Kwanzaa Cake......
Okay on another thread this cake came up and some foodies had not yet heard of this cake. As expected this cake was concocted by Sandra Lee a few years back. I urge SE viewers to look it up, it is not hard to find, I think it is the only cake on the web. Please express your thoughts on this cakes. Will you make it out of curiousity? If you do please tell us about it. Also if you check out the site read the past reviews, they are very interesting.
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35 Comments:
Most of her "holiday" cakes usually have the same three ingredients: Store-bought Angel Food Cake, Cool Whip, and LOTS of food coloring. Ugh.
I, for the life of me, cannot figure out the appeal of this woman's recipes OR her show. But, since Kwanzaa foods are usually an expression of thanks for bounty, I can only imagine what a Sandra Lee "Kwanzaa Cake" would be like. --- Maybe an expression of thanks for the bounty of processed foods at the supermarket. I dunno.
With all the time spent "shopping" for special ingredients, and craft stuff for the "tablescapes", anyone could EASILY whip up something totally lucious and healthy from scratch! To a Slow-Fooder like myself, Sandra Lee is an agent of Satan.
I'll say no more.
Brownie at 9:09AM on 09/20/08
@ Brownie. Please, if you haven't already google it up. LOL.
pjracz10 at 11:10AM on 09/20/08
@pjracz10 -- Oh, okayyyyyy..... I'm holding my nose, and away I go!
Brownie at 11:44AM on 09/20/08
So, I Googled, and I feel vindicated. I won't post the "recipe", but the ingredients include *wait for it*..... Angel Food cake, canned vanilla frosting, apple pie filling, and corn nuts, among other things. ("Special Equipment": Kwanzaa candles.)
I honestly don't know whether to LOL or cry. Unbelieveable, and dare I say.... disgusting.
The woman has no shame.
Brownie at 11:50AM on 09/20/08
@ Brownie. Wellll????? ROTFL.
pjracz10 at 11:52AM on 09/20/08
@Brownie. No, there is more. If you watch the video she says "acorns" not corn nuts. PLUS pumpkin seeds and popcorn!!
pjracz10 at 11:55AM on 09/20/08
Nothing about that recipe looka appetizing to me! Dear Lord...That looks disgusting.
Lilartist at 12:19PM on 09/20/08
@pjracz10 -- Like I said.... disgusting. Yuck.
The Food Network should be ashamed for giving trash like this a venue.
Brownie at 12:19PM on 09/20/08
"The only cake on the web"?
Seriously, though, that cake has been thoroughly discussed here. I doubt there's much new to say about it.
dbcurrie at 12:25PM on 09/20/08
@dbcurrie. Check out the whole show. I believe there was 2 other cakes "for the holidays" that she created along with the Kwanzaa.
pjracz10 at 12:46PM on 09/20/08
Sandra's short cut on using Cool Whip seem like real whipped cream is to add a tsp. of vanilla extract.
pjracz10 at 12:52PM on 09/20/08
The only recipe that represents is one for disaster.
If anyone actually made this they are reading the wrong web forum here.
Why are we always mystified by train wreck cooks.
Sandra Lee needs to go back to making plastic devices someone can use to fake actual curtains. This is her MO. Make something that looks good out of something FAKE. Add in your fake hooters and the penthouse pet purr and you got a hit. Today we are going to make a mmm fintastic delcious (lick lips) tangy (fill in the blank) semi homeade like my grandma taught me. Ok I get it. Now take your scooped out pumpkin pie into pumpkin pie tarts and move on to PBS or something. Did PBS even want her? Probably not.
With all the money she made from her disaster cook books you think she might actually improve her skills. Nah not her. More tablescapes?
I call them tablescares.
JerzeeTomato at 3:40PM on 09/20/08
Oh, the memories. The first time I saw Sandra (by complete accident, I assure you--the title "Semi-homemade" was such a turnoff I never watched her show on purpose) she was baking a cherry pie. It consisted of, no joke, Pillsbury pie crust, canned cherry pie filling with a hit of nutmeg or something, and another crust on top. I stared at the TV screen in disbelief that such a thing would exist on my beloved (at the time) FN. I know the subject has been discussed to the point of exhaustion, but I believe not enough bad things can be said about that woman! An agent of Satan is right!
buffy at 4:26PM on 09/20/08
What about her cocktails? I would not be surprised of her making the disgusting cocktial Pink Bikinis which is beer, vodka and Kool aid all mixed together for a wonderful next day hangover.
pjracz10 at 4:58PM on 09/20/08
I'm an anomaly on SE--I don't have cable, so I have actually never seen Sandra Lee. But am I missing something? Isn't Kwanzaa supposed to be a celebration of African harvest traditions and pride--y'know, like natural stuff that comes out of the ground?
I just googled the cake, btw, and on the first search page came up the topic line: "Sandra Lee's Kwanzaa Cake: Edible Hate Crime."
HeartofGlass at 5:43PM on 09/20/08
I've always heard of that cocktail referred to as Pink Panty-Droppers. And my friend's recipe included a can of pink lemonade concentrate. Can you say "blech"? Yep, sounds like Sandra Lee territory.
buffy at 7:01PM on 09/20/08
I just read the "Edible Hate Crime" article. Hi-freakin'-larious. I recommend it to everyone in the "We Hate Sandra Lee" club.
buffy at 7:10PM on 09/20/08
After the SLop Kwanzaa Debacle Cake came out, I asked two African American friends of mine what they would make to celebrate Kwanzaa as it pertained to cake.
