Summer storms call for cuddles, reading, and a big slice of chocolate thunder cake!

Thunder Cake is a children’s book written by Patricia Polacco–it’s one of my childhood favorites! The story is about a grandma who helps her granddaughter overcome her fear of thunder by baking a special chocolate cake complete with a secret ingredient. The two scramble to gather all the ingredients on their Michigan farm before a vicious summer storm rolls in. The secret ingredient? Tomatoes! (The illustrations and Russian influence make this such a beautiful book.)

Growing up in Iowa the summer air was always thick and humid–a perfect recipe for fast-approaching thunderstorms that would rip through the corn fields. Watching these storms was always a thrill. This story isn’t based in Iowa, but ironically in Michigan–where I now live. I have such great memories of my mom and I reading this book together, and of course baking the cake. I can still remember sitting on the kitchen counter, squishing strawberries down into the chocolate frosting to decorate the cake.

I love watching Axel’s eyes light up when a storm approaches and the thunder booms! I found a paperback on amazon for less than $5–which is good, because we already have chocolate smears on almost every page. The recipe is included in the back of the book, but I’ve included an easy chocolate frosting recipe for you below. I hope you love the book, the cake, and the frosting as much as we do!

Easy Chocolate Frosting Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup softened butter

1/2 cup cocoa powder

4 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 tablespoons milk

Directions:

Whip butter and cocoa together in a large bowl until smooth. Add in vanilla and powdered sugar. Slowly add milk. Whip until you reach a light and fluffy consistency.