Viki Grado Shares 50 Year Old Family Recipe
Photography by John Liviero
Viki Grado grew up in LaSalle and graduated from the University of Windsor. She currently lives in Windsor with her husband, Tony, and their three daughters. She is the Executive Director of W.E. Care for Kids, where she began as a volunteer in 2005 after her daughter’s medical needs highlighted the importance of specialized equipment for children in the community. In her spare time, she enjoys travelling and attending concerts.
“This birthday cake has been in my family for over 50 years. My grandmother started making this cake for all family birthdays for us when we were little and now my Mom and I take turns making it. The cake is delicious but what we all love most about it is the coins. It has always been a big competition between everyone to see who gets the most coins in their piece of cake. For me, there is nothing better than a homemade birthday cake and now, every time I eat this cake, it brings me right back to sitting in my grandmother’s house in Amherstburg.”
Birthday Money Cake
Cake Ingredients:
• 2 cups sifted flour
• 1½ cups sugar
• 3 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 7 egg yolks
• ¾ cup cold water
• 1 medium ripe banana, mashed
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup egg whites (7–8 eggs)
• ½ tsp cream of tartar
• Handful of coins. Be sure to wash them thoroughly.
Frosting Ingredients/Instructions:
• Mix one package of Dreamwhip with one package of chocolate pudding.
Baking Instructions:
• Heat oven to 325°F.
• Sift flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a large bowl.
• Make a well. Add oil, yolks, water, banana, and vanilla. Beat until smooth.
• Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until very stiff peaks form.
• Gently fold banana mixture into egg whites. Do not stir.
• Pour into an ungreased 10 × 4-inch tube pan.
• Bake at 325°F for 55 minutes, then 350°F for 10–15 minutes, until the top springs back.
• Turn pan upside down and cool completely.
• Loosen cake with a knife or spatula and remove.
• Cut small slits around top and edge of cake with small knife.
• Insert washed coins into cake.
• Frost cake and enjoy!
Published in the Autumn 2026 Edition.
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