Today’s National Cake Day coincides with my one-year anniversary as a home baker. Thanksgiving 2017 is when I bought my first stand mixer and gave baking a whirl. Stunned by my rookie success, I’m delighted to continue my education. I bake for myself to learn. I’m usually not feeding other people. What I bake doesn’t have to look or taste good. The process and instructional exercise are what counts.
Fortunately, I succeed more often than not. Sugar drunk with confidence after my first cake was devoured, I returned to that recipe several times for encore performances. It shined in the spotlight at an author’s reading this summer.
To escape writing tasks, I’ve become proficient at #procrastibaking. No apologies. It’s research!
My book and baking are entering a new phase. I’m celebrating the season with Jenn Segal’s time-tested pumpkin cake recipe.
It was a pleasure to meet Segal at a reading for her first book.
She and I went to the same high school and graduated within a few years of each other. At my 30th reunion this fall, I met classmates who are launching the Virginia Center for Literary Arts. Swoon. All sorts of pieces are falling into place as this eventful year closes. Books and baking and blasts from the past are key ingredients in the recipe for a bountiful year to come. I can’t wait to look back at this post on National Cake Day 2019 and recount my progress.
Afternoon addition:
It was wishful thinking to imagine I could sit home and celebrate this momentous day with a single cupcake. In short order, I was out the door to acquire cake on cake’s day. Scroll through to see the second and third pictures of my textbook and hands-on homework.
Andrea Adleman | Cupcakologist 