A Riff on Eileen’s Lunar Cake

Oh the sisters of mercy, they are not departed or gone. L-R: Sharon, Angela, Stacia

Last night, The Sisters of Mercy – which is what the three of us call ourselves - were cooking a meal at Roberts Creek Cohousing. While we were setting up the plates and cutlery and such, I chatted with David Roche, a recent friend and performance artist who also lives here.

Others know David as a long time activist, humorist and the author of The Church of 80% Sincerity . His book has a wonderful premise: You can be 80 percent sincere 100 percent of the time, or 100 percent sincere 80 percent of the time. It's in that 20 percent area where you get some slack and you can be yourself. Anne Lamott wrote the forward to his book, which gives you some idea about how cool he is.

In the Common House kitchen yesterday, David & I were in our 100% sincere realm, which was pretty easy because we were talking about how much we cherish the tools in our kitchen that friends have given us. At home, I always think of Vanessa, Sabrina, Kinga, Eileen, Bonnie ... and so many others. If I went through my kitchen, and named each gift and who gave it to me, it would fill this page. Some of these friends, like Ross who gave me a special measuring cup, are no longer alive. It is an ongoing gift to me that he always comes alive again as I measure oil and fresh lemon or balsamic vinegar to make my salad dressing. In the Cohousing kitchen, my home-away-from-home kitchen, I always think of David when I slice with the knife that he and his wife Marlena donated. Recently, my youngest daughter donated a sieve for use in this kitchen. More smiles. More abundance.

Recipes are like that too. This one is from my friend Eileen, and comes from a time when her four children were all young. It was a time when the two of us were often frazzled beyond belief. The recipe became a keeper because it is one of those fast and easy desserts which is best served with whipped cream – which always pleased whichever child was afoot and more than ready to lick the beaters. It is also a great answer to what to do with rhubarb, which is beyond abundant in our gardens at this of year.  

But enough of all this lah de dah. Lets get practical. 

To make this cake, I use a 13” by 7” buttered Pyrex dish, and a pre-heated oven temperature of 350 F. I cook it for about 35-40 minutes, depending on which oven I use. One cake cuts nicely into 15 portions (or fewer pieces if you are feeding teenaged boys).My directions are sparse, and assume you know how to bake a cake. If you don't, you still can't go far wrong.

2 times	1 times	CAKE BATTER	To Do
1 c	½ c	Butter	Cream butter
2 c	1 c	Sugar	Blend butter & sugar
2	1	Egg	Add
2 tsp	1 tsp	Vanilla	Add
2 c	2 c	Flour	Mix dry ingredients & add – alternating with buttermilk
2 tsp	1 tsp	Soda
1 tsp	½ tsp	Salt
2 c	1 c	Buttermilk	Alternate with dry ingredients
4 c	2 c	Chopped Rhubarb	Toss rhubarb in flour & add to above
2 T	1 T	Flour
		TOPPING	On top of unbaked cake
½  c	¼ c	Butter	Cut in small chunks & scatter on top
1 ½  c	¾ c	Brown Sugar	Blend and sprinkle over top
4 tsp	2 tsp	Cinnamon