Baker's Sweetened Angel Flake Coconut -
the masterpieces my mother would make,
led by directions from their promotion,
a pamphlet entitled "Cut Up Cakes."
Straight to our home the booklet arrived
from General Foods in Kankakee.
They sent her their secrets - how to create
artistic confections from recipes.
Full-color photos showed just how to slice,
then place the cut pieces as shown.
They gave all the details to decorate
'til a sailboat or snowman was done.
Strips of licorice formed bows and whiskers -
a gumdrop or mint might make an eye.
And on every creature - coconut,
whether Fido the dog or butterfly.
A cynic would point out the obvious -
the pamphlet designed to help profits rise.
But whatever the corporate motive,
their book made my mom's cakes a feast for the eyes.
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Author Notes
I remember these cut up cakes vividly - I went on ebay to find the promotional recipe book and, sure enough, a couple were for sale. For about $10 I purchased one and gave it to my daughter for Christmas to let her know a bit about the grandma she never met. As I paged through the photo-illustrated book, the cakes looked exactly as I remembered them - a sailboat, a butterfly, a dog, a snowman. Do any of you remember these cakes?
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