I had originally planned on sharing a recipe with all of you, but I wasn’t happy with the final outcome of the cake I made last week. It tasted ok, but wasn’t my favorite, and was buggy to make (not to mention that it completely fell apart in the car on the way home—what a mess!). Hopefully I can keep tweaking, or maybe go in an entirely different direction, but for now I just want to share the decorations for this special cake!
^^^ cake fail
The holiday season takes on many different meanings for different families. My family, like many others, enjoys the decorations, special baking projects, exchanging presents, and time spent with each other.
^^^ riding the Christmas train
But the most important reason for our joy during this time of year is that we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ! And yes, David is excited about Santa visiting, but he is quick to tell you, make that yell to you, (like he did at the post office today!), that the reason we are celebrating is because “It’s Jesus’ birthday!!!”
^^^ Countdown to Christmas—I made this last year and David get so excited about it!
Growing up my mom had a tradition of making a birthday cake for Jesus each year and presenting it at a big Christmas party with family friends. It’s a beautiful cake, and it’s full of symbolism. David and I carried on my mom’s tradition by bringing this cake to a birthday party for Jesus last week, complete with costumes. He chose to dress up as a wise man, although he said his first choice was Mary!
Here are some of the symbols:
Red Velvet Cake= the blood of Christ
White frosting= the purity of Christ
Three layers= the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit)
Star on top= Star of Bethlehem (we make ours out of marzipan (almond paste) but if you have a nut allergy you could just make one of frosting)
Single candle on top= Jesus is the light of the world
Continuous swag around the edge (not shown)= fellowship of Christians
I’ll keep working on this (and my cake decorating skills) and hope to come back to you by next Christmas with an awesome red velvet cake recipe! Until then, have fun with your own variations. You can add red food coloring to a chocolate cake (This chocolate cake from Chef Chloe looks great), or even use a jelly filling instead of frosting for the red symbolism.
What traditions do you and your family share during the Christmas season?
I love to hear from you! Please leave a comment on my facebook wall or send me an email at sarah@frieddandelions.com.
