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When Ross was a student at Western Illinois University -- on his 21st birthday, I drove 4 hours to deliver a chocolate cake with peanut butter icing. Even though he told me not to do it. Even though I knew he would be working. Even though I completely understood he wasn't going to take a five minute break to say hello to me. I drove the cake to Macomb, Illinois, dropped it off with his house-mates, then got back in my car and drove home.
I did it because one day, I was hoping it would be something Ross would "remember".
God only knows what your children will remember...so my theory is to keep trying different things, hoping something good or kind STICKS in their memory...
Anyway, in 1971, the first year we were married, John made me a chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting for my birthday. And I've made it for HIM -- and for our boys -- for every birthday since...
If the boys are home for their birthdays -- it is a JOY for me to make the Farro family birthday cake. But, if they're not home -- I ask somebody at THAT END of their lives to make the cake. Of course, Emily is in charge of the Elliott, Lillian and Warren cakes...
There were several years when Ross was living in Minnesota, so I put his friends, Shawn and Melissa, in charge of his birthday cake.
Melissa was delighted when I told her the cake was a Duncan Hines Chocolate Cake Mix...lol...
But it is the frosting that makes it SPECIAL. Here it is:
Cook 1 cup of milk with 6 TBL of flour until it's very thick. It will be a big glob....At this point, I put it in a shallow dish, cover it with plastic and stick it in the freezer to COOL COMPLETELY.
With electric mixer -- beat until smooth:
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. chunky peanut butter
1 cup of sugar
Scrape the cool flour glob into the butter/sugar bowl and continue to beat. (it will be grainy at first).
Add 1/2 tsp. vanilla at the last minute.
PERFECTION. THIS FROSTING IS SO GOOD -- you could eat it on a saltine cracker.
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