Montgomery County cake recipe winds up as a the Today Show feature

An Elliott resident’s baking legacy recently gained national attention, after her cake recipe caught the attention of the Today Show.

The recipe was from one of the many cookbooks of Maralee Van Buskirk, who lived in the area with her husband, Lanny, and always called the Red Oak area their home. Maralee passed away in 2018. Her daughter, Vicki Moranz, who currently resides in Glencoe, Mo., said following her mother's passing, the cookbooks belonging to her mother were shared among family members, and one recipe in particular really took off online.

"My mother had a cake recipe in one particular cookbook that went to my son, Alex, and his daughter-in-law, Jamie. She submitted the recipe on a Reddit post that was asking for old recipes and it just blew up and was quite popular. It became so popular that the Today Show online contacted her and did a feature story on the recipe," Moranz said.

According to Moranz, the cookbook in question was given to her by her aunt, Lois Lloyd, who lived in Red Oak.

"My mom and her Aunt Lois were both amazing bakers. My mom made the cake years and years ago and it became my favorite. She made a different version of the cake that she preferred so she usually made that one. For my own family I always made the whipping cream one and it has become all our favorites. I have so many of my children’s birthday photos where that cake is featured," said Moranz.

Moranz added when she unveiled the cake recipe to Jamie, she was instantly a huge fan.

"I made it for her birthday and knew she was going to fit right in with the family when she devoured it," Moranz joked.

One thing that stood out to Moranz about all of her mother's cookbooks was Maralee's penchant for adding notes among the cookbook's pages.

"My mom always wrote in her cookbooks like a diary. She’d write things like 'I made these cookies for Jay because he’s so crabby today,' and lots of comments on the weather of the day," Moranz commented.

After her mother's passing, Moranz said everyone wanted one of her cookbooks as a keepsake, and giving the cookbook with that particular cake recipe in it was a natural choice. She also felt Maralee would love knowing about the recipe's popularity.

"My mom adored both Alex and Jamie and would be over the moon to know that a recipe she had the good baker's eye to spot has gotten so much attention. . It has gotten so much that there have now been several articles about it, the last one was in Southern Living. Jamie and I both love how so many people have tried it. We keep wondering how many birthday cakes will people make with that recipe? We also love how people have tried new and fun things with it."

Now that Moranz and Jamie have seen additional alternate takes on the recipe, she said they're both going to try the new spins. Even some members of her own family are taking notice.

"My cousin, Holly Crowell, her grandma was Aunt Lois, and Holly still lives there in Red Oak and said she can’t believe she’s had that same cookbook all this time and never made that cake. She will now," said Moranz.

For anyone wishing to try the cake for themselves, the recipe is as follows:

One cup of butter.

Three cups of sugar.

Six eggs.

Three cups of flour

One carton, a half-pint, of whipping cream.

two teaspoons of vanilla.

Leave butter to soften at room temperature. Add sugar and cream well. Add one egg at a time, beating after each egg. Add flour and whipping cream alternately but do NOT whip, then add vanilla. Start in a COLD oven at 325 degrees. Bake for one hour and 15 mins. Test for doneness.

The Today Show link can be found at today.com/food/we-tried-reddit-famous-whipping-cream-cake-today-t218992