by Margaret Cullison

Dobos cake at Gerbeaud Confectionery Budapest, Hungary. Photograph by Savannah Grandfather; Wikipedia

Merely the thought of cake makes me want to sink my teeth into a delectable slice. The appeal of cake must be rooted in some primal urge for indulgence, because of people of all ages like this satisfying dessert. Seniors relish the joy of having an elaborately decorated cake placed before them honoring another year in their lives. Children love cake with equal glee, talking in advance about the colored sprinkles and decorated frosting they want on their next birthday cakes.

At family gatherings, my grandchildren always respond first when asked, “Who wants cake?” They shout out the word as if cake had magic properties…and it does. After they’re gobbled down that first slice, their parents put the cake out of sight, hoping the kids will forget about it. This trick only fools the youngest among them.

I suffered from cake envy after attending a friend’s birthday party when I was six or seven years old. She had an April birthday, and her cake that year looked like a lamb with white frosting and coconut curled fur. The cake completely enchanted me. I knew my friend’s mother hadn’t made the cake herself. We always had homemade birthday cakes at home, but that didn’t impress me nearly as much as the magic of Sandy’s lamb cake.

Read more of Margaret Cullison's cooking classic at: 

http://www.seniorwomen.com/news/index.php/my-mothers-cookbook-frosted-cakes