Jay’s Spice Cake
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada with a treasured family memory.
When the cool breezes of Fall starts sweeping across our Maryland farm back east, I know three things for sure: The maple tree by the barn is soon going to be ablaze in orange and red, the horses will start growing thick, wooly coats, and our farm house will be filled with the autumn aroma of my sister Jay Kay’s spice cake. Oh, I love it! Now it’s true, I no longer live on our farm with my sister; I moved to California and married my husband Ken coming on 40 years ago. But memories from the farm are still as fresh and clear as a fall breeze. And every once in a while, when California feels hot and crowded (yes, even in October), I like to recall long-ago days on the farm. And I’m not kidding about my sister Jay’s spice cake. One autumn she even entered it in the Howard County Fair and won the blue ribbon.
I treasure those times when Jay and I would sit by the fire after dinner, enjoying glasses of cold milk and slices of her famous cake. We’d harmonize on old hymns, she’d take the melody, me the harmony. There’s nothing like a sister’s love. The Bible says that God puts the lonely in families, and at a time right after my diving accident, when I was so discouraged, feeling so lonely, and my friends moving out of state, getting married, my sister Jay was there for me. And even now, decades later; even now I still thank her for all the many months she invested in my care when I lived with her on the farm. In fact, the other day I was feeling a little nostalgic, knowing that the leaves back east had turned.
So! I emailed my sister to ask her for her spice cake recipe. I couldn’t think of anything that would make me feel more at home than the aroma of all those spices in a hot, fragrant cake, fresh from the oven. Jay had to do some digging, but I got the recipe. She has a few secrets in it I won’t tell you here, but just the other day, my friend and I tried out the recipe and – oh my goodness, what do you know – that spice cake tastes as moist and good as it does in my memory. It’s why I’m excited to share this family recipe with you (it serves 12, but you can always cover extra slices and save in the fridge for a rainy Fall evening)! Anyway, just go to my radio page at joniradio.org and ask for Jay’s Spice Cake recipe. It’s an autumn treat you may want to bake for Bible study next month or turn it into a friend’s birthday cake with a few candles or how about serving it alongside your pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. And if people love it, you can tell everybody you got it from my sister Jay Kay, back on our Maryland farm.
And one more thing: God puts us in our families for a reason. The siblings we get along well with are there for our encouragement. Other family members that we do not get along well with, God put them specifically in our lives to refine us, humble us, and teach us how to love even when that love is not returned (that will identify you with Jesus)! So, bless God for each family member you have; yes, bless them, and do not curse those who have offended you (which can so easily happen among sisters and brothers). Because God placed you among your siblings so that they might play a part in helping you grow, spiritually. He also placed you among your particular siblings so that you could draw them to the Lord Jesus. So, don’t forget to visit joniradio.org and ask for your free recipe of Jay’s Spice Cake. And I’ve also posted a fun photo of my sister and me. Bake that cake, frost it, slice it, and share it with a member of your family. God bless you today and thank you for listening to Joni and Friends.
© Joni and Friends
