Not a recipie, but a question about cake

[aurelia]

Here's the thing.  My daughter's birthday is March 25 (lucky child) However I would like to know how I am supposed to do a birthday cake and follow the fast (which honestly I'm not doing too well with anyway, considering Mr meat and potatoes here...) with no eggs or oil.  There is a girl or two at church that she wants to invite, and one I know of does follow the fast pretty strictly with her family.

Any suggestions (besides waiting to celebrate til after Easter)??

[Donna Rose]

Funny you should ask this...my birthday was last Friday, and my godmother sent my mom a recipe for a lenten cake to make, in case my mom was going to make me a cake (I live in a non-Orthodox household, but my mom is very supportive of me during the fast). We wound up not having the time to make the cake for last Friday, but I plan on giving it a go as soon as I have a bit of time. Here it is:

Lenten Chocolate Cake

    3 cups flour
    2 tsps. Soda
    7 tbsps. Cocoa
    1 tsp. salt
    2 cups sugar
    3 tbsps. Vinegar
    3/4 cup vegetable oil
    2 cups cold water
    powdered sugar (optional)

Measure flour, soda, cocoa, salt, and sugar into a large mixing bowl.  Add vinegar, vanilla, oil, and water and mix well.  Pour batter into greased 9 x 13 inch pan.  Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.  Let cake sit for 1 hour and then sprinkle powdered sugar on the top or use a non-dairy vanilla frosting... I think Duncan Hines has a couple.

The only thing is that this recipe calls for vegetable oil...depending on how strictly you and your party guests are observing the fast, this may pose a problem. Perhaps ask your priest if for that one day oil might be something you can cook with? Also, my godmother noted to me after sending this to me that if you use raspberry vinegar instead of regular, it adds a nice lil berry taste to the cake. I haven't tried baking this yet, but it seems easy enough. Maybe do a test run a few weeks before the party to make sure it comes out good? If you do, let me know how it tastes!

In Christ,
Donna 

[Elisha]

The only thing is that this recipe calls for vegetable oil...depending on how strictly you and your party guests are observing the fast, this may pose a problem.

March 25 is a Sunday and Wine & Oil are allowed on weekends.  This (recipe) should be a non-issue if you are on the new or old calendar.

[aurelia]

Thanks to both of you! 

First, I will put that recipie in the sticky in family forum if it isnt there already,
and second, I didnt even think to look what day it was. LOL!  Still it is good to have a cake recipie for Lent.

[SouthSerb99]

March 25 is a Sunday and Wine & Oil are allowed on weekends.  This (recipe) should be a non-issue if you are on the new or old calendar.

Who said?  This was my question to Anastasios about a week ago and maybe I misconstrued his response but I think both he and I disagree with this. 

I'm always so very confused during Great Lent.

[Elisha]

Who said?  This was my question to Anastasios about a week ago and maybe I misconstrued his response but I think both he and I disagree with this. 

I'm always so very confused during Great Lent.

Are you calendar-referencing challenged?  I look on my Outlook calendar for March 25, 2007 and it is Sunday.  On Sat & Sun througout Great Lent (Holy Week not considered part of Great Lent actually, but its own beast) Wine & Oil are allowed.  This coming March 25 is new calendar Annunciation, so Fish is allowed as well.

[SouthSerb99]

Doh! Of course I can read a calendar!

Every Priest I have ever asked (all SOC) have told me the same thing.  No oil, no exceptions.

I was once told (maybe by S1389) that the rules in the SOC are so strict because they need to compensate for the fact that nobody (or very few) were fasting.

[zebu]

Also, the Duncan Hines cake mix brand is totally vegan.  All you have to do is mix the cake mix with about a can of coke(maybe a bit more) and pour it into a pan and bake as normal.  Then you can frost it with the Duncan Hines frostings, all of which are vegan except for the Cream Cheese one.  It tastes like a normal cake. 

[Elisha]

Also, the Duncan Hines cake mix brand is totally vegan.  All you have to do is mix the cake mix with about a can of coke(maybe a bit more) and pour it into a pan and bake as normal.  Then you can frost it with the Duncan Hines frostings, all of which are vegan except for the Cream Cheese one.  It tastes like a normal cake. 

Cooking with a can of coke?  Weird

[Donna Rose]

Also, the Duncan Hines cake mix brand is totally vegan.  All you have to do is mix the cake mix with about a can of coke(maybe a bit more) and pour it into a pan and bake as normal.  Then you can frost it with the Duncan Hines frostings, all of which are vegan except for the Cream Cheese one.  It tastes like a normal cake. 

Wow, I didn't know this about the Duncan Hines cake mixes -- thanks for the info! Also, do you mean a can of coke, as in coca cola? I have never heard of adding soda to cake mix...and this really works?

