I truly prefer a blunt and honest picture of reality over one that is rose-tinted and unattainably perfect, but honestly, reality can really, really suck. That's where I sit. I am sitting in the reality of what a life with hypoparathyroidism means, and it sucks. The past few weeks have been filled with tetany attacks, brain fog, bouts of anxiety and depression, paresthesia, fatigue, weakness, severe bone and muscular pain, all of which are the effects of having hypoparathyroidism. It has also been filled with finding and facing horribly harsh realities concerning my new life with it. For example, I found out that, no matter how well I figure out my treatment plan and execute it properly, I will still struggle with these at some point during even the best of days (and the symptoms I listed above aren't even the entire list). Sadness, despair, and pain, both literal and figurative, surround my inner being and when I look at my world around me, I see it reflected there as well. I have friends and family who are battling sorrows I cannot even begin to comprehend, not to mention the fact that it is an incredibly depressing, disheartening, and disharmonious time for our nation and world. How do I chronicle blissful moments when, frankly, there ain't much going for them? This is the question that has been swirling in my foggy and disconnected brain last week and the week before that, weeks in which horror upon horror rocked our nation and weeks in which I was hit with harsh reality upon harsh reality about my disease. I didn't want to be happy, I didn't want to cheer up, I didn't want to paint a rose-tinted picture, and I couldn't even clearly communicate or piece together the real one. By the grace of God, I did feel and have the strength to do one thing- create a happy moment for 3 people who were hurting too.
I used one cake recipe and made 3 tiny cakes, and I ensured that they went to 3 people who were suffering that week. How I wish a tiny happy cake could wash away the real pain, the real heartache, the real disfunction, the real hate, the real sorrow that so many succumb to on a daily basis, but it can't. It can bring a smile, it can bring some emotional sunshine, it can bring a feeling of being cared for and loved. It's a tiny step in the right direction, and the only step I was able to take this week. Not everyone's step will look the same and my step will not always be a tiny cake, but a step in the direction of real care and love is what I encourage anyone reading this to take this coming week.
Giving and caring for those who are hurting has been a constant theme and lesson I have recently been teaching my daughter, Lily. So I knew I wanted her to join me in making these cakes that would go to someone in need of extra sunshine. We picked up the blueberries at a local farmer's market, baked to our heart's content and had a blast. Oh and, yes, you are correct, she absolutely is the cutest baking sidekick ever ;)
Lemon Cake
Ingredients
1 cup plus 1+ tbsp low-fat buttermilk
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons lemon zest
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 ½ cups sugar
2 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 8" round cake pans (or if you would like to do the 3 small cakes then butter and flour 6 4" round cake pans), tapping out the excess flour. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest.
Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. With mixer on low, beat in eggs and yolks, one at a time, fully incorporating with each addition. Add the lemon juice to the buttermilk and stir with a fork. Alternately beat in flour mixture and buttermilk mixture beginning and ending with the flour mixture; mix just until combined.
Divide batter evenly between pans; smooth tops. Bake until cakes pull away from sides of pans, and toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 32 to 35 minutes. Let cool in pans 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges of pans and invert cakes onto a wire rack.
**Disclaimer- I do not own this recipe. This is a recipe that I adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe for lemon cake.
Blueberry Buttercream
Ingredients:
4 large egg whites, room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened and cut in to cubes
1 cup fresh blueberries, pureed
Directions:
Place whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Whisk until sugar dissolves and mixture registers 160 degrees on a candy thermometer.
Remove from heat, and pour mixture in to a stand mixer. Whisk on medium-high speed until the mixture has cooled and stiff, glossy peaks have formed. Reduce speed to medium, and add butter, a few cubes at a time, whisking well after each addition
With mixer on low, slowly add blueberry puree, about a 1/4 cup at a time, mixing thoroughly with each addition, beat until smooth, about 3 to 5 minutes.
*Disclaimer- I do not own this recipe, it is from my collection of tried and true recipes, this little number has been adapted from Martha Stewart's Fresh Strawberry Buttercream recipe.
For the candied lemon slices I simply followed a recipe similar to this one.
Assembly
Note: If you are unfamiliar with leveling, cutting, or frosting cakes I would suggest checking out this tutorial before this next step.
The assembly process for this recipe is the same regardless if you are making the 3 small cakes or one 8", you will just simply repeat this process 3 times if making the little guys.
Level each cake layer. Place the first layer of cake on a disposable cake round or cake plate. Fill the first layer with enough buttercream to form a 1/2" layer, making sure a small amount spills over the sides evenly. Place a layer of cake over the filling. Frost the cake with remaining buttercream. Drizzle the lemon syrup, from making your candied lemon slices, across the top. Decorate with candied lemon slices, I halved mine and spread them out evenly along the bottom border, and placed one on top. Put a smile on someone's face by sharing this happy little cake with friends and/or family.
