Thesis Cakes

I like basic things.

I like pumpkin spice stuff and leggings and Uggs. I like instagram pictures of feet standing in fall leaves.

I mean, I like a bunch of unpopular weird stuff too. Like Chico sticks and mountaineering movies.

But we’re all basic, okay? The sooner you recognize that, the sooner you can start to focus on more important things.

Like my pumpkin spice cake(s). I mean just look at that batter. It commands you to dip your finger in!

I lurve me some pumpkin spice baked goods. I pretty much spend all of my free time in the fall figuring out new pumpkin spice bakes to make. Bread, scones, muffins, cookies, pancakes, waffles. Can’t stop, won’t stop.

Last week I made TWO pumpkin spice cakes. We had some people over on Saturday for fall-themed cocktails and treats. I was VERY excited to use the Halloween-themed sprinkles and candy corn mix that I had been squirreling away.

We kind of trashed the cake, as evidenced by it’s sad state when we found it on the kitchen counter the next morning. Maybe we all had one bourbon cider cocktail too many.

I have been wanting to try to make a “drip cake” for some time now. Have you heard of them?! They are very Pinterest.

 

So for Halloween, I decided to try my hand at a drip cake. Here is where the second pumpkin spice cake comes in.

I probably did not read enough about “drip cakes” before trying to make one myself. Plus, I was trying to make one among this chaos!

It sort of worked out, but the “drip” part was a bit too runny.

Even though it didn’t work out as I wanted artistically, it did end up to be a nice reason to go to some of my neighbors’ houses to drop off hefty slices of cake.

My Halloween cake may have not been perfect, but I think I DID nail my baby’s costume.

Gnome-ally I wouldn’t brag, but look how cute he is here! Gnome-body can deny it! (Someone stop me.)

He wailed during the daycare Halloween “parade,” but chilled out by the time I took him “trick-or-treating” (i.e., walking to a couple of neighbors’ houses to say hello).

In other big news, Ansel turned ONE last week. What a year it has been!

This was him the first day we brought him home from the hospital.

Aaron and I have survived the first year of parenting! We celebrated with a little get-together with some family, friends, neighbors, and a yellow butter cake.

The last year has been full of so many nighttime breastfeeding sessions.

So many rounds of cloth diaper laundering and Raffi songs on Pandora.

So many messes with baby food and poop and spit up.

So it all feels momentous!

I really feel so proud that Aaron and I have gotten through this year, and I also feel very changed in ways that are really hard to articulate. It feels like I set sail a year ago, and my old self is the shore that I left, that I can still kind of see through the fog. But I’m getting further away from that person and moving in a different direction.

Where is this analogy going? I don’t know. Am I becoming a pirate? Arggggg!

Anyway, it’s been a great year. Full of hilarious, embarrassing, and tender moments.

And I’m so grateful for Aaron for being the best partner, for Sadie for being a gentle dog, and for Ansel for being my baby.

I can’t wait to see what the next year has in store!