Birthday Lolo and His Rocky Road Cake
It was Walter’s birthday, and I thought I would bake the only cake I could make—cheesecake. He had another cake in mind, though—my sister’s rocky road cake. I panicked, but I realized that imperfect baking can be fun and part of the experience, which I hope inspires me to enjoy the process regardless of the outcome.
I am not big on baking because baking is a precise science, and a messy job, too. I am always awed by how my sister can make beautiful cakes while keeping the kitchen neat and tidy. Watching her do the job was like watching Martha Stewart on TV in her kitchen—calm and so confident, separating the egg yolk from the white. I can never crack an egg without breaking the shell. There’s always this tiny shell piece that gets into my baking bowl (or frying pan) each time I do. Let’s say I am not good at breaking eggs. LOL! Sharing my struggles with humor makes the story more relatable and light-hearted for my audience.
My sister’s rocky road and purple yam cakes are my favorites, and I’ve always wanted to make them myself since she shared her recipes with me thirty years ago. Recently, she was home again for vacation, so it was time to bring out the flour, eggs, and all those baking gadgets. It felt special to try baking her recipes, even if I knew it would be a learning experience filled with funny mistakes and family bonding.
“Let’s start from the very beginning, a perfect place to start,” my sister would tell my cook in a singsong manner when this did not follow her baking instructions. I get the same treatment from her with every baking lesson she gives me. With my cook and with me, my sister would be Julie Andrews telling the von Trapp kids, “When you sing you begin with Do-Re-Me…” Despite my sister’s dedication to teaching, it may take forever for my cook and me to get past her Do-Re-Me. And I, with my dough.
But thanks to FaceTime, I learned how to bake my very first rocky road cake in time for Walter’s birthday—with my sister watching online, guiding me to beat and fold the egg whites in precisely 6 minutes and add the sugar little by little within that timeframe. Her support made me feel valued and connected, which is essential to me in relating to the strength of family bonds.
Dressing the finished cake with the icing was another story. The all-purpose cream would not stiffen; it kept sliding off my cake like molten lava, collecting on the base and forming a river of goo. That I did not chill the cream in the fridge before beating it was where I went wrong, Sister said. Try putting the cake in the fridge and see if the cream sticks to it, said Walter. I heeded his advice, and it worked! I messed up the sides of the cake, but come on, it was a rocky road cake I was trying to create, right? The road is rocky and hard to navigate. Mistakes are part of learning, and sharing this makes my story more relatable and comforting for us, right?
May 20, 2017