Snow Day Cake Recipe

Evidence of snow/ice/frost!

Happy Snow Day, Y'all!

We mostly got a mess with some ice and a dusting here, but I'm counting it because I wanted to make Snow Day Cake!

When I was growing up (about 20 minutes from here) we had two snow related traditions: Dad and I would drive to the mountains to go sledding on MLK Weekend, and Mom would make Snow Day Cake (a recipe she was given by her friend Mary Stover) on the first day that snow cancelled school. Snow Day Cake was only made once a year, and the days following often involved a lot of friends coming over to help eat the cake!

I continued the Snow Day Cake tradition in college and beyond. Whenever the weather predicts a serious snow or "polar vortex," I'm sure to gather my ingredients just in case. As other folks rushed to the stores the last couple of days, I sent John for pecans, evaporated milk, butter, and self-rising flour. Sleet all night and a frozen dusting this morning? Time to make cake!

(most of) My Ingredients (with the kitchen play nook in the background)

SNOW DAY CAKE

Cake:

2 cups self rising flour

1.5-2 cups sugar

2 sticks of butter

1 cups of water

4 tablespoons cocoa

1/2 cup buttermilk (or 1/2 cup milk + 1 teaspoon lemon juice-- stir then let sit for 5 minutes)

2 eggs

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla

Sift flour and sugar. Bring butter, water, a cocoa to a boil. Remove from heat. Gradually mix in sugar and flour. Mix buttermilk, eggs, baking soda, and vanilla, then add to flour mixture and mix well. Cook in great 13x9 glass pan for 20-25 minutes (or, as I did today, in a bundt pan for 24-27 minutes, checking frequently toward the end). 

Jemsy got in on the action, sifting flour and sugar. 

Icing:

1 stick of butter

6 tablespoons evaporated milk (a splash more than 1/3 cup)

4 tablespoons cocoa

3 3/4 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla 

1 cup chopped nuts (I use pecans)

bring butter, evaporated milk, and cocoa to a boil. Remove from heat. Add vanilla. Gradually stir in powdered sugar. Mix in nuts (or wait to sprinkle nuts on cake after icing). 

When cake is removed from the oven, use a for to poke lots of holes all over the top. Immediately pour icing over the cake. 

Helping to stir the melting butter

And Voila!

This was my first time making a bundt Snow Day Cake and putting the nuts on top instead of in the icing (because, hello, blog-- gotta make this thing look fancy!). I love how it looks. 

If you make your own, be sure to #snowdaycake and/or tag me @stringandstory on Instagram so I can see! 

XO,

HollyAnne

Snow Day Monte Cat-- he loves to be under the heat vents for maximum butt roasting