And in time I began to bake too. Around the age of nine I started with little cakes that I would create using my memory and imagination. A few of the tiny creations were actually good enough to present to my dad for his approval. As time went by I became better at creating all sorts of goodies and I loved baking.
A long time has passed. I cannot count all the recipes I have successfully baked yet a few still remain a family tradition. This Saturday I created a plum cake with streussel topping. By Sunday afternoon not a crumb was left.
What's interesting to me is that each time I bake one like this Buddy will tell me my cake tastes just like the ones Omi (my mom) used to make. Although she's been gone for 23 years, her Saturday baking lingers on in our memories as if it was only yesterday that she created those special fragrances. Our memories are often jogged by our senses and connect us to many places and faces. A purple plum is part of my fall time traditions.
This cake looks divine. I've never had a plum cake but it is so wonderful to have family recipes that evoke such pleasant memories :-)
ReplyDeleteYour plum cake looks irresistible. No wonder not a crumb remains! I used to love baking and did so for many years, never regarding it as a chore. It always felt so natural and easy to me and I found it quite therapeutic, too, at times. However, these days I really cannot muster up the required enthusiasm to do even the simplest of baking. Being in the kitchen now just feels like so much effort! I have no idea why I've done such an about-turn, although I am always ready to provide a string of excuses. Shame on me, I know :(
ReplyDeleteYou are so right about our senses triggering long held memories. How wonderful that Buddy still associates this particular cake with his Omi. I loved your own memories of the ritual and tradition of baking with which you grew up! Thank you for sharing this with us.
A good friend made a plum cake that looked exactly like yours, and I enjoyed a piece of it on Sunday. It was a first for me, but it seems that a tradition of this sort has been around your family forever. Wonderful!
ReplyDeleteI'm not much of a cook, although I was once long ago. Now my husband does much of the cooking and it's all steamed vegetables, rice, and beans.
a "sweet" story in more ways than one, the cake looks delicious and I love the sweet memory for buddy
ReplyDeleteYour cake look delicious! How about posting the recipe?
ReplyDeleteI remember Saturday baking when I was a child too. I think we share some traditions, since my mother was Dutch. Her apple strudel was mouthwatering.
Well, your mom had better not come to my kitchen. David used to eat the cookies practically off the baking sheet! Could hardly wait until they cooled! LOL! Nice memories.
Yumm...I have never had a plum cake before, looks so yummy. I too seem to remember memories when I smell certain smells...how wonderful that Buddy has such a wonderful memory of his grandmother.
ReplyDeleteLooks like the one I baked for many, many years. More recently we both need to cut back on sugar and we're sorry to miss this wonderful cake of autumn!
ReplyDeleteVisiting from Wendy's blog. Quite enjoyed your photos of the Harz as I lived in Goslar for a few years as a child!
I think your father was doing his job... after all someone needed to be the official taste tester. Your post reminded me of my own childhood and mom's Saturday baking. Homemade bread and cinnamon rolls...yum.
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