brandy + espresso cake

A kitchen is only happy when its sinks are filled with pots and pans, its ice box shelves are stacked to the brim, and its ovens are baking delicious recipes new and old. A kitchen is also happy when it has bodies warming the air with the rise and fall of a good conversation, the joy of friends catching up after a long week, or laughter after a glass of wine or two has been poured. Recently I had the opportunity to make my kitchen very happy.

We live a house built in the 1950’s, complete with its original oven pictured in the background of our About the Blog photo. A vintage O’Keefe and Merritt stove is the centerpiece of our humble kitchen. It’s a great addition to the house, especially in the winter as it keeps the kitchen toasty and warm. You might have seen one in Chandler and Joey’s apartment on the popular show Friends. In sticking with the vintage theme, Madeline, our friend Kristen and I recently decided to bake a retro cake. The recipe came from the book Vintage Cakes by Julie Richardson, gifted to me this Christmas by Madeline (she knows me too well).

We decided on the recipe for banana cake with coffee walnut buttercream frosting.  We made some substitutions like brandy extract instead of bourbon (it was Sunday and we did not have any in the house) and honey instead of corn syrup for the frosting. Overall it turned out to be a delicious cake, even with a few bumps in the road. Just like life we encounter setbacks, and things don’t always go as planned. It’s our decision to pick up the pieces and make the most of them that contributes to our resilience as human beings.

Although not vintage, my pride and joy is a soft-turquoise-blue KitchenAid stand mixer that helped give life to this cake. Making the base of the cake was not difficult once the other two sous-chefs were educated on the difference between dry and wet ingredient measuring cups. We also learned that vintage cakes contain a large helping, probably more than one’s daily value, of butter. After filling the kitchen with the scent similar to warm banana bread, we began on the frosting.

This buttercream recipe included whipped egg whites, which Madeline eventually perfected separating from the yolks with the loss of only one egg down the drain. They made for a airy frosting, much lighter than the traditional buttercream recipes I have made in the past. The frosting also included instant espresso, ground walnuts and some more butter (FYI vintage frostings also contain a lot of butter).

Where we took a wrong turn down a dark, shady alleyway occurred with our hastiness to devour this delicious looking creation.  As we later learned it might have been a smart idea to wait for both the cakes and the frosting to cool completely.

How did we find this out you ask?

…

Baking, just like life takes patience.

We might not be in the spot we expected to be a year ago, or even a month ago. And that’s okay. We have to accept where we are at, and know that our time will come with an expectant heart and open mind. In this New Year, my wish for you is to choose contentment. Focus on where you are right now and be free of anxiety from a job interview you might have flopped, a person you’re searching for but haven’t met yet, or a goal you’re working towards but haven’t reached. Each opportunity will come to you in time.  Remember we don’t always get to choose the time or place. But have a piece of cake while you wait. Or better yet, share a piece with a friend or someone you love (even if you have to pick up the pieces from the refrigerator shelf- serve it on a pretty plate and nobody will know)!