Different names, same cake

March 07, 2007 11:30 am

— Last week, Samantha Knowlton from the Channel 2 television station in Tulsa was in our newsroom with Helen Wheeler, our local Chamber of Commerce executive director.
They came by to talk about Channel 2’s Works for You Weather Safety Tour which will be in McAlester March 13 at S. Arch Thompson Auditorium at 7 p.m.
The talk turned to food — I don’t know exactly how that happened but in our newsroom, talk often revolves around some kind of food. We were talking about favorite foods in the newsroom. I said chocolate cake and doughnuts were among our favorites. Then I thought about it and decided our newsroom will eat just about anything, especially if someone brings it to us.
Samantha told Helen and me that recently Julie Chin, one of their meteorologists, did a show at an elementary school in the Tulsa area and was given a Tornado Cake to bring back to the station.
I was intrigued. I’d never heard of a Tornado Cake. I asked Samantha if she got a piece of the cake but she hadn’t. She did promise to send me the recipe from Julie. After our talk, I decided to learn more about Tornado cakes. I did an Internet search and came up with two different kinds. One has fruit cocktail as an ingredient and is actually called a “Texas Tornado Cake.” The other is a chocolate and cream cheese version that’s also called an Earthquake Cake. They both sounded really good. Samantha came through with her promise and sent the recipe for not only a Tornado Cake but also a Thunder Cake from Julie. The Tornado Cake recipe sounded very familiar. I looked through my recipes at home and discovered I’ve made that cake for years. We called it “Fruit Cocktail Cake.” I think Tornado Cake is a fancier name.
I do wish the Tornado Cake had been the chocolate and cream cheese version but the fruit cocktail recipe is also good. The recipes for Tornado Cake and Thunder Cake follow.

JULIE CHIN'S TORNADO CAKE
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 cups fruit cocktail including liquid
2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup nuts

Mix and cream together first six ingredients. Pour into lightly greased and floured 13 x 9 inch pan. Mix together brown sugar and nuts. Sprinkle on batter. Bake at 325ºF for 40 minutes.

Thunder Cake
Pre-heat oven to 350ºF.
Cream together one at a time:
1 cup shortening
1 3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs, separated (blend yolks in. Beat whites until they are stiff, then fold in.)
1 cup cold water
1/3 cup pureed tomatoes
Sift together:
21/2 cups cake flour
1/2 cup dry cocoa
11/2 tsps. baking soda
1 tsp. salt

Mix dry mixture into creamy mixture. Bake in two greased and floured 8-1/2 inch pans at 350ºF for 35 to 40 minutes. Frost with chocolate butter frosting. Top with strawberries.
Contact Teresa Atkerson at family@mcalesternews.com.