Let them eat cake!!

I run a fairly decent size home-school co-op group. This group has become so precious to me, and I am truly thankful for each and everyone in that group. We are all starting to grow pretty close and forming great friendships. There are so many wonderful advantages to that, but one in particular, is not so nice. The one relating to germs of course. It seems like when one family has a virus, it can spread like wildfire though our whole group. That was the case this past week. We had to cancel classes last week due to the fact that my little princesses and I had the "flu". We tried to have makeup classes today, but with so many of our members still feeling under the weather, it just didn't work out. Now two weeks is a long time to go without seeing your friends. What is one to do? We ended up having a play day with the co-op members that were able to make it out. It was a wonderful time of kids playing games, drawing, playing freeze tag, having lunch together and just using their imagination. With the kids having so much "free" time fun, it freed us moms up to have some fun of our own.

This morning, in anticipation of our mom free time, I was able to throw together a coffee cake to take and share. You can't have good mom chatting time without coffee and cake ya know. I think the cake turned out pretty good, except for that extremely long hair that was found in it. I promise, It couldn't have been mine. My hair only falls out in the shower ;-) I was told, in jest, by one mom my coffee was so strong it might actually get up and walk over to her...LOL Well, that must be how I can get so much done in the days. I don't actually have time to pick the coffee up...it has to come to me ya know.

There were so many great photo ops today, but of course I didn't have my camera. Sweet Man went on a road trip with my Dad, and had it with him. I wanted to share this recipe from Pioneer Woman for the cake though. It was quite yummy....minus the hair! :-o

Ingredients

• FOR THE CAKE:
• 1-½ stick Butter, Softened
• 2 cups  Sugar
• 3 cups Flour, Sifted (Do people really sift their flour? I don't)
• 4 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1-¼ cup Whole Milk ( I used Almond milk)
• 3 whole Egg Whites, Beaten Until Stiff
• _____
• FOR THE TOPPING:
• 1-½ stick Butter, Softened
• ¾ cups Flour
• 1-½ cup Brown Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Cinnamon
• 1-½ cup Pecans, Chopped (I used almonds and walnuts...hey, it's what I had ;-)

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat egg whites and set aside.

Cream butter and sugar. Add flour mixture and milk alternately until combined. Don’t overbeat. Fold in beaten egg whites with a rubber spatula. Spread in a well-greased 9 x 13 (or LARGER!) baking pan. A cake pan with higher sides would be best.

In a separate bowl, combine topping ingredients with a pastry cutter until crumbly. Sprinkle all over the top.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until no longer jiggly. Serve warm—delicious!