Both agreed that since Kwanzaa celebrates the bounty of the harvest (amongst other things), a rich and spice-filled carrot cake, replete with raisins and nuts, would be wonderful. They also mentioned a sweet-potato based cake would be a fitting choice as well.
I guess the moral to this story is that if one was to create a cake to celebrate Kwanzaa, it would have to "represent" by bringing quality, sweetness and richness to the table. None of these qualities is contained in the Kwanzaa Angel Food mess created by Shamdra Lee.
therealchiffonade at 7:33PM on 09/20/08
Sandra's short cut on using Cool Whip seem like real whipped cream is to add a tsp. of vanilla extract.
"To get rid of that packaged taste." (A quote by Lee.) Here's another way to get rid of the packaged taste. Whip some cream.
therealchiffonade at 7:35PM on 09/20/08
ooohhhh.... we're discussing Scamdra's kwanzaa cake... Deja vu...
LoCo at 7:41PM on 09/20/08
I googled the "hate crimes" string and found this Drinking Game based on Semi Homemade. Finally! A way to keep up with Shamdra's blotto guests!!
therealchiffonade at 7:48PM on 09/20/08
Scamdra's...
OMG, Loco! I thought I had heard every variation of slamming names against Lee but that's a new one on me :D.
therealchiffonade at 7:45AM on 09/21/08
Ive been thinking, dangerous I know. how about SE'rs come up with their own version of a thanksgiving cake? incorporate elements of Kwanza but lets keep it American and call it Thanksgiving cakes, my nomination is a heavy spice cake, with chunks of fresh apple, pear and lots of walnuts or pecans, what about the rest of you?
huneybumper at 9:24AM on 09/21/08
@chiffy - Thanks for the link to my drinking game!
Amandarama at 10:45AM on 09/21/08
Well at least there is no mayo in the cake!
LearP at 11:51AM on 09/21/08
There must have been an aweful lot of suckers out there who bought her plastic gizmo to make semi-homemade drapes out of sheets. Guess she figured if people would spend money on that, the sky's the limit. Voila! Semi-homemade (food). I actually saw the Kwanza Cake debacle and if it wasn't so demeaning to those who celebrate Kwanza, I would have lmao! She grabbed those big, honkin' candles and was trying to jam them into that angelfood with her fist. They were leaning drunkenly (as she probably was). For some reason, it reminded me of the movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" where everyone was trying to sculpt the UFO landing site out of various elements like mashed potatoes, etc. Richard Dreyfuss was making his of mud and damn if that Kwanza cake didn't remind me of that mud mountain! I was ready to see alien space craft landing on her apple pie filling. In retrospect, I might have imbibed one of her kick-ass cocktails before watching the show. Thus, the halucinations! I say keep her on the air, FN, for comic relief.
Josdean at 1:14PM on 09/21/08
As an African American I find the whole idea of cake to celebrate Kwanzaa distasteful. What's next--Kool-aid cupcakes to honor MLK Jr day???
FoodLoversLikeMe at 5:42PM on 09/21/08
@LearP No that would be a Paula Deen cake.
pjracz10 at 2:40AM on 09/22/08
@FoodLoversLikeMe - What would be an appropriate food gift to take to a gathering celebrating Kwanzaa? Is a cake not part of the traditional celebration? We all know that Shamdra's nightmare doesn't remotely resemble anything that one would "assemble" let alone take to a gathering for ANY type of celebration. Your ideas would be appreciated.
Josdean at 4:06AM on 09/22/08
Thank you for asking that question, Josdean.
@FoodLoversLikeMe, what would be appropriate? I would very much appreciate your opinion on this!
Brownie at 8:41AM on 09/22/08
Check my post ^ upthread a bit. I asked this question of two African American friends who were happy to answer.
@Amandarama - You are welcome! I don't know how I missed that before now!
therealchiffonade at 10:04AM on 09/22/08
@therealchiffonade -- I saw your great recommendations upthread. Thank you so much for them.
I was simply trying to find out what FoodLoversLikeMe's suggestions might be since (s)he is African-American and stated that the thought of a Kwanzaa cake was somehow "distasteful". I have celebrated Kwanzaa many times with my African American Friends and a beautiful cake was always on their wonderfully abundant and joyful table. So, I was just curious if this was a personal thing, a cultural thing, or what.
That's all.
Brownie at 11:17AM on 09/22/08
I have celebrated Kwanzaa many times with my African American Friends and a beautiful cake was always on their wonderfully abundant and joyful table...
The tone of FLLM's response sounds like it might be more a personal opinion. I'm curious - what type of cake did your friends serve??
I was thinking in addition to carrot and sweet potato cakes - a nice beet/chocolate cake would fit in with this type of celebration.
therealchiffonade at 8:05PM on 09/22/08
@therealchiffonade -- My friends always serve a sweet potato pie, but the cake alongside it is a dark, molasses-y, spicy, pumpkin (or squash, can't tell) nut cake that has a rich, dense texture. It is delicious!
Brownie at 3:49PM on 09/23/08
Brownie - that sounds delicious and perfect for the occasion. If someone wanted to gild the lily, marzipan fruit or candied citrus rind zest could be added for a festive look. I love that deep, molasses pumpkin/squash taste.
Any chance you could share the recipe? If you can get it, I'd love to have it. chiffonade@hotmail.com
therealchiffonade at 5:20PM on 09/23/08