This almost-blooming Japanese Iris looks like a delicate little thing, doesn’t it? I got the original plant from my friend Judy, when I was working at her and husband’s greenhouses. I had admired the huge clump of them that she had for several years and one spring the two of us decided that we should dig up some of them for me to take home. Which turned out to be easier said than done, and we finally resorted to a pickaxe to pull one small section of it up.
Then last summer, we decided that the clump of mine were not in a great place, and had to be moved. Larry offered to dig them up for me, which was a huge relief because he is much better with a pickaxe than I am. He got it all loosened up and still could not get them to let go of where they were, so, farmer that he is, he threw a chain around the whole deal and yanked it out with the pickup truck. We split them up and planted them all over the place, including several little bunches in the front garden. This year, they bloomed better we have ever seen them, so we were right to think they weren’t very happy before. You would not think something that looks this pretty, would require the use of heavy digging equipment though, would you? 
I tell you – gardening is not for wimps!
I needed a reason to make this behemoth of a cake. It is just too much for us to ever eat on an everyday basis, so I had to wait impatiently for an occasion. When Ellyn and her family were coming to visit a few days before her birthday, I jumped at the chance to make this for her. It is a take on the recipe on the back of the Hershey’s Baking Cocoa can, which is already a fantastic cake – moist and rich and it comes out right every single time. I wanted to add my own touches to that perfection though, and I was pretty happy with the result. This was the 3rd time I had made it actually, but the other two times, I only used 1 layer at a time, and froze the other one, so I had not used this filling for it yet. I’ll add this note about the alcohol in it here – the bourbon in the cake has all of the alcohol cooked out of it, but the filling has two tablespoons of bourbon that are not cooked. To us, 2 tablespoons was not enough to worry about giving it to the grandkids [but, man – did they sleep that night! Kidding! Totally kidding!], but if you want to leave out the alcohol, you can – just use another 1/4 cup boiling water in the cake, and a couple more tablespoons of cream in the filling. It will still be really good.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. [make the filling and frosting while the cake bakes – recipes are below]
Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.
Place the second layer, right side up, on top of the filling.
You will have made the frosting while the cake is baking:
The flavor of this will improve upon sitting, so it is best to make it in the morning, and let it sit at room temperature for 5 or 6 hours. If there are still leftovers the next day, you should probably stick it in the fridge, but it will be fine on the counter till then, and if you do have to refrigerate it, bring it out for an hour or so before serving.
I’ll warn you right now- this cake knows your name and you will be able to hear it calling you no matter how hard you try to ignore it. Just don’t even bother trying to fight it.
Remembering those who have gone before and especially those who gave their lives in service to the rest of us. Hope you are having a blessed long weekend, appreciating family and friends – that is as good a tribute as any. 
I don’t think grownups are supposed to like peanut butter and jelly as much as I do. For a lot of my adult life, I wouldn’t touch it – a reaction to the river of pb&j we had as kids. Our school didn’t have a hot lunch program, and with 5 kids to feed, I am sure pb&j was the logical choice. By about 4th grade I was ready to give up lunch forever. Unfortunately, I was starved by lunchtime, since, when my Mom wasn’t looking, I had fed my detested oatmeal to the dog at breakfast. Every day began with this terrible injustice. Unjust, because my mother hated oatmeal and would not have touched it with a ten foot pole, a fact I futilely point out to her every day. I am not sure how she felt about eating pb&j herself, but by lunchtime, starvation thrust me into the arms of whatever was in my lunch bag.
They keep nicely at room temperature for 2 or 3 days, and reheat quite well. Enjoy!
