Reasons to celebrate
Cake and ice cream is a pair that provides an immense dose of joy for me on any day. Better yet when shared with people in the midst of celebration. But wow, what a surprise jolt of dopamine I get from eating a cake anointed with love the day after a party.
Tender loving care is a required ingredient when it comes to making a delicious cake, from properly balancing the ratio of wet and dry ingredients to stirring it just the right number of times to develop gluten while not introducing too much air. All of that gets recalibrated if you’re making a chocolate or fruity cake, and more care is added when you take out glutinous and animal-source ingredients to make something for a loved one with special dietary needs.
I love the love that goes into a good cake, and seeing how it can create a cycle of love for its recipients. For example, upon someone taking that first bite of a well made cake and smirking with their mouth full as they exclaim “damn, that’s good!” A little swoop of ice cream on the next bite completes that moment of immense delight. All those emotions must add something to the air and fall back into the cake, if any remains, as its leftovers seem to bring even more pleasure the next day.
In the almost three decades of my life, the cakes that stand out the most to me are ones I don’t have photos of, either because we didn’t take them or they were lost in the shuffle of moving around a lot as a family.
From the pound cake my mom let me make from a children’s book when I was 8 or 9, to the Powerpuff Girl supermarket sheet cake my dad got me on maybe my 10th or 11th birthday Only in the past few years have I been able to capture some of my most favorite cakes that folks have blessed me with on my rotation around the sun.
This year I celebrated with a phenomenal lemon pound cake at the recommendation of my friend Alma, and it reminded me of how much I love to eat cake in the company of others. Luckily it was captured in all it’s glory (see below) along with other celebratory moments.
Another cake that I have hardly any photos of is the chocolate cake my mom would make for us with a recipe Ms. Lavendel gave her when I was little. Ms. Lavendel didn’t eat any animal products or by-products at the time that me and my siblings grew up knowing her, and every recipe she shared with us almost always tasted amazing.
This cake is no different and the trick is the vinegar in it. I’ve grown to add melted chocolate too, but that’s optional. Also, while you typically want to use cake flour (low-protein content) for cakes, this cake is already so delicate and rich that I think a flour with a higher protein content (all-purpose) makes it easier to handle and still turns out an amazing crumb.
Here’s to amazing cakes, the people who enjoy them, and the magic of celebration.
If you’re interested in the recipe just hit me up (mayamarie.food.edu@gmail.com), as this isn’t an official gallery so receipts come at your request.
Please note that these are not the right sprinkles to put *in* the cake! Use sprinkles inside and these on the outside, or you’ll be crunching in the worst way.
Wrap cake in plastic wrap and chill for an hour or overnight before frosting.
Chocolate Buttercream
Ok, so midway in doing this I switched from the pansies to sprinkles.
Thanks for celebrating with me.
