DJ's Hawaiian Dream Cake

To start things off, I pulled out one of my all time childhood favorites, my mom's Hawaiian Dream Cake!


My version isn't nearly as pretty as hers, but it did taste the same!

I remember mom serving this cake mainly during the summer time like at Fourth of July gatherings and family reunions. The cake is chilled, so it was the perfect treat to beat the terrible Texas heat. I also routinely requested it for my birthday in the fall despite the fact that I was a huge fan of everything chocolate.

This is an easy, "semi-homemade" recipe. It uses a box cake mix, for example. But there is nothing boxed-tasting about this cake.

DJ's Hawaiian Dream Cake

Ingredients:

1 - box pineapple cake mix (I like Duncan Hines Signature Pineapple Supreme)

3 - large eggs

1/3 - cup vegetable oil

1 - 20 oz. can crushed pineapple

2 - 8 oz. tubs Cool Whip (I use Cool Whip Lite, but any variety will work)

1 - 3.4 oz box instant vanilla pudding mix

1 - jar Dole Mandarin Oranges in 100% juice

Instructions:
1. Open the can of crushed pineapple and drain, reserving the liquid.
2. Set the pineapple aside and mix the cake according to the package instructions (put mix, eggs, oil and liquid in a bowl and beat according to directions) EXCEPT replace the called for water with an equivalent amount of the pineapple juice drained from the crushed pineapple.
3. Once the cake is done, cool completely before icing.
4. Take the two tubs of Cool Whip, place in a large mixing bowl, and stir in the pudding mix.
5. Next fold in the crushed pineapple.
6. Use the Cool Whip/pineapple mix to completely ice the cake.
7. Drain the mandarin oranges and use to decorate the cake.

Keep the cake cool until you are ready to serve it.

Note: you could also use a regular yellow cake mix. The pineapple juice will give it a nice flavor. I prefer the pineapple cake mix as that is what Mom always used, but she used yellow cake in a pinch so it's definitely an option.

My mom has been on my mind a lot as I have contemplated the start of this project. Regardless of the origin of any particular recipe, when I am in the kitchen, my thoughts always gravitate back to my mom.

I suspect this has a lot to do with the fact that she was the source of almost all of my nourishment for the first 18 years of my life.

My mom could COOK! Especially, when it came to preparing what you might call traditional southern cuisine. I didn't take advantage of her pleas to spend time with her in kitchen. I was too busy for that. But I never failed to appreciate the food she cranked out.

I'm thankful that my boy doesn't mind hanging out in the kitchen with me. And I'm hoping that he will have similar fond memories when he finds himself in his own kitchen one day.

Seriously, save me some!

So ... what's going on here?

I know. I've already started about 10 blogs. I write in them for a while and then I move on to the next one.

Well, this one is not likely to break that mould. In fact, this one, by purpose is likely to be "long-term temporary". I've got a project in mind. I don't have any idea how long it will take to come together, but this is going to be the place I work it out.

Enough beating around the bush. My idea is simple. I'm collecting family recipes from way back to today. I'll prepare the dish, take a photo, and write a bit about its history or why I'm including it.

See? ... Simple!

The idea for this project started when I stumbled across some old cookbooks that belonged to my mom. She had recipes from her mom, grandmother, and aunts inscribed in her easy flowing, loopy script. Browsing through the pages was like flipping through a memory book of my childhood.

I remembered holidays, birthdays, and other random family gatherings. And all of these family events seemed to center around the kitchen and the tables piled with food. When I closed my eyes, I could hear the laughter of my mom and her sisters, the teasing, the gossip, the complaints about work and growing older. I could smell the sweet and savory flavors wafting from the kitchen.

And I felt like I was home.

I hope one day, when Logan flips through these recipes, he will experience the same kind of reverie.