Celebrate Black History Month like Tomorrow May not Come

I’ve struggled to write about Black History Month when we have a President dedicating his Administration to erasing American history, with a maniacal focus on our shared American Black history. At the same time, I’ve been seeking out Black creators, many of whom have focused purely on the positive by sharing the glories of Black history and culture that Jim Crow (and modern Jane Crow) tried to stamp out.

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One example is Sonja Norwood who tried lost Black recipes every day of February. It was almost like she was channeling Carter G. Woodson, the father of Black History Month, as she revisited historic and beloved Black recipes that seemed lost to this modern world that often overlooked historic contributions by Black Americans. 

Her calm, beautiful narrative cooking style is easy to follow while she describes the history and context of these lost Black American recipes that were created by necessity, many of which originate from enslaved people who needed to be creative with minimal resources. From Vinegar Pie (also known as Desperation pie) to Cherry Brown Betty, Ms. Norwood combines history, culture, and food to empower the viewer to want to learn more…and eat more. 

Many of her recipes remind me of my own great-grandmother’s Crazy Cake recipe that is also a Depression-era “make do” recipe which allowed my great-grandmother to create celebratory food when money and fresh groceries were scarce. Crazy Cake is a single pan recipe that begs for children’s little fingers to sift flour and measure out vanilla, vinegar, and oil. Not only that, but Crazy Cake uses no dairy, eggs, or nuts, so I’ve been able to bring a delicious allergen-free dessert to many a school function.

In this winter of disruption and violence, try to find power in the everyday celebration of Black history, culture, and people. When the President is trying to erase Black history from our books and monuments, we need to preserve that history every day by reading, learning, and celebrating Black American accomplishments.

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Note: Many apologies for the lateness of this blog, but family emergencies delayed all blogs in the month of February. I hope that you can watch all of Sonja Norwood's videos and enjoy her recipes and history lessons in the months ahead.

As consolation for my lateness, here is my great-grandmother's Crazy Cake recipe. It is child-friendly recipe that permits hands-on measuring and baking. It is even a great opportunity to teach measuring conversions (e.g., 4 tablespoons equals 1/4 cup). This is a five generation recipe handed down from my great-grandma to my grandmother to my mother to me to my kids. Remember: no dairy, eggs, or nuts!

I hope you enjoy it with your family and friends as much as my family has.

Crazy Cake from Great Grandma P

1. Sift the following dry ingredients onto wax paper (or into a bowl) and then sift into an ungreased 9x13" cake pan:

   • 3 cups flour

   • 2 cups sugar

   • 6 tablespoons cocoa

   • 2 tablespoons baking soda

   • 1 teaspoon salt

2. Make three (3) holes in the mixture and divide the following wet ingredients into the three holes:

   • 12 tablespoons vegetable oil

   • 2 tablespoons white vinegar

   • 2 tablespoons vanilla

3. Mix together with a fork until uniformly crumbly

4. Pour 2 cups of cold water over mixture and lightly mix with a fork.

5. Bake at (preheated) 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

6. Before serving (when cooled), lightly sprinkle confectioners sugar over top.

   

   Chocolatey Crazy Cake on an Ikea plate, baked by my son