Renewed Admiration
While there are many things for which I can admire my mom, today I have renewed admiration for one more area of her parenting.
Renewed Admiration for my Mom
Many of you know that my mom raised seven children. I still can’t even fathom how.
She also allowed us to choose what kind of birthday cake we wanted each year and she made us that cake.
Many of you also know that I’m about to have my 67th birthday. I had been invited to a friend’s house for dinner last night, so I decided to bring my own, homemade pre-birthday cake as a dessert offering, and I also decided it would be a different cake than I usually go for. I had a craving for a chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream frosting. Relatively simple and straightforward I thought.
Suffice it to say, it didn’t turn out so well. I did make a homemade chocolate cake from a NYTimes Cooking recipe. I also made vanilla buttercream frosting from the same source (although I knew how to make it without a recipe…just wanted to be sure).
During the making of the cake, I realized that I didn’t really know what went into making a cake as I’d envisioned it. I also realized I really should have just done a Duncan Hines cake. Really, why bother re-inventing the wheel. I also remembered during the process that a standard recipe for buttercream (two sticks of butter and two cups of confectioner’s sugar with some cream or milk) wasn’t really enough to generously cover a two-layer 9-inch cake.
The final result was an acceptable cake. It was more dense than I’d hoped. The cake was more like the cake in a Devil Dog…more dry than I’d have preferred. And honestly, the frosting was a bit more greasy than I like and didn’t have a great vanilla flavor. But none of the guests at last night’s dinner complained. They were very charitable in their comments.
My final take…I won’t be making a homemade cake again anytime soon.
Readers’ Comment/Questions
Thanks everyone for you comments on storing a WIP in a project bag. My overall take-away was the women I dealt with in the yarn store was a bit more persnickety than other knitters, but it’s her right.
Thanks also to Meredith for the Madeline Tosh Honey-Cowl recommendation. I had the pattern in my Ravelry library, but I’ve never tried it. Now I will.
Current Knitting
The hand-spun, cable-knit hat was finished yesterday and came out surprisingly well for a hat designed on-the-fly.
I’ve never been a huge fan of white-ish hats for me. It always feels like I’m either wearing a swimming cap or I’ve lost my hair during chemo. The hat is a good, tight-fitting cap and it’s both light-weight and warm. a great combo.
I also started a new hat.
Yes, I am trying again with the Noro Kureopatora yarn I blogged about earlier. I’m mixing it with some Noro-like Plymouth yarn and it’s coming out quite well. It’s just the QueerJoe Simple Hat design with 8 diagonal traveling stitches placed evenly around the hat.
Your hats look fantastic. And you are so fast.
I’ve finally begun my cousin’s hat. It’s been months finding the yarns he wanted and all. Cascade 220 with two strands of brushed cashmere. (He bought the yarn!) I finally took the leap, after having made a Melt the Ice Hat as a warm up. I haven’t made a hat since 2018, I think….
My cousin’s hat is based on a Peruvian hat he likes. seamed in the back. I’m knitting it in the round. I’ve learned that there is such a difference between the flat fabric I made on straight needles, to send him for his approval, and the actual hat in the round!
If you need a chocolate cake recipe, let me know. Mine works great. I’ll be baking my traditional birthday cake. Black Forest Cake.
Happy early birthday to us!
I admire your hat skills. I like the NYT cake recipe but must confess that b/c of gluten free issues in my household I typically grab a GF cake mix first as a go to.
Wearing a white hat in the woods of PA might not be a great idea anyway. Not because it guarantees you’ll be mistaken for a deer, but because it reduces clarity and increases risk.
If you’re out hiking or working in wooded areas (in PA during hunting season, or anywhere), the safest move is simple: wear blaze orange, or red and avoid white or earth-toned camouflage. How about your Melt the Ice hat?
Chocolate cake is notoriously difficult because the cocoa makes it dry. The NYT one is pretty good but even with a good recipe it takes practice. Also buttercream has like a million variations. American is probably what you made and it’s just always too sweet and too greasy.
Cream cheese frosting is an easy alternative. Meringue based buttercreams are a little trickier but fun to try.
Baking is just like knitting–and really anything else—it takes practice.
But frankly a yellow cake mix in a 9×13 pan with Bonne Mamman chocolate hazelnut spread as the frosting is darned easy and delicious (though incredibly sweet).
Some people love white. The hat will find its person!
I “second” the Bonne Maman chocolate hazelnut spread idea. For many things.
Easy, delicious, and GF.
They even have a website with recipes https://bonnemaman.us/blogs/recipe/tagged/hazelnut-chocolate
Joe, those eight diagonal traveling stitches make all the difference in your latest hat adventure. I very much like cabled hats, including your lovely white invention; your improvisation is like magic to me. Are you familiar with Benjamin Matthews delightful amalgam of what he calls beanies? I’ve knit several of them and have many of his patterns.
Isn’t it grand how supportive your readers are, cake suggestions and all? Your posts continue to be a balm in these wretched times. You go!