An Imperfect Birthday Cake for a Perfect Celebration

Celebrating Mom’s last birthday

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I love a good cake.

Dark chocolate, buttery vanilla, spicy carrot. All of the above.

Just as appealing is the aroma of a home-made cake baking in the oven. One would think that because I enjoy them so much, I would be inclined to bake cakes frequently. Unfortunately, I’m not so talented when it comes to baking. As a matter of fact, whenever I want to solicit the perfectionist in me, all I have to do is bake.

Perhaps it comes from years of watching my parents make incredible baked goods: gooey, delicious sticky buns, perfectly crafted Christmas cookies, and beautifully decorated birthday cakes. At holidays, amidst all the harried preparations, they always baked to remember and to celebrate.

I always enjoyed watching them work together. Mom’s careful measuring. Dad’s prep work. Mom monitored the perfect bake, consulting with him as she tested for doneness. Dad’s bear-size hands use “old-school” metal decorating tips to make rosettes inside rivers of buttercream icing. They were a good team.

Sending a tray of dozens of ricotta cookies to a family who had just lost a loved one was second nature to them. Often, they made trays of homemade veggie and meat pizza with homemade dough…