This weekend, one of my nieces celebrates her 6th birthday.  Tradition in our family is that Mum prepares a dinner of choice.  My job is to provide a sweet treat.  The usual request is for white cake.  My niece has requested a white cake.  Specifically, she requested “kitty cat cake”.

Oh boy.

The kitty cat part is sorted out thanks to a friend who has remarkable kitchen skills and is a fabulous baker and decorator.  Today will be my first attempt at decorating with fondant!  The cake will be covered with frosting, and the decorations made of fondant to create the kitty cat.  I prefer the taste of frosting to fondant.

Let me tell you about the cake.

The white cake is made from scratch.  The recipe came from a dear, life-long friend.  His grandmother used to make wedding cakes, and the recipe belonged to her.  I am honored that his mother passed the recipe to me, and personally taught me how to bake the cake.

I love cookbooks and recipes.  In this age of technology, I own my share of electronic cookbooks, and have an electronic filing system for my loose recipes as well.  I also have a collection of cookbooks and hand-written recipes that are precious to me.  Using recipes written by my mother, my grandmother, or a friend puts them in the kitchen with me making it a personal, loving experience…even when I am alone.

A recipe book can open up a different part of the world.  Opening the pages can reveal new talents yet unfound… tastes to explore.  Recipes can be a sharing of culture and history.  They can become a bond between friends, old and new. 

They are memories. 

Mum and I both make this white cake.  She has to bake it for MY birthday, as she would never let me bake my own cake. 

Thanks Mum! 

Last time I baked the cake she commented that despite using the same recipe, our cakes are different.  My cake seems to come out a bit lighter and fluffier in texture.  I had the benefit of learning to bake the cake with someone who had learned from the originator.  I learned the details.

It is interesting.  We try a dish.  We ask for the recipe.  We follow the recipe to the letter in our own kitchen.  Somehow, it falls short of what we expected.  It does not taste quite the same.  We follow up with the originator.  When we do, we are sometimes given a tidbit of information that was not included in the recipe.  Something they started doing to enhance the original recipe, and now do it without thinking, that makes a difference.

Details.

Mum and I love to work in the kitchen together.  We have had years of practice and have a good “flow”.  We dance well together.  We will bake the cake together for an upcoming birthday celebration.  Maybe mine?

It will be my turn to pass on the details.