after I put the batter in the pan.
Fiesta spatula, but of course!
Since I was feeling industrious, the oven was already on, Grace is home from college, and I had over-ripe bananas on the counter, I also made a banana bread.
This is what the cake looked like after pouring the gelatin mixture on top.
In the fridge it went, for three hours.
This is what the cake looked like after the jam-like strawberry purree was spread on top. Then, I whipped heavy cream and frosted it with that (no photo).
Rich and I went to Caleb’s baseball game and then we went home and had the cake. David wasn’t home because he was busy getting ninth place in 300 hurdles at States.
Seth was loudly playing his recorder all this time but then he had to stop so we could sing. We had asked Jacob to buy candles at the store a few days prior and he went ahead and bought trick ones that never can be blown out. No one was suspicious as we had never used them before. And in this way, the cake was lit. and lit. and lit again.
“Blow them out, Sarah!”
“It’s like playing wack-a-mole”
“There’s going to be a lot of spit on that cake.”
We think she blew enough out to be ninety years old instead of nine.
It was worth waiting for.
Ethan sinned.
Sarah decided to eat a second piece of cake and not bother eating the ice cream at all.
The edge is uneven because we went after “one last bite” with our forks…a whole bunch of us.
Ethan doesn’t typically like cake but even he said “This cake is lit”
Good to be Home 
Yummy!!
Congrats to David.
Looks like such a yummy cake!!!
It looks soo good!
Hi Shanda, I was not able to see the pictures. I tried logging in, but couldn’t do that either. I could read, but not comment on the site. I hope this message will reach you. The cake sounds delicious. Love, Gracia
Hi Gracia! I’m so sorry you couldn’t see the photos. I hope that one of your grandchildren might be able to help you access the site better eventually. I am glad to hear from you dear friend. Love, Shanda
Hi Shanda, I’m Sarah and I’ve followed your blog since it was featured on Xanga some years ago. 🙂 I’m oldest in a family of 7, and the only daughter. When I found your blog I had 2 or 3 children and felt in the midst of craziness. I am a believer, and also from a conservative Anabaptist church, and was so intrigued to find a Christian family like you without “plain” background. I now have 6 children: 2 boys, 4 girls. I don’t blog anymore (I used to have a Xanga site) but I love to read blogs. I am using my husband’s google login because every username I picked to sign in to WordPress either was taken or didn’t pass for some reason and I was getting tired of trying! We’ve exchanged a couple handwritten letters. I lost your address.
We live in PA and are planning a trip to various NewEngland states in July. Want to meet us at Old Sturbridge Village? I don’t want to be nosy, but I do wonder about your comments about being sad etc. Do you suffer from depression? Or maybe other things are going on too. I feel like I can relate to varying forms of depression, as I have experienced some. Not a lot. Thanks for sharing some of your life and family here.
Hi Sarah! Of course I remember you! Thank you for the note and letting me know you were using your husband’s account. I would love to meet you at OSV but we will be gone the entire month of July, we will be in Georgia during that time. As for as the sad feelings…yes I do suffer from depression now and then. I’m starting to perk up now so that’s a blessing for sure. 🙂 Talk to you soon!
HI Shanda ..I am so sorry that you suffer with sadness , depression is a difficult thing to have ..I personally am one of those annoying people that doesn’t get a change in moods ..I wake up happy in the morning with so much energy and stay happy all day long ..I have learnt not to take on other people’s woes , the serenity prayer helped me to do this ..My dear Sister Sue has suffered from depression all of her life ..so I do understand a little …she is going to be 68 on July 8th and I am so sad to say she has full blown Alzheimers and Parkinson’s disease ..not knowing any of us any longer…I am just so thankful to God that she has two very attentive loving Sons and is in a very beautiful nursing home… occasionally I am able to see her on FaceTime but it’s a very sad situation..so I live my life to the full as if every day is my last ….I hope that today is gong to be a good day , no a GREAT day for you …you are so loved XX
I remember you!!! thank you so much for the note which I loved reading. You inspired me so much. Much love!
Happy 9th birthday to Sarah ..she is so beautiful and I love her hair …your poke cake looks amazing ..I have made a chocolate one once ..I used chocolate pudding to pour over the poke holes …it was very good ..unfortunately I am now a type 2 diabetic so no more poke cake for me ..ha! ha! ..You all sounded so sweet whilst singing to Sarah …I can only imagine a family so big that you have your own choir !! how amazing and blessed is that ….happy days to you XX
So so interesting! I have not heard of a cake like that before! The banana bread has me craving some now!
I love the look of your lilac bush! Sarah looks so grown up, and I smiled when you said, “I want this to sound pretty!” I have the same problem with my family. Why do they want to make Happy Birthday sound so terrible?
-Kitty