today is my birthday! woot!this is the first cake to grace my new cake pedestal. it is a zucchini cake with lemon curd in the middle and cream cheese/lime juice frosting and it was delicious. the recipe is from How to be a Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson. isn't that the most wonderful title for a book. check out the first photo on her home page, seems as though i might be on my way to domestic goddessness!
I have always loved cake. the whole concept of a cake is full of good feelings and unlimited creative possibilities. I think most of us have a cake memory as one of our very first memories.
Moms, Dads, Grandmas and Big Siblings made cakes with us, letting us stir the batter, lick the beaters and maybe help with the frosting.
We are presented at every big moment of our life with a cake. Remember, putting your whole face in the cake when you turned one? Smashing cake into the face of your newly wed spouse? Eating that crappy grocery store cake in a conference room on your last day at a job you wish you had never started, or eating that crappy cake looking around at the people in the conference room and realizing that you actually care about these people and are really going to miss each of them and this stuffy room?
In college the phrase was coined, "Make any excuse to eat cake" This seems to sum up our relationship with cake. Do we celebrate with cake or have a celebration so we can eat cake?
If you know me you know I love ritual and intentional celebrations. I love it when people care enough about the people around them and the event happening to do a little more, make it a bit more memorable. To me bringing out an embroidered table cloth to cover the picnic table can make all the difference.
This week I finally found a real, classic, cake stand. Check it out. The photos are a bit dark. The sun wasn't cooperating.
I am so happy. Looking at it fills my head with visions of fancy cakes and future celebrations. Putting the next birthday cake on this stand will give it a slight elevation into the realm of history making cakes. Not the larger history of the world but the history of my family and friends. Lifting the cover to reveal a sweet smell and closer look will be a new ritual....well maybe not a ritual but at least I can determine the exact timing of my child's nose dive into the frosting when they turn one.
I looked around and found a few lovely cake stands if you would like to get one for yourself.
I really like this concept even though it is a bit cheesy.
available here
dots are wonderful.
available at Pottery Barn
This one would look fabulous with a German chocolate cake sitting on it.
available at Target
Luigi Bormioli
find it here
Oh, cupcakes! This is a beauty. I like the recessed circles for the cupcakes to sit. Horchow
I just found the following two via The Hostess with the Mostess's June post. Thanks!
the past couple weeks i've found some amazing items at my local goodwill. i've been looking for light airy items. mostly kitchen or entertaining things.
~~i can't wait to host a birthday party, high tea or wedding shower with these beauties.
~~~the little bowls are perfect for any type of desert. 
~~~i'm not usually a gold person but something about the little roses and the shin of the edges made me happy
~~i found this platter on a different day. i think it goes nicely with the set above without matching too much. i like to mismatch vintage items.
~~now this is the gem! i can't wait to bake a cake. for now i'm going to put fruit on in and place it on my kitchen table
