Cakes: A Short Jaunt Down Memory Lane

One blogger I follow, Dawn, of Simply Sweet, makes amazing cakes! She really needs to open her own bakery. (People use to tell me the same thing, but my cakes were nowhere near the perfection of hers - they were all probably just being nice.) 

Looking at her latest had me reminiscing of the cakes I made for our daughter's birthdays. Her parties were small productions, planned months in advance. Those days were fun!

Our daughter is now grown, recently college graduated, employed (and, in her field of study no less!) and out on her own, becoming a self sufficient, wonderful, caring, and loving woman. She truly is amazing.

I know we have done well raising our daughter, just by seeing who (or is it whom?) she has become and watching her succeed in life.

That is what it's all about isn't it? Having that sweet child to love, play, and grow with, which you hope will be for an eternity, but turns out to be such a short time (goes by way too fast). Raising your child to become nurturing, caring and respectable citizens themselves, and then responsible enough (and willing (she had no problem!), to leave the protective nest. 

Well, we have succeeded, and we are proud. Though there will always be that part of me that still wishes that when I go to bed at night, and wake up in the morning, that she is safe in her room down the hall..

Love you, Ash.

A few of my favorite cakes (photos of not so great quality photos - if I only knew what I would be doing today, 20+ years ago):

We threw a pool party for her 2nd birthday party. I recall when I gave birth that it was hotter than hot, and quite warm for her 1st as well. This year of course it turned out overcast and sprinkling! Good thing we also had one of those jumping apparatuses for the kids to play in.

The people are made from royal icing and the inner-tubes are mini chocolate donuts.

 The Emerald City I made from paper towel tubes and wooden balls (oh, how fun it would have been to make an edible Emerald City!)

 This has to be my favorite of favorites. :)

 Teddy Bear Picnic party. My first attempt with fondant & marzipan.

The year (10th) Ash and her friend Tiff made the cake. How could we have forgotten to take a picture!?! This is the drawing I did in the scrapbook. It was a chocolate cake with white frosting in the center and the only icing on the outside was the pumpkins and vines. It really was stunning and delicious.

 This one I did for my nephew's 6th birthday.

Ah- memory lane. That was fun.

Book Ninety-Four: A Passion for Desserts

by Emily Luchetti

What do you think of when you hear parfait? Me, I envision a layered dessert (trifle like) in tall clear glasses, not a loaf shape that is sliced and placed on a plate with nothing other than a sauce drizzled over the top. 

This past Tuesday was my sister's birthday and originally I was going to make a fruitcake, yes fruitcake. We loved my grandmother's fruitcake that she made every Christmas (wish I had her recipe) and we had just been talking about it and decided that is what we would have - until the day before as I was making my grocery list and reading the recipe I found online - best if made at least two weeks ahead! Well that wasn't going to work. 

A frantic search for a new dessert led me to this delicious treat. This is why I love Emily Luchetti's recipes - always easy, elegant, and with wonderful flavor. The parfait is lemony, smooth, pillowy soft and light, and the sauces oh so tasty. I had added my own touch to this dessert - chopped crystallized ginger and fresh raspberries. The ginger was a bit overpowering - next time I would decorate the top with additional raspberries and no ginger. (EDIT: Eating the leftovers a whole week later, this was still delicious - sauces and all. Even the chopped candied ginger tasted really good this time around.)

This dessert is perfect for a beautiful spring day, unlike our first day of spring her in California where it is raining. This being so light and refreshing, we can imagine it's not.

Success meter (1-3): 3

amazon

It's important for you to get the plastic wrap as smooth as possible before filling the loaf pan. The creases will show up in the final product. This was my second time lining the pan. The first was almost perfect, then I noticed a tear in the bottom and had to start over and did not have the patience to get it as smooth as I would have liked.

I can always say I was going for the draped look.

These sauces were so good. I can see using them drizzled over vanilla ice cream, pancakes, crêpes or even on toast.

Happy Birthday Laura!