Page 14 - By Any Other Name Fall 2019

Page 13 By Any Other Name

The Art of Bundt
into my baked goods I receive just as much in return. My
By Marius DeMartino, Grade 11 bundt cakes may have an unhealthy amount of sugar, but the
It’s barely September, and the eternal summer of gratitude on the faces of those who try it is even sweeter.
Florida has yet to cease, but the earthy scents of allspice Aside from the autumnal fanaticism associated
and cloves fill my nose. My clothes have a fine dusting of with bundt cake, I consider baking in general an essen-
flour and sugar, but I couldn’t care less. My mom scolds me tial activity. Without the ability to toss together dozens of
for chopping apples carelessly as I sing along poorly to my ingredients and somehow create a delicious treat, I doubt
latest favorite tune. I consult a wrinkled, batter-splattered that my sanity would still be intact. There has been many
page of Southern Living that was torn out of a magazine a night where a batch of chocolate chip cookies is all that
years ago but continues to be the holy grail of my baking keeps me from tearing my hair out. For me, baking is an
recipes. This is a yearly occurrence in my family’s kitch- outlet: all my stress and anxiety is poured into the batter,
en: it’s apple-cream-cheese-bundt-cake-making season. the pressure weighing down on me is folded into the dough
Bundt cake weekend is the gift that keeps on giv- and baked out at three hundred and fifty degrees. The
ing. Each year the date creeps forward earlier and earlier methodical combination of ingredients imparts a sense of
as I anticipate with great joy the baking extravaganza that order and serenity in a swirling chaos. Of course, my life
is soon to come. Cookies are a much easier pastime that is not nearly that dramatic, and I acknowledge that many
can be accomplished even on a school night, and they are are much worse off. But as I open the oven and the heat
excellent when the autumnal flavors of my bundt cake are fills my heart, it truly feels that my cookies, or cake, or
deemed no longer appropriate, especially because my brownies, or whatever, have made me feel infinitely better.
friends seem to have an unhealthy obsession with them. As the epitome of my culinary abilities, bundt cake
Bundt cake, however, is a more arduous ordeal. It requires therefore represents the ultimate stress reliever, which
the devotion of at least a couple hours and is the perfect somewhat explains my almost rabid obsession with creating
Saturday pastime. The activity begins by littering the coun- it. Not only do I have the opportunity to put a smile on the fac-
ter with every bowl, spoon, and measuring cup that we es of others, I can put one on my own. So when I am spotted
own. Precise amounts of flour and spices are thrown into a with a slightly insane glint in my eyes despite the fact that
huge bowl of blue glass reserved only for the largest bak- the school year has barely started, you can bet that it is be-
ing projects. It’s not until the wet ingredients and apples cause this weekend is the beginning of bundt cake season.
are added, though, that the
batter begins to take shape
and smell absolutely heav-
enly. The bundt cake pan is
removed from its summer
vacation home under the
oven and filled with alternat-
ing layers of batter, sweet-
ened cream cheese, and
more batter. Finally, I sit in a
barstool obsessively watch-
ing the oven until the cake
is done and can be frosted.
Bundt cake season
holds a special place in my
heart not only because it
produces delicious fruits of
my labor, but also because
slices of my confection make
the perfect gift. It fills me
with satisfaction as I watch
friends and neighbors alike
grin at the wonderful flavor
of something that I created.
Baking my bundt cake sup-
ports the time-worn adage
of loving thy neighbor; for
all the labors of love I stir
(Above) La Montagne, Kelly Qi, Grade 11, Oil on canvas.