Introduction to Happy Cake

The Cookbook That Hasn't Happened Yet

I have written a cookbook and sent it into the ether. No surprise that there are not publishers out there drooling over the rights to my concept. Since the point is to have a dialogue with people who would like to learn to bake cakes, and to bake or cook in general, I have decided to put the chapters of the book on this Substack, taking advantage of the opportunity to add periodic updates and to create opportunities for feedback. This inaugural entry contains the forward to the book, and some explanation about what I hope to do with the site.

Happy Cake

The original goal of my cookbook is to make accessible to any home cook 24-ish easy and delicious cakes which require no special equipment, ingredients or skills, and only one even asks the cook to separate the eggs. I offer two cakes per month, the second a little more advanced in terms of baking skills than the first. Either of the cakes included for a specific month would be good in whatever situation you place it, and you won’t necessarily like one more than the other. However, since I want this book to be a teacher of sorts to bakers relatively new to the pleasures of baking, I chose something quite accessible for every month, as well as something that requires just a little more skill or expertise or steps in order to bake. Cakes grouped together are thematically related to one another, so for instance an entry will contain two versions of a pound cake, two ideas for holiday baking, and so on.

When I decided to turn my idea into a Substack, I realized there were all sorts of other things I wanted to write about—essays on life in general, suggestions of articles and books that are tangentially connected to baking but maybe not, asides on current events…. And so I determined in this space not to marry the cookbook chapters to a specific month, but rather to place them within certain seasons or contexts. That structure also gives me the opportunity to drift off in other directions (anyone who has had a conversation with me will recognize that tendency), and it hopefully gives you the reader more opportunities for footholds and connections.

So often when I make cakes and share them, people comment immediately on the fact that they are “homemade.” The idea of making a cake from scratch seems impossibly difficult to so many people, and I want to demonstrate that it is not at all impossible. The only real thing a person needs to make a cake is the desire to make a cake. For those who insist a cake mix is easier, by all means take 5 minutes the evening before or a few hours or minutes ahead of time to mix together your dry ingredients. Voilà; you have a cake mix. The rest—adding the wet ingredients, the oil or butter, eggs and liquid—will be incorporated just as if you were working from a box, but will be more delicious. 

I have intentionally decided not to include professional* photographs of each of these cakes, because I find food-styled photos can be so intimidating. Home bakers and newcomers to baking should trust that nearly anything they make themselves will taste good, even if it is not exactly what they envisioned. My friend Robert, who is so far from a baker I don’t think there is anyone or anything in line after him, once told me when I was fretting over a baked good, “You can put it in a bowl with whipped cream or ice cream and everyone will love it.” This is very true, and so remember that when you have a baking disaster. There are jillions of photos of beautiful baked goods and beautiful food everywhere we turn, and I want you to make something you are thrilled with and that tastes good, not compare yourself to some food stylist's version of a glossy chocolate layer cake.

That being said, I do often include (mobile device) photos of home-baked goods, because it can be fun to see cakes in their settings. I hope these don’t intimidate anyone, and if they do, please reference the “Caramel Quake” post 😀

I choose cakes as my primary subject for the simple reason that they bring joy to so many people and situations—Happy Cake, as my granddaughter says. Sometimes feeding people is all we can do—that, and bearing witness to the pain and the happiness that, braided together, constitute life. I have included my original inspiration(s) for the recipes because I like to give credit where it’s due. I hope you enjoy these and find them easy to make and easier to enjoy.

For those of you who want to keep reading general information about cooking, go to my “A few words about ingredients and equipment” post. For those who are ready for an Aside from Life, read this post.

*For those of you who know my husband, his photos of my baked goods should count as professional, but I am not counting them as professional because that undermines one of the basic premises of this Substack.