A heavenly combination of rich cake, creamy peanut butter and smooth chocolate. Really can't go wrong.
August is on it’s way out and I can’t really say I’m sad to see it go. This summer’s been a toasty one. I haven’t been outside to play or hike and even worse, I haven’t been baking either. All this hugging of my air conditioner created a level of homesickness that is usually reserved for holidays. I missed mild, rural PA summers (of course, I took the nice mild weather for granted growing up). I missed cookouts with my parents, playing in creeks with my sisters, the town pool, fireworks and half-assed badminton games in the backyard, freeze pops and thunderstorms on the porch, laying in the grass on the hill on cool nights stargazing, cool nights in general. I was in a bad state.
And then my youngest sister Nikki decided she would take a road trip to visit me! While I was craving a PA summer, she was tiring of the ever-constant dramas you find when cooped up with family members for too long (amazing how I always forget that part). And not only did Nik decide to come for a visit, but she came down a week earlier than expected! You have no idea how much I needed her visit. She’s been here a WHOLE WEEK and I’ll be sad to see her leave tomorrow. We’ve gossiped and chatted, gone for long walks, I’ve shared grown-up advice and she’s introduced me to the *ahem* joys of trashy reality TV. We’ve laughed too hard at dumb jokes, eaten more ice cream than humanly possible and watched cheesy movies from our youths (seeing as how we’re seven years apart, this ranged from The Goonies through The Heavyweights). It’s been a great week. And to kick off the start of this sister week, I decided to whip up a batch of Tandy Cakes to celebrate my sister, nostalgia and a taste of the rural northeast.
To those of you not lucky enough to have enjoyed growing up with Tandy Cakes, I feel sad for you. Not a potluck or school function could go by without at least one batch of these beauties. They’re similar to TastyCakes Kandy Kakes, and I’m honestly not sure which came first. Tandy Cakes rank right up there with other PA delicacies such as Middleswarth BBQ chips, birch beer, hand cut french fries with vinegar, and pierogies with onions and butter. Any Northeastern Pennsylvanian (I can’t speak for you folks west of State College) will recognize the nostalgia from any one of these treats. I figured with having Nik in town on top of the bouts of homesickness, there was no better baked good I could make than a batch of Tandy Cakes.
The magic of the Tandy Cake lies in the combination of three very simple components. A layer of cake, a layer of peanut butter and a layer of chocolate. One of the easiest, most basic recipes ever, but trust me. You will be hooked at the first bite. Having these in your life will make it infinitely better. And if you share with friends, you’ll have more than you know what to do with. Granted, they may be in it only for the baked goods, but is that really all that bad? I can live with that.
Tandy Cakes
from St. Matthew Luthern Church of Bloomsburg’s 200th Anniversary Cookbook
Ingredients:
- 4 eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- pinch of salt
- 2c. sugar
- 2c. flour
- 1c. milk
- 1tsp. baking powder
- 2T. oil
- 1 small jar creamy peanut butter
- 2c. or so chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350ยบ
Prepare the cake layer:
Beat the eggs until lemony in color. Combine all ingredients, except the peanut butter and chocolate. Beat on medium for a minute or two. Grease and flour a 9×12 cake pan. Pour batter into the pan. Bake for 15-20min. until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
While the cake is still warm, spread with peanut butter and refrigerate for 45 minutes.
Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler or in the microwave. Spread melted chocolate on top of peanut butter and refrigerate until set. Cut into squares, pour out a tall glass of milk and enjoy.
Tags: Cake, Chocolate, Peanut Butter
YUM! I can’t wait to try these… Not being from the midwest, I’ve never had anything like this.
Taylor ~ these sound yummy
I can’t remember ever having them but I think I will have to try making them for sure. Glad you and Nikki had a great sister visit !!!
[...] we also enjoy a good afternoon snack to celebrate our efforts. (Especially if said snack involves Taylor’s tandy cake. Yum.) Other things we like include Razor scooters, nicknames, office visits from co-workers’ [...]