We used it for a birthday cake

In lieu of a chocolate cake for my recent 2 year old, I made a favorite spice cake from my childhood. I adapted this a couple of years ago and present both the original and the Fancy version.

File this under recipes that require buttermilk.

Grimel Cake (Mt Healthy Ohio Methodist Church)

Preheat oven to 350F.

Use a pastry blender to combine 3 cups of flour (I used 2 of all purpose and 1 whole wheat), 2 cups of sugar (I use about 1-1.25 depending on if I am including fruit. My mom says it isn't right, but I say to let your family's taste buds decide), and 1 cup of shortening (yep, this means Crisco) in a regular-sized mixing bowl until the crumbs resemble small peas. Use this opportunity while the shortening is out to grease the pan.

Scoop out 1 cup of crumbles for the topping. (This is the hardest step. Must remember to scoop out and reserve for later!)

Add to the remaining 2 cups of crumbles: 2 eggs, 1 t nutmeg (I always leave this out because we don't like nutmeg), 1 t baking powder, 1 t cinnamon, pinch salt and mix thoroughly.

In a separate bowl, or for efficiency, a 2 cup liquid measuring device, combine 1 cup buttermilk, 1 t white vinegar, and 1 t baking soda. When it is foamy, pour the liquid into the other bowl and beat for 1 minute. You can use a mixer or not, doesn't matter. I usually use a wire whisk.

Here's the point where you add the optional fruit. In the classic version, my mom didn't use any fruit. In the Fancy version from my childhood, she used raisins. If your raisins are dry, be sure to plump them up in water first. In my present Fancy version I use about 1-1.5 cups of frozen blueberries (thanks, Costco!). {If you dust the frozen blueberries with a little flour then they don't all fall to the bottom during baking. I don't know why that works, but it works for muffins, too.}

Spread the batter into a greased (don't skip this) 9x13 pan or two 9 inch round pans.

Sprinkle the reserved crumbles over the top. Bake at 350F for 30-35 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Can be served warm or cold or room temperature. Whipped cream or ice cream would qualify as Extra Fancy.

I think that this post should be followed with some more about how to use buttermilk. We have it around most of the time for waffles, but sometimes you just have to finish a quart, and it is nice to have a stable of recipes.