Baking Black Cake...
September 2008 | By:
Kyle Young
It’s Sunday afternoon, and yes, it’s true. I have just finished baking a from-scratch cake. How did this happen, you might ask? Well, it started when my almost 13 year-old son said, “Mom, why don’t you ever make Grandmother’s Black Cake?” An annual tradition when we visit my in-laws, the famous Black Cake (officially titled Brownie Sheet Cake) lives from trip to trip as one of the most looked forward to parts of going over the river and through the woods – second only to his other great love, Seniors Night at Captain D’s.
My son, an only child, is a rabid traditionalist. And should I complain? I hear my mother’s voice reminding me that ‘the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.’ I love family traditions, be they large or small, and in truth, really look forward to them as much as my child always has.
“Mom, is it ready yet?” comes the cry from the den. “Not yet,” I yell back across the rooms as I continue to type. For this moment… this very moment, seems somehow important to capture. You know, it’s hard to multi-task when you’re mixing up a cake – well, it is for me, anyway. If you don’t pay attention, you could well use powdered sugar for granulated, or oops, add a tablespoon of soda when only a teaspoon was needed. Disaster lurks at every step when trying to do too many things at once.
I have to stop and think while I bake. Hmmm. There’s a concept. I don’t know about you, but multi-tasking is my life most of the time - the majority of it, in fact. But the true wisdom is that it’s every bit as important – in fact, I can argue it’s even more crucial - that we intentionally make times to stop. Breathe. And concentrate all our heart, mind, soul and action on just one thing. To single task. With single focus. In the moment. Read more.
