Stories and recipes from Dale Earnhardt’s mother and Jeff Gordon’s mother.
“It’s a good combination between Martha and myself,” Carol
In the book, Martha mentions her husband, Ralph, liked his pound cake to be “sad” or flat and would stomp around the kitchen to make the cake fall.
“The first time I made a Sun Drop Pound Cake after Ralph died, it went flat. There was not another soul in the house when I put that cake in the oven, but it did not rise; it fell flat as a platter. Sad,” she writes.
“I’d made that cake so many times I figured this was just a fluke. I tried it again one day and darn if the same thing didn’t happen again. It was weird.”
Finally, she told herself, “I’ll try it just one more time; if this one falls, I ain’t never going to try to make one again.”
After she put the cake in the oven, she said aloud, “OK, Ralph, stay out of my kitchen while this cake is baking.”
This time the cake didn’t fall, and Martha was satisfied though somewhat mystified: “I don’t believe in ghosts, and I never saw Ralph. But I’ve never had a cake fall again.”
Secret Cake
Makes 1 sheet cake. “As bullheaded as Dale (Sr., left) could be, he was also that tender-hearted,” Martha Earnhardt writes in “Pit Stop in a Southern Kitchen: Two Moms of Racing Legends ServeUup Stories and Recipes” (Revell, $19.99). “My Secret Cake was one of his favorite desserts. You put the icing on it while everything’s hot. The ‘secret’ is that it gets better and moister each day. This is also called 30 Minute Sheet Cake.”
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 cup margarine
2/3 cup shortening
1 cup water
3 1/2 tsp. cocoa
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. baking soda
Heat oven to 400 degrees. In mixing bowl, mix flour and sugar. In pan, heat margarine (2 sticks), shortening, water and cocoa and let come to boil. Let cool and pour over flour and sugar. Mix well. Add buttermilk, salt, eggs, vanilla and baking soda. Mix together and pour into 11x16x1-inch jelly roll pan. Bake for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, make Icing (recipe below). Pour over cake while hot.
Icing
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup margarine
3 1/2 Tbsp. cocoa
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup pecans
In pan, boil buttermilk, margarine, and cocoa until thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add sugar, vanilla and chopped pecans.
Sun Drop Pound Cake
Makes 1 cake. From “Pit Stop in a Southern Kitchen: Two Moms of Racing Legends Serve Up Stories and Recipes” (Revell, $19.99).
1 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup pure vegetable shortening
3 cups sugar
5 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
6 oz. Sun Drop citrus soda
1 tsp. lemon flavoring
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Icing
Heat oven to 325 degrees. In mixing bowl, cream softened butter or margarine (2 sticks) and shortening together; add sugar while mixing. Add eggs individually, combining well after each addition. Add flour and Sun Drop or other light citrus soda, alternating between them. Add lemon flavoring and vanilla extract. Mix well. Bake in greased and floured 10-cup Bundt pan for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare Icing (recipe below). When cake is done, cool in pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto plate. Pour Icing over cake, as for glaze, while cake is hot.
Icing
2 Tbsp. butter
2 cups powdered sugar
2 oz. Sun Drop citrus soda
In pan over medium-low heat, heat butter until melted, then mix in powdered sugar along with Sun Drop.
Martha’s Potato Salad
Makes at least 10 generous servings. From “Pit Stop in a Southern Kitchen: Two Moms of Racing Legends Serve Up Stories and Recipes” (Revell, $19.99).
5 lbs. Idaho potatoes
5 hard-boiled eggs
1 medium onion
1 green pepper
1 cup bread-and-butter pickles
1 1/2 cups Miracle Whip salad dressing
2 Tbsp. mustard
1 Tbsp. pickle juice
In large pan, cook potatoes (washed, peeled, and cubed) in boiling water until done, then drain and run cold water over them. Set aside and let cool. In large baking pan (for ease in stirring) mix chopped hard-boiled eggs, diced onion, diced green pepper, diced bread-and-butter pickles, salad dressing, mustard and pickle juice. Pour in drained potatoes; mix well. Serve family style in large bowl.
http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/Lifestyle/Food/entFOOD01020409.htm
We’re coming up on the anniversary of Dale’s death. Somewhere I found a copy of Garth Brook’s song “The Dance” with commentary about Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s last race in the background. Very moving.
My stepdaughter cried for hours that day. She’s is very tenderhearted. I’ve tried to get her to sign onto this thread, she’d enjoy the heck out of it. I hope she does join us sometime.