Also, thanks for everyone's response re: the vegetable oil issue -- I didn't even look at a calendar before I posted. Makes sense that if it's a Sunday, and one of the 12 major feasts no less, that oil would be allowed. Never hurts to ask your priest though.

Donna

[authio]

I thought that the "oil" reference was to olive oil alone?

[Fr. George]

Here's the thing.  My daughter's birthday is March 25 (lucky child) However I would like to know how I am supposed to do a birthday cake and follow the fast (which honestly I'm not doing too well with anyway, considering Mr meat and potatoes here...) with no eggs or oil.  There is a girl or two at church that she wants to invite, and one I know of does follow the fast pretty strictly with her family.

Any suggestions (besides waiting to celebrate til after Easter)??

The above recipe is great for the fast if you're having cake on a weekend, or on March 25th.

I believe that the fasting rules for March 25th have been kinda expounded, but maybe in a confusing way.

IIRC, Regardless of when Mar 25th (Annunciation) falls, you can wine, oil, and fish on that day. 

One caveat: If Mar 25th falls on Holy Friday or Holy Saturday (which at the moment is only possible for those on the Old Calendar), its commemoration is moved to Pascha, thus making the date itself devoid of the commemoration and making Mar 26th or 27th the feastday for that year.  If you happen to have her birthday and you're Old Calendar and Annunciation falls on one of those days, celebrate it on Pascha.

As for the Weekends question: because Saturday and Sunday are only semi-lenten (colors in the church are to be bright, "no kneeling" and whatnot, and one is not to do the strictest fast - no eating period - on Saturdays and Sundays except for Holy Saturday) the fast is lessened on those days: wine and oil are permitted, unless directed otherwise by your spiritual father.  Of course, this variance in the fasting routine allows one to make a more scrumptuous meal on weekends, which fits along with the idea that Sundays are still joyful days.

[Ebor]

Not meaning to throw a clinker in here, but some EO fasting rules that I have seen discussed have said no "olive oil" (which makes sense as a clue that the rules are coming from a Mediterranean milieu and that was the kind of oil around) so people have used canola or corn oil or such like.  Then there's the soy/almond/rice milk equivalent rather then using dairy and from what I recall apple sauce can be used in some cases for baking.  So I wasn't sure how using oil in a cake would be a difficulty since I've never seen a cake that used olive oil (though there could be of course.)

Ebor

[authio]

The above recipe is great for the fast if you're having cake on a weekend, or on March 25th.

I believe that the fasting rules for March 25th have been kinda expounded, but maybe in a confusing way.

IIRC, Regardless of when Mar 25th (Annunciation) falls, you can wine, oil, and fish on that day. 

One caveat: If Mar 25th falls on Holy Friday or Holy Saturday (which at the moment is only possible for those on the Old Calendar), its commemoration is moved to Pascha, thus making the date itself devoid of the commemoration and making Mar 26th or 27th the feastday for that year.  If you happen to have her birthday and you're Old Calendar and Annunciation falls on one of those days, celebrate it on Pascha.

As for the Weekends question: because Saturday and Sunday are only semi-lenten (colors in the church are to be bright, "no kneeling" and whatnot, and one is not to do the strictest fast - no eating period - on Saturdays and Sundays except for Holy Saturday) the fast is lessened on those days: wine and oil are permitted, unless directed otherwise by your spiritual father.  Of course, this variance in the fasting routine allows one to make a more scrumptuous meal on weekends, which fits along with the idea that Sundays are still joyful days.

How do you keep track of all this stuff, Cleveland?

[turtlemom]

There is always the 'Dump Cake' recipe:
lightly grease oblong pan
dump cake mix in and spread sort of evenly
cut up a stick of margarine and lay pieces out on the mix
use a can of your favorite fruit pie filling and spread on top of it all
Bake in oven at 350 until done - about 30 min or so.

Love in Christ
turtlemom

[FrChris]

Turtlemom,

Welcome to the site! This first post of yours sounds tasty!

How do you keep track of all this stuff, Cleveland?

Are you kiddin'? Cleveland lives for this stuff!

[Αριστοκλής]

There is always the 'Dump Cake' recipe:
lightly grease oblong pan
dump cake mix in and spread sort of evenly
cut up a stick of margarine and lay pieces out on the mix
use a can of your favorite fruit pie filling and spread on top of it all
Bake in oven at 350 until done - about 30 min or so.

Love in Christ
turtlemom

Works, too. My wife makes this, topped with Cool Whip (after baking).

[aurelia]

And here I thought cool whip was just a midwestern phenomenon. 

[Elisha]

And here I thought cool whip was just a midwestern phenomenon. 

Hardly...you can find it in almost any grocery store out west.

[aurelia]

hehe, I know, I just meant as part of everyday cuisine...LOL! (thinking of all my grandma's recipies that involve cool whip)

[Αριστοκλής]

And here I thought cool whip was just a midwestern phenomenon. 

Pittsburgh...Gateway to the West...in conastoga days.

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