Anyway, I was hired to "gift" a cake to a family in town that has been married for 50 years. The cake turned out great and is very pretty, but was a bit much for the recipient and his wife. I am not sure if most of it ended up in a dumpster on Walnut Street somewhere, but I hope they were able to share some of it with someone.
I did learn a very important lesson while making this cake. No matter how much time you put into the cake, or how important, rich or well-known that person is.....it's just a cake, right? One cake isn't any more important than another. The words to teach me this lesson came out of the mouth of babes.
After a stressful day and a confusing delivery of the big, fat, Greek cake, I was questioning my desire to be a cake designer. I love to bake. I love testing new recipes. I enjoy knowing some people hold the opinion, if Tammy made it, it's probably pretty good. I like bringing joy and "special-ness" to the occasion even if I am not always there to see it. But with the joy comes alot of work, fear, calories, and some sleepless nights......maybe I should just go back to teaching? The career I have always wanted to do the most the least. (My own saying from college after choosing teaching as a major.)
My son Jacob's birthday party was the same weekend of the Greek cake. He kept asking me if I was going to work on the Captain Rex cake. When are you getting to Captain Rex? I assured him I would, but told him I was nervous if I'd be able to carve it correctly and make it look right. Well, late Friday afternoon, Captain Rex was finished. I completed him minutes before Jacob walked in the door from school.
He walked in and saw the cake. With a wide-eyed expression and a completely sincere heart, he said, "Ahhh, I knew you could do it!" From his heart to my heart, it was confirmed.... I was doing the right thing!
The Captain Rex birthday cake wasn't just a cake to him.
The most important cakes are for my very own family!
