Years ago when we lived in Ann Arbor in a big house, my mom gave me a beautiful cake plate. It had a glass pedestal and domed lid. It was substantial.
It became a treasured possession.
I loved that thing. I thought it was super fancy to have one in my grownup kitchen in my grownup house.
Looking back, it makes perfect sense that she gave me this cake plate. Subliminal message: please supply sweet treats on this pedestal when I come to visit.
Mom had the biggest sweet tooth ever. She had so many favorites. I remember her freezer stashes of homemade crepes and cheese strudels. Even though she loved sweets, she wasn’t a fan of chocolate. So her picks of freezer treats were rainbow sherbet and fruity popsicles. Sometimes Mom, Dad, and I would head to the next town over and treat ourselves to Baskin Robbins. She chose either daiquiri ice or cherries jubilee. Her favorite bakery in town was Hough Bakeries in Cleveland. My grandpa probably stopped there while he was working as a truck driver and brought home treats. At one time, they had a small store in a local mall, so whenever we went there, she’d stop and buy a box of butter cookies. At Easter, Dad and I would make a trip to Faroh’s Candies to buy her a box of white chocolate .
She always had Betty Crocker mixes in the cupboard on standby. I just wrote about her usual breakfast rotation of muffins, orange danish, cinnamon rolls, waffles, and French toast.
Later, she became known for her iced butter cookie cutouts. She collected cookie cutters for every occasion so she could make batches for Christmas, Halloween, Easter, football parties. Everyone dove in when she’d show up with a tin of those homemade cookies. Because she’d make so many, I’d come over and help. We spent hours in the kitchen mixing, baking, cooling, and decorating. At Christmas, she’d make deliveries of cookies to everyone she knew. Her neighbors, friends, her bank teller, her doctor, her beautician, even her dentist (that always made me laugh).
Those cookies were our wedding favors.
Mom somehow always had a stash of candy too. When I’d come visit and spend the night, I’d wake up and help her do some chores and make the beds. On her nightstand would be empty boxes of Dots or licorice that she'd snacked on the night before. We teased her that she was like the 7-11. Open all night.
The only person who could compete with Mom’s sweet tooth? My G.
I’ve learned to perfect coffee cakes, bundt cakes, and cinnamon rolls since our union. Also heavy in the rotation are apple cranberry muffins and baked donuts.
When I set out the cake plate on the kitchen island or dining table, it may as well have been my personal Bat signal. All of a sudden, G would appear out of nowhere, suddenly very interested in what was happening in the kitchen. Oftentimes, I’d turn my back and then find that two muffins of twelve had already mysteriously disappeared. He’s a stealthy bugger.
You name it, I made it and put it on the cake plate. Scones. Muffins. Tarts. Pies. Loaves of quick breads. And yes, cake. Quite the succession of chocolate cakes, I’ve found as I’ve searched my archives.
Then it was time to move. And move. And move again. When the packing started, that cake plate was considered a priority item. Bubble wrap, lots of paper. On the third move, I unwrapped it and found a chip in the lid. It was a gut punch. I’m pretty sure there were tears.
G told me to buy a replacement ASAP. I did. It wasn’t as nice as the original, but it was a cake plate. Then, within a few months, G dropped it and it broke into pieces. He felt worse than I did. That one wasn’t the one that mattered.
I decided not to replace it. It just wasn’t the same.
When we moved back to Naples last year and a big birthday was on the horizon, my friend, Cheryl, asked me to pick out a new cake plate with a domed lid for my gift. She knew I missed having one and how much it reminded me of Mom.
This is the new one and I love it. It’s very hip.
I’m back in business!
Thanks again for reading! I care about you. And especially after all these sweets, please don’t forget to eat your greens.
***Written to Teddy Thompson’s Heartbreaker Please.
Such a precious item that cake plate! Love how it showcases the loving creations, like that lemon pie with raspberries framed around it- heavenly! (Lol that stealthy bugger 🤣)
Oh how I miss you and can I just say seeing all those sweet treats made me hungry! Love your writing, your passion for it as well as cooking shows in every word. Keep ‘‘em coming darling. Btw I love your new plate 😍