Today I was watching a show with the family that brought back a memory from my childhood. The kids on the show were singing a song, and one part said “coins in a cake”. My kids laughed after looking at me strangely when I told them of a birthday I attended. I must have been six at the time. A friend was celebrating her birthday and I was at the party. Her mom baked a delicious chocolate cake. Inside the cake were coins, real quarters, nickels and dimes. No one thought anything about it at the time. It was great to have a yummy cake and get some money at the same time.
Now remembering this, as a mom I can not help but think. Do people still do this? What about choking? What about nickel and did they wash the coins before putting them in the cake? LOL! I totally ruined a great memory with my mom way of thinking. This birthday cake stood out in my mind after all these years and now all I can think of was the negative. I would love to bake a cake and place coins in it for my kids, but how? Obviously from their reaction when I told them about the cake, they were thinking the same negative things I was. Luckily I found some alternatives on the web.
I found out that in Medieval times people would place coins and rings inside of cakes. The person who was lucky enough to get a coin in their slice would turn out to have great wealth. People that still continue this tradition place fake coins in the batter and then bake the cake. You could probably buy fake coins at novelty shops or the dollars store. At least fake coins have not been sitting in someones shoe or pocket.
Another alternative I found was to place foil wrapped chocolate coins in the cake when your cake is almost cool. Then you would cover with icing. I think this is a really fun idea. Not something you would do with younger children, but great for older ones. You would just need to warn them of the surprises before they bite in. Choking would be my only concern, but if they’re old enough they would be fine. I also found a recipe for a bunt cake that includes real coins. The recipe calls for the coins to be washed with soapy water then sanitized with boiling water. I found it comforting to see the germ thing being taken care of.
I was very happy to research the coin cake and see that I can still have my childhood memory brought to life for my children to experience. I wonder if moms in the 60s and 70s worried about these things. Did they worry about germs and choking like we do now? I don’t think so. I remember a more relaxed time, a fun time. I will be sure to update you if and when I bake a cake and add coins (chocolate coins). Have you ever had a cake with coins or rings in it? Have you baked one yourself? If you have I would love to hear how you did it.
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