Once upon a time, a long time ago, there was a mystical place called 1950’s America. Dwelling in this bountiful land were beings called Homemakers. Besides creating comfortable dwellings for their families, these magical women made three meals a day appear on the table. Dinners that came with desserts at the end, for all who cleaned their plates. Desserts that could be pudding, layer cake, apple pie, strawberry shortcake, gelatin mold, or homemade ice cream. Delicious endings, to be sure.
Of course, there’s always a downside, even in fairy tales. Judgment sneaks in everywhere, even homemaking. If the homemaker’s dessert, never mind the dinner, wasn’t adequately time-consuming, she could be labeled “lazy.” Thus, Lazy Daisy was some over-worked gal who was trying to shave a few minutes off her dessert. She did that by mixing all the ingredients for a chunky frosting, spreading it on a warm sheet cake, broiling the whole shebang for a few minutes, then serving it directly from the pan. Never mind that she’d just made a from-scratch cake and homemade icing: that girl must be lazy! Truly an oddly judgmental story for a cake title. If the cake and frosting weren’t so delicious, the recipe would have passed in obscurity long ago. But the combination of finely textured, moist oatmeal cake topped with brown sugary, coconutty goodness has proved to be irresistible for generations of bakers. Thank goodness Daisy was “lazy” and left us with a recipe which should be kept at the front of everyone’s recipe file.
Of course, there’s always a downside, even in fairy tales. Judgment sneaks in everywhere, even homemaking. If the homemaker’s dessert, never mind the dinner, wasn’t adequately time-consuming, she could be labeled “lazy.” Thus, Lazy Daisy was some over-worked gal who was trying to shave a few minutes off her dessert. She did that by mixing all the ingredients for a chunky frosting, spreading it on a warm sheet cake, broiling the whole shebang for a few minutes, then serving it directly from the pan. Never mind that she’d just made a from-scratch cake and homemade icing: that girl must be lazy! Truly an oddly judgmental story for a cake title. If the cake and frosting weren’t so delicious, the recipe would have passed in obscurity long ago. But the combination of finely textured, moist oatmeal cake topped with brown sugary, coconutty goodness has proved to be irresistible for generations of bakers. Thank goodness Daisy was “lazy” and left us with a recipe which should be kept at the front of everyone’s recipe file.
This particular recipe is one of seven versions (!) of Lazy Daisy cake in a much-loved local cookbook of my parents. Some of the Best Cooks Live in Santa Cruz County was a fund-raising community cookbook sponsored by the YMCA in 1975. Thank you, Sharon Carmichael and the six other gals for contributing this timeless recipe.
In the topping, cream may be substituted for evaporated milk. And of course, when broiling anything, and especially this frosting, do not walk away from the boiler as it goes from toasty, caramely goodness to burnt bitterness in seconds. I love this broiler photo which shows how beautifully bubbly the topping gets. Unfortunately, I’ve lost the name of the baker who captured it: so sorry I can’t give you a proper shout out!
As Lazy Daisy Cake travels very well, for those of us who enjoy retro kitchen gear, having the proper cake pan in which to bake, transport, and serve from, completes the experience. I suggest ordering the original covered 13” by 9” baking pan from The Cake Pan Lady. Suzi has one with a green top, with the Bake-a-Cake graphic gracing the top. We also like the Apron Gals graphic. See the big collection of styles at www.thecakepanlady.com
As Lazy Daisy Cake travels very well, for those of us who enjoy retro kitchen gear, having the proper cake pan in which to bake, transport, and serve from, completes the experience. I suggest ordering the original covered 13” by 9” baking pan from The Cake Pan Lady. Suzi has one with a green top, with the Bake-a-Cake graphic gracing the top. We also like the Apron Gals graphic. See the big collection of styles at www.thecakepanlady.com
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