I married into a lovely family. I love gathering as a family and celebrating life together. After lots of family get togethers with my hubby’s side I noticed a certain cake that usually always made it to the party. My mother in law would make a beautiful strawberry Jell-o cake. It’s one of my hubby’s favorites. And sometimes some thing can be so common that you don’t realize how the vale of something. I discovered after time that my mother in law’s mother use to make this cake. It was a family treasure. And it had to be the cake we would make to remember and honor Grandma Marylee. (One of our family traditions is that we make our grandparent’s favorite desserts on their birthday to remember them) And although I am not a huge Jell-o fan I do love this cake.
And this is the memory I want to always remember. (See picture above) My mother in law asking Draco if he wants to help her make a cake. And not just any cake. The cake is Great Grandmother use to make. Sometimes recipes or memories can bring people together. None of my children were able to meet their Grandmother Marylee. They never got to hear her call my husband “Grady poo” or see their dad scare her by jumping from behind her chair. They never got to open the presents she would always buy for everyone at Christmas. But isn’t amazing that we can feel close to people we have never met in this life.
It was a tender and dear moment for me to watch Terry, my mother in law, teach me son his great grandmothers secret recipe. It was sweet to here him say he was going to make this for his kids. Not make his wife make it, but he was going to share this memory with his children. And so family recipes have to power to connect families. My son can feel close to his great grandmother and remember her, or the memoires he has heard of her and share them with his children. And her stories. They were good stories. We gather on her birthday and Terry tells us about when Marylee was a nurse and worked in the ward with the crazy people. My kids crack up every time. And they love to repeat their favorite lines to each other. And so her memories live on. It warms my heart to thing about Draco making this cake with his children and having their Great Great Grandmother smiled down on them.
Strawberry Jell-O Cake
And so I wanted to share this dear recipe with you and remind you of the closeness you can feel when you gather as a family. When we take time to remember and honor our family before us we can feel closer to them. We need to cherish these recipes and share them. And try to learn about them. I loved one time when I was helping my former boss by record an interviewing with his father. I was able to be there when my boss learned one of his favorite childhood memories, hiding coins wrapped in foil and then baked in a cake, came from his father’s parents. My boss remembers eating as much cake as possible to try and get more money. These things should be written down and shared.
Above is a photo of Terry teaching Yoda how to make her cake. She was kind enough to make it for his birthday last month when we were in California. I love how she carves out a well to fill with strawberry goodness. Yoda loved helping Grandma especially when she let him lick the spatula. So thankful my kids can have these great memories with their Grandma.
- 1 box of Angel food cake prepared
- Strawberry Jell-O 6 oz packet
- 1 cup boiling water
- Strawberries, sliced, 16 oz
- Cool Whip 16 oz
- Prepare the cake according to the box directions. Let the cake rest upside down on a root beer bottle so it can detach from the pan on it's own. Cut a 3rd of the cake horizontally off and set aside. Remember how it will it will fit back on so it will lie flat.
- Prepare the Jello by adding the packet to only 1 cup of boiling water. Stir so it can dissolve well. Add ice cubes to help it thicken.
- Cut a well out of the bottom of the cake. Save the cake pieces.
- After the Jell-O has started to thicken remove the ice cubes form the Jell-O and add the cool whip and most of the strawberries to the bowl. Mix well
- In your bowl with your angel food cake pieces you can now add half of the Jell-O Strawberry Cool Whip fluff. Mix well. Add the fluff to the carved out cake. Replace the top of the cake with your horizontal cake piece. Frost the entire cake with the rest of the fluff. Place the leftover strawberry pieces on the cake. Enjoy!
- We will substitute for sugar free Cool Whip and sugar Free Jell-O for my diabetic son to cut down the carbs.
What is your family’s favorite recipe???
Linking up here at Friday Finds,
