Linda K Sienkiewicz

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Devil’s Food Cake and White Lies

February 18, 2021 By Linda K Sienkiewicz

a mother and her modern blender

Those nasty box cakes

My mother had an electric mixer with a rotating bowl that blended her cakes into creamy smoothness, and she always let me lick the bowl clean. All that yummy raw batter.

She had nothing but contempt for box cakes: “Mrs. So-and-So made one of those cakes from a box for the party. It tasted terrible.”box cakes

I asked her what terrible tasted like. “Chemicals,” she said. I was quite impressed with her knowledge.

To my mother, box cakes were a sign of laziness. You made a cake “from scratch” for your family, with wholesome ingredients like twice-sifted, bleached cake flour, white sugar and fresh raw eggs. You didn’t take short cuts when it came to cake.

Birthday girl and cake

The devil in Duncan Hines

Box cakes have come a long way from the early 60s. When I baked for my children, nothing could hold a birthday candle to a Duncan Hines Devil’s Food Cake Mix. It came out perfect every time. And, gosh, it was so damn easy.

My mother, however, was certain she’d passed her made-from-scratch ethics down to me. I’ll never forget a birthday gathering when she asked me, loudly, one discerning brow raised, in front of my mother-in-law, “Is this cake scratch?”

She assumed I’d impress everyone by saying yes, like a good daughter who’d learned her lessons from the master.

It took me a moment. Should I lie? “You can’t tell?” I answered. She nodded proudly. I confess I felt a little guilty as I looked around the table. Surely no one could tell.

I hoped not, anyway. Devil’s Food Cake indeed.




Thank you for visiting Linda’s blog.

Linda K. Sienkiewicz is a writer, poet, and artist.
Learn more about her award winning novel, In the Context of Love.
Learn more about her picture book, Gordy and the Ghost Crab.

Learn more about her poetry chapbook, Security

Filed Under: It's Personal Tagged With: baking, family, mother

Handsewn Treasures

May 13, 2017 By Linda K Sienkiewicz

Mom was a saver Thelma was sentimental. She'd saved so many of my favorite toys, books, artwork, cards, and dolls... even a confirmation dress and two prom gowns, in her basement and bedroom closets. … Continue reading >>

Filed Under: It's Personal Tagged With: Barbie Doll, memories, mother, mothers day, sewing

First Rehearsal for Listen To Your Mother

March 30, 2017 By Linda K Sienkiewicz

Listen to your Mother

I was so excited - I hadn’t seen the Listen To Your Mother producers Angela Smith Youngblood and Angela Amman since my audition several months ago. The Angelas, as they like to call themselves, filled … Continue reading >>

Filed Under: It's Personal Tagged With: Detroit, family, Listen To Your Mother, LTYM, mother

A Male Horse in the Nude: Creativity

October 21, 2014 By Linda K Sienkiewicz

It's important to nurture creativity in children, even if it's a little startling, or, um, not quite what we had expected. Accuracy in art, if not colors My granddaughter, Lil, age 6, had … Continue reading >>

Filed Under: It's Personal Tagged With: creativity, family, mother, shame

About Linda

Award- winning writer, poet & artist. Cynical optimist. Super klutz. Corgi fan. Author of two novels, a picture book which she wrote and illustrated, and five poetry chapbooks. More here.

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