We’re here on Monday, celebrating MLK, who certainly deserves to be celebrated. It also happens to be my late father’s birthday, and that, I think, even though he’s no longer here, is also still worth celebrating.
Baba was a funny guy, but not in the way that he was great at making jokes. Actually, he was a terrible joke teller. His funniness came in the form that makes you shake your head and smirk, or how he’d embarrass us in a way that only a dad can. You know the kind, the unintentionally funny.
Despite the fact that he grew up on the other side of the world, he adapted quite well to our American tastes, and some of his favorite dishes were not what you’d expect from someone who ate dahl and rice at every meal. A trip to Buffalo always included a visit to Ted’s Hot Dogs for a perfectly grilled footlong. Weekend afternoons were spent barefoot on a dock eating the best fried seafood ever out of styrofoam containers. Doritos, cheddar cheese cubes and dry roasted peanuts made for a very unlikely after work snack, and peanut brittle was a must-have every Christmas. He took his tea with 2 teaspoons of sugar and a healthy helping of evaporated milk. And for his birthday dinner, Mom would no doubt always make steak on the grill with a side of Fettuccine Alfredo, a combo that she also made for guests at his funeral. For being an MD, concerned about healthy food, he was not.
One of the most classic “Baba desserts” was vanilla ice cream with cereal on top. I know, so random, but almost every night, he crunched up standard vanilla with breakfast favorites, most notably Honey Graham Oh’s or Cinnamon Toast Crunch. And since I’ve been dying to try a cereal milk cake (and no one wants to see a bowl of ice cream with cereal on top called a ‘recipe’), today was the day.
Have you ever heard of cereal milk cake? It was sort of made famous by the folks over at the Milk Bar Bakery and really, how could it be bad? I made this with CTC, but pick your favorite and have at it.
I adapted the concept to my favorite recipe for vanilla cake and vanilla frosting, making sure that the cereal milk really shined. The result? All sorts of delicious. Baba would surely be into it.
Serving notes: The cereal pressed to the outside of the cake will get soggy, so press that on just a few hours before serving.
This makes a 6″ round, or a 9 x 13.
Written whilst staring at a sinkful of dishes.
Cereal milk flavors both to base and the decorations of this cinnamon toast crunch cake -the sweetest cake recipe you'll want for every celebration!Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cake
Ingredients
Directions
Such a cute idea for a cake for cerea lovers!
I agree!
Oh wow, this sounds delicious! Happy birthday, Dad.