We’ve been on a bit of a cake roll as there is a wedding in front of us and I’ve been asked to bake the cake for the sweet nuptials. Never mind that the cake baking will take place in an unknown kitchen in the south of France, and, never mind that the ingredient shopping and conversion rates can sometimes make my head spin, kind of like a rotating cake platter, ever evolving always trying to get things smooth and straight.

The betrothed couple have requested my Olive Oil Cake, a simple concoction of several room temperature ingredients, all easy pantry staples. Who doesn’t really have sugar, eggs, olive oil, milk, and a lemon or two? Sure you need the powder and soda agents, and a microplane and a springform pan, other than that and you’re good to go. As I’m trying to really make this a success I’ve invested in baking strips, strips of silver insulation type material you soak in water and then paper clip them around the perimeter of the cake pan to keep the batter baking at an even level and from having a domed and awkward top. Who knew?

Anyway, I kind of got stressed, again, and on impetus enrolled in a professional cake baking and decorating class run by French pastry chefs that requires at a minimum 2,175 eggs to complete, no kidding. With good eggs running at about $9 a dozen, that’s roughly 182 dozen eggs, or a $1,632 investment in eggs to simply brush the surface of the cake baking and decorating class.

My sister in San Fran told me rightly I was being ridiculous, that they didn’t want any kind of fancy cake and that while in France I could bake an Olive Oil Cake with my eyes closed after five vodka drinks. I should just let the Olive Oil Cake be, point well taken.

As we’re all getting older and all the experts say you should always strive to learn new things and rework the firing in the brain circuits, I’ll proceed on to learn how to make buttercream roses, fondant, and edible glue, whatever. It’s all about the ongoing climb.

Cake is always usually pretty good. Cake for breakfast is always good. Carry on, cake, cake, cake.

I’m posting from my iPhone as I left my laptop in a hotel room in Montreal. I left it sitting on the small desk and it just kind of blended in with the rest of the room and I just didn’t see it sitting there when trying to do the quick getaway. I think whenever you try and do something quick it ends up costing you more time and money and effort in the long run. Therefore I go spending money on shipping fees and trying to write which I promised myself I would do during this seventh month of the year from a very small iPhone screen and keypad. Oh, well.

Happy and safe 4th of July weekend to all!

The Barbie disco princess cake was baked in Boston MA for Peyton’s 4th birthday. It was delicious even though the buttercream was a weird shade of teal blue and I kind of just let go with the pastry bag. It was all real honest love and the best ingredients I could get my hands on.