BIRTHDAY on the FARM . . . and Sesame Seed Cake

The birthday girl wanted to have her birthday party on the farm so that Granny and Doug could be at it.    

Daddy, Auntie Diana, and I helped her with decorations, including a fir tree on Granny’s lawn.

We played:

          Ring Around-a-Rosy

          3-Legged Race

          Wheelbarrow Race

          Here We Go Looby-Loo

          The Farmer in the Dell

          Bag Race

          Piggy Back Race

          Simon (Kathleen) Says

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SESAME SEED CAKE

            From THE SPICE COOKBOOK by Avanelle Day and Lillie Stuckey

2 cups sifted all purpose flour

½ tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

½ cup sesame seeds (sautéed in 1 ½ tablespoons butter):  divided

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

½ cup soft butter

2 large eggs

1 cup milk

*Melt 1 ½ tbsp. butter in a skillet.  Add ½ cup sesame seeds.  Stir over moderate heat until golden.

*Grease well and flour a 9 inch square cake pan.

*Start oven preheating to 350.

*Sift flour, salt, and baking powder together.

* Add ¼ cup of the sautéed sesame seeds and set aside.

*Blend sugar and vanillas with ½ cup butter.

* Beat in eggs, one at a time.

* Add flour mixture alternately with milk.

* Beat batter ½ minute.

* Turn into cake pans.

* Bake 35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

* Cool in pan 5 minutes.

* Turn onto wire rack to finish cooling.

* Spread top and sides with Sesame Seed Frosting and sprinkle with an additional tablespoon of sautéed sesame seed.

SESAME SEED FROSTING

2 tbsp butter

1 1/3 cups icing sugar

about 2 tsp milk

½ tsp vanilla

3 tbsp sautéed sesame seeds

*Heat butter until golden.

*Remove from heat and stir in sugar and enough milk to make frosting the right consistency.

*Add vanilla and sesame seed.

The birthday girl loves this cake !  When I make it again, sometime, I will include a picture.  (It's not the one in the pictures above.)

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Poppyseed & Marzipan Babka:  another delicious birthday cake!