Yes, brother, let me have joy from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in the Lord.
Philemon 1:20 (NKJV)
By Bro. John L. Cash, “Country Preacher Dad”
Well, here we are on the Sunday sandwiched between Thanksgiving and the beginning of the Christmas season. Most of us are feeling thoroughly thankful, and we’re beginning to feel the tugs of the “Season of Giving”. So we should give something to a person we’re thankful for. Yes, it’s time to bake a cake for a soldier or a missionary!
Trust me, if you’ll do this, it will make your soldier or missionary very, very happy. I’ll even provide the recipe. This is a very easy cake to make, it travels well, and it’s bound to be a pleasant surprise to anyone who lives far away.
Easy Hershey’s Syrup Cake for a Soldier or Missionary
1 Stick of Butter
16 ounces of Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup
1 Cup of Sugar
1 teaspoon of Vanilla flavoring
1 teaspoon of butter flavoring (optional)
4 eggs
1 Cup of All-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon of salt
Disposable aluminum pan for shipping
Cream the butter and the sugar. Add the eggs, chocolate syrup, vanilla and butter flavorings. Combine the dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder) and mix them together well. Then mix the flour mixture with the wet mixture. Pour into a well-greased 8” pan. Bake at 325 degrees for one hour. Cool it completely.
Tips: Bake in a regular, heavy 8 inch pan, not the disposable aluminum pan, and it will hold up better. Put the pan on a cookie sheet in case it runs over. After the cake is cool, run a knife around the edges to loosen it, and dump the whole thing on a large sheet of good plastic wrap.
Wrap the cake well and place it in the aluminum pan, and then wrap it well again. You may want to use some bubble wrap, too. You can enclose a can of frosting, paper plates, napkins, and utensils if you like. It may help to put each food item in a separate zipper plastic bag, so things won’t leak if they get smushed.
(Now here’s a beautiful thing: The post office will give you a wonderful UPS flat rate box for free! The whole thing will mail for about $12, no matter how much it weighs. You can mail as many goodies as you can pack in the box at no extra postage charge.)
Dear mamas, St. Paul in today’s Scripture (at the top) says that we can bring joy to those who are doing jobs of service. Through our kind acts, we can refresh their hearts. Why not bake a cake this week, and get your kids — even the littlest ones — to help you? You know they’ll have a blast, and you’ll be teaching them at a tender age how to live out the Gospel by little acts of kindness.
Dr. John L. Cash is the “Country Preacher Dad” * He was raised in Stuttgart, Arkansas, and is enjoying his 25th year of being a country preacher in the piney woods five miles south of the little town of Hickory, Mississippi. He and his lovely wife, Susan, and his sons, Spencer (age 18) and Seth (age 15) live in the parsonage next door to the Antioch Christian Church (where the Preacher this week mailed a cake to his dear friend, Sgt. Jeff Sibley pictured here, who is stationed in Iraq. Jeff, the canned peaches are to put on the cake if it’s dry!) You should write him at extramailbox@juno.com.
