Flour power

From Flower Power we go to Flour Power. I am becoming intrigued by the idea of the loaf cake.

It just sounds indulgent, you know? Loaf, as in just sitting around, plus cake. Loafing around today I made two kinds of loaf cake to bring to coffee hour tomorrow at church. One is a Chocolate Zucchini Loaf Cake out of Cooking Light. The other is also out of Cooking Light. It is Oatmeal Banana.

What makes this fun, you know? But I had a stressful week and it was so relaxing. I also got in some work on writing projects so, all in all, a fine Saturday by most measures.

With  the Chocolate-Zucchini Loaf Cake I proceeded with caution because there was one review online and the person gave it only one (1) star. She said it was dry, then said, "Well, maybe my zucchini was dry."

Sometimes I hate online reviews! You always feel remiss if you do not look them up. Would that we were back even five years ago, when it was not so ingrained that you had to check up on what every other cook in the world was thinking. Anyway, I was scared off by that review and so I made only one loaf.

Then that loaf came out so delicious that I had to make another. Thanks, stupid reviewer! Now I will have to comment and correct her.

Anyway. On the tarmac for future church coffee hours are a few other loaf cakes. I have two in mind especially, from Cooking Light's Dec. 2013 issue. And you wonder why my house is full of magazines. This is why.

One is Eggnog Coffee Cake. It does not actually have eggnog in it which has comment writers fuming. I care not. Any eggnog I had for Christmas is long gone. And eggnog spices are pretty much just spice cake spices and can go any time and any season.

The other is Rum-Raisin Bundt Cake. You can sub a loaf pan, or maybe two loaf pans, for a Bundt pan, good for me because grease and flour as I might, I cannot keep cakes from sticking to a Bundt pan. It is just this hand that life has dealt me. Just as Leonard Pennario was dealt the gift to play the piano but not, say, the accordion, I have been dealt the hand to bake in loaf pans but not in Bundt pans, my German name and heritage notwithstanding.

There is something so nice about the loaf pan. You cut it in slices and then you cut the slices in halves.

Not for nothing do they talk about the loaves and the fishes.

They multiply to feed the multitudes!