Life List Day 166 - Bake a Cake from Scratch

My friend, Mary Jo, recently had some good news involving a giraffe (I don't know if I'm allowed to reveal more than that, so I won't). Anyway, it's the sort of good news that I thought ought to be celebrated with a cake.

Today I set out to bake one.

It's been forever since I've made a cake at all, let alone one from scratch. To get a recipe, I called my Mom, keeper of all things delicious. She and I debated for a while what recipe might be the most giraffey and settled on this one (from Barb Myers...hollah!):

Peanut Butter Cake

In a large saucepan, mix:
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. water
2 sticks margerine
Bring to a rolling boil. Add:
2 c. sugar

(Oh, and at this point in telling me the recipe, my mom, a dedicated Weight Watcher, actually said, "Or you could use Splenda!" to which I merely snorted a laugh - there's enough fat in this thing to clog the arteries of the town of Buffalo, and we're worried about a little sugar?!)

In a separate bowl, combine:
2 1/2 c. flour
1 t. salt
1 t. baking soda
Mix saucepan mixture with dry ingredients, then add:
1/2 c. buttermilk
2 eggs
Combine with a mixer on slow and pour into an 11 x 17 pan (or a 10 x 15 pan if, like me, your oven is so small it can't accommodate anything bigger)
Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Cool.

Frosting
Boil:
6 T milk
1 stick margarine
Now add:
1 t vanilla
1/2 c. peanut butter
3 1/2 c. powdered sugar
Pour over cooled cake

I cut it into thirds lengthwise & decorated.

Here's the finished cake:


I don't know if it tastes good since we won't be breaking into it until we get together for book club tonight, but it sure smelled swell...and you've got to admit, it's giraffey!