My Family Ritual – A Bittersweet Birthday Cake
The longest month of the year is always a bittersweet time. The day I came into the world was so cold the pipes of the house froze and the air outside was chilled and thick. The winter frosting covered the trees and coated the grown with a white tinge. A new being brought into the world means change. New routines, new schedules, and new rituals follow. But one thing that will always remain the same and that has been passed down for years is the special bittersweet birthday cake batter. I’ve always loved celebrating birthdays with my family. What was even better than the birthday itself was making birthday cake the day before from scratch with family.
It all started with my Grandma Johnson. My Grandma was born and raised on a farm with ten other siblings. Gifts were not something that the family could afford. Instead the family went through the cupboard and pantry to round up ingredients for chocolate cake to celebrate. It became such a routine tradition that the chocolate cake recipe was carved into the brain of each sibling. Every month out of the year there was a birthday and soon grandma started her own family where her and her nine children made the same bittersweet chocolate cake. I am my Dad’s second born but my Mom’s first born. My Father carried on the tradition with his first born. Every birthday they would make the dense dark chocolate cake with a sweet buttercream frosting, and then I came along. The tradition carried through even after my brother was born. We baked cakes together often in the summer, primarily in May and June for the family, but only once in the dead of winter.
I have always dreaded the thought of February. The one month out of the year with little going on and the temperature at its lowest. But something about that cold February air made me crave the fluffy dark chocolate cake more than any other month out of the year. As the ingredients cover the span of the work space, the heat from the oven warms my skin while the air outside was frosted. The main ingredient is butter. I unwrap it like a chocolate truffle and set it in the bowl. I then dowse the bowl with sugar and creamed the mixture. My little brother always insists on cracking the eggs one by one. Seconds later we often have to fish out the cracked shells that made its way into the bowl. This is always a time where family all comes together to spend quality time with each other. I don't have to question whether or not I'm going to do carry on this ritual with my family one day. Once the cake is made we set it aside till the next day.
On the day of the birthday we all eat dinner together as a family while everyone anticipates dessert. The first bite is always the best. The dark chocolate center with the thick sweet frosting create a sweet melody. The cake resembles more than just dessert to my family. It resembles how spending time with one another is better than any gift one could receive. Spending time with one another is so important. We have a large family with busy schedules. By making something together allows everyone to work together and have meaningful time with one another.
