Thunder Cake

In Thunder Cake, what weather conditions did the characters need in order

to bake their cake?

A thunder storm!

But we live in Alaska. What kinds of storms do we get a

lot in Alaska?

Snow storms!

So instead of baking a thunder cake, we’re going to bake

something a little bit different….a chocolate snowflake cake! It will be just like the thunder cake we read about, but with our own

Alaskan twist.

What kind of weather conditions do you think we need to bake a chocolate

snowflake cake?A snow storm

Even if it’s not snowing right now, that’s okay. We can still practice making our chocolate

snowflake cake.

For our chocolate snowflake cake, we’ll need almost the same

ingredients as the girl and her grandma needed for their thunder cake. What was the first ingredient

they got for their recipe? Eggs

Just like the girl and her grandma, we will need 3 eggs for our cake. What did the girl have to do to get the eggs in

the story?

What was the second ingredient the girl and her grandmother gathered for

their cake? Milk

Instead of milk, we are going to use water in our recipe. We will need 1 cup of cold water.

What three ingredients did the girl get from the dry shed?

Chocolate, sugar, and flour

We will need ½ cup of cocoa, 1 ¾ cup of sugar, and 2 ½ cups cake

flour for our cake. What scared the girl on her walk to the shed? What about when she was in the shed?

What was the secret ingredient in the thunder cake?

Tomatoes

We are going to use the same secret ingredient for our cake, so we will need 1/3 cup pureed

tomatoes.

What was the topping on the thunder cake?

Instead of strawberries, we’re going to top our cake with something that looks like snow…powdered sugar!

We’re also going to use another cool treat on top of the snowflake cake:

peppermints!

Strawberries

Here is a list of all the ingredients you will need for our chocolate snowflake cake. Make sure you have them all!

1 cup shortening1 ¾ cup sugar

1 teaspoon peppermint extract3 eggs, separated1 cup cold water

1/3 cup pureed tomatoes2 ½ cups cake flour½ cup dry cocoa

1 ½ teaspoons baking soda1 teaspoon salt

Now its time to prepare the cake batter. What does the girl

do first? Measure the ingredients

Once you have the correct amount of each ingredient, you can mix together the shortening, sugar,

peppermint extract, eggs, water, and tomatoes.

Next, you can mix the dry ingredients together in a separate

bowl: flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.

Next, pour the dry ingredients into the creamy mixture, and mix it all

up!

What do the girl and her grandma do right before they

put the cake in the oven?

Pour the batter into pans

Pour the cake batter into the snowflake-shaped pan. Let your

teacher put the cake into the oven. It should bake for 35 to 40

minutes.

What did the girl and her grandma do while their cake

baked?They talked about the

girl’s fears.

What were some of her fears? What are some things you’re

afraid of?

Once the cake is out of the oven and iced, it’s time to decorate! Decorate your snowflake cake

with powdered sugar and peppermints.

Congratulations! You have created your very own chocolate

snowflake cake!