Mindfulness in Vanilla Cake

I find baking and gardening to be very therapeutic for me. It is a time when I can pause and relax, breathe, think--or not think at all. In the spring and summer, I love to connect with nature and the earth and get my hands dirty when I plant flowers or shrubs. For a moment I am one with the roots and it feels good to nurture something so delicate. We seem to respond to the touch of each other and I enjoy watching the little plants blossom and expand into full-grown, regal bushes with giant leaves and blooming flowers by summers' end. I feel the same sense of connectedness when I bake, only, this is more of a meditative state for me. My hands are creating something that will please the palate and nourish the body. It's a time where I can be mindful and thankful.

I really started to find joy in baking when I moved to Los Angeles. In the beginning, it was my way of feeling connected to "home". Eventually, it grew into my quiet moment in creating something special that I could share with someone else. It's an expression of love and nurturing for me, I presume.

Tonight I decided to bake a homemade vanilla cake. I am going to have to take some notes and read up some more on it but I'd say it turned out pretty good for the first time! It was dense and very buttery, but good overall. It lacked that airy fluffiness that you get from the box cakes. If there were some way to meet in the middle somehow, that would be my ideal. I even made homemade butter cream frosting. It turned out very rich, so I will have to read up on getting it perfect. My first attempt was not a disaster, everyone seemed to like it. And I feel better emotionally and even physically. I have been fighting off a nasty, lingering cold and cough for two weeks now and maybe I just needed a moment to disappear into sweetness, relax and create something to share. :)