My Tea Planner
  • Home
  • About/Blog
    • Who We Are
    • Our Credentials
    • Tea Travels - Rose's Blog
    • Cakes and Tea - Kathleen's Blog
    • Contact Us
  • The Tea Book
    • The Road Back to Civilization
    • A Brief History of Tea
    • Philosophy of Tea >
      • Harmony
      • Humility
      • Respect
      • Creativity
    • Guidelines for the Host/Hostess >
      • Gathering and Greeting
      • Sharing Stories
      • Sharing Food
      • Sending the Guests Home
    • Guidelines for the Guest >
      • Respect Your Hostess/Host
      • Bring a Gift if You Wish
      • Practice Humility
      • Monitor Your Conversation
      • Arrive with a Grateful Attitude
      • Help if Help is Needed
      • Do Not Criticize
      • Leave Gracefully
      • Send a Thank You Note
    • A Checklist for Planning a Tea Party
    • Teas of the World and How to Make Tea >
      • A Sampling of Teas
      • Herbal Teas and Tisanes
      • How to Make Tea
      • Making Iced Tea
      • Tea Concentrate
      • Brewing Tea for a Crowd
    • Tea Utensils and Accessories >
      • Tea Kettle
      • Tea Pot
      • Tea Cozy
      • Teacups
      • Plates
      • Silverware
      • Teacart
      • Tea Strainer
      • Tea Infuser
      • Three-Tiered Server
      • Cream Pitcher and Sugar Bowl
      • Cake Pedestal
      • Trifle Bowl
      • Jam Pots
      • Serving Dishes, Platters, and Trays
      • Silver Tea Set or Silver Tray
      • Linens
      • Kitchen Equipment for Food Preparation
    • Tea Menu Basics >
      • Sandwiches and Savories
      • Savory Spreads and Dips
      • Scones and Tea Breads >
        • About Lemons
    • Afternoon Tea and the Four Seasons >
      • A Spring Tea
      • An Outdoor Summer Tea
      • An Autumn Afternoon Tea
      • A Winter Afternoon Tea
    • A Calendar of Tea Parties >
      • January: A Japanese New Year’s Tea
      • February: A Valentine’s Day Tea
      • March: A St. Patrick’s Day Irish Tea
      • April: An Easter Tea
      • May: A Mother’s Day Tea
      • June: A Wedding Reception Tea >
        • Lemon Yogurt Wedding Cake
      • July: A Picnic Tea
      • August: A Family Reunion Tea >
        • A North American Family Reunion Tea
        • An Eastern Mediterranean Family Reunion Tea
        • A Kosher Family Reunion Tea
        • A Scandinavian Family Reunion Tea
      • September: An Ozark Farm Harvest Tea
      • October: A Tea to Honor Our Ancestors (Dia de los Muertos)
      • November: A Post Thanksgiving Tea
      • December: A Christmas Tea >
        • In Defense of Fruitcake: Fruitcakes and Candied Fruit
    • A World of Tea Parties >
      • A Chinese Dim Sum Tea
      • A Portuguese Tea
      • A Classic British Afternoon Tea
      • An Indian Chai Party
      • A California Tea
      • A Hawaiian Tea
      • An Italian Tea
      • An American Southern Tea
      • A Russian Tea
      • A French Afternoon Tea
      • A Kosher Tea with Tradional Jewish Foods
    • Afternoon Tea for Special Occasions >
      • An Afternoon Tea for Children
      • A Tea for Our Elders
      • A Honey Bee Tea in the Garden
      • An Urban Tea on the Go
      • Tea for One
      • Afternoon Tea for a Large Group
      • A Vegan Tea
      • A Rose Tea
  • Purchase Recipes
  • Resources
    • Bibliography and Resources
    • Menu and Recipe Index
    • Commercial Food Products
    • Glossary

Cakes and Tea

Kathleen's Blog

February 2020 - Bundt Cakes for Mourning

2/1/2020

4 Comments

 
​As soon as I decided to blog about a calendar year of birthday cakes, I received word of an old friend’s passing. In our family, the soundtrack of grief is the lone bagpiper, hopefully playing through a fine mist, set against a green hill. If we must die, let us have the grace to go in winter with appropriately gray skies as backdrop to our sorrow.
​
My friend Ellen always did things with artful style, accentuated by her flair for the dramatic. A winter death, while she was still beautiful and vibrant, engaged with the world to the very last second, was her final gesture. She won’t be replaced.

Picture
She was mourned and celebrated by her friends and fans, her daughter finding an elegantly modern space to stage our goodbyes. We shared photos and stories, cried and laughed, and ate. We humans need lots of food to prop us up in our grief. In times of sadness, traditional food rituals offer solace. For me, nothing is more comforting on a long buffet table than bundt cakes. Maybe grandma baked them for the county fair or Dad made them for dessert on Sunday. In our collective imagination, caring neighbors drop one off at the house after someone has died. I volunteered to bring five of Ellen’s favorite cakes to share. There was nothing to do but try to console each other and eat many, many slices of cake.
Picture
Her chosen birthday cake was the spiced rum bundt, partially shown at left, above. Continuing left to right, we had a cocoa apple cake with Rose’s caramel icing, red velvet with chocolate ganache, Ellen’s own coconut cake recipe, and a triple vanilla bundt cake. All tried and true favorites, found at www.myteaplanner.com and the triple vanilla cake, of which I believe Ellen would approve. I used this basic vanilla cake recipe from King Arthur flour: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/classic-vanilla-bundt-cake-recipe and added a tablespoon of vanilla bean paste and several tablespoons of an interesting product my friend Louise brought me from the east coast, ground vanilla beans. The cake had a deep vanilla flavor but it also tinted the batter slightly green, likely due to the six eggs interacting with the ground vanilla. Next time, maybe I will limit the vanilla bean paste and ground beans to one tablespoon each.
​
When Ellen moved to Fresno (or FresYes! as we would say to each other) she found that her backyard came equipped with grapefruit, orange, tangerine, and lemon trees. I taught her to make marmalade and to can the jewel tone jelly in a water bath. Because she was an amazing graphic artist, our housemade marmalade even carried its own custom label: 

​Lady Wolf Marmalade Supreme. 
Picture
 
I miss her so much. Life doesn’t stop, birthdays don’t stop coming. Baking never stops, for me. We still have to laugh, in the midst of crying. None other than Dolly Parton’s character in the movie Steel Magnolias assures us that “Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion!” I may never be as evolved as our dear Miss Dolly but I aspire.

When the first coconut cake broke in half while being turned out of the pan, breaking into chunks, I thought that would amuse Ellen no end. When the second coconut cake turned out with just little divots broken off, I imagined Ellen telling me to just add more coconut and more cowbell and everything would come out fine.
​
I turned the broken cake into Lamingtons. Lamingtons are a popular Australian petit four, dipped in jam or chocolate and rolled in coconut. I froze those big chunks of broken cake and then sawed them into as many little squares as I could, setting them on a rack, and replaced them in the freezer. I microwaved a jar of raspberry jam and strained out the seeds. I stirred in a tablespoon or so of a berry liqueur, to flavor and slightly thin the syrup. Taking one cake square at a time, I dipped one in the raspberry goo and then rolled it in coconut. I nestled one small, fresh raspberry atop each Lamington. These stayed fresh in the fridge for several days.
​
Picture

​A fiercely creative person herself, Ellen was encouraging to her sister artists, always guarding the space in which art would flourish. She encouraged me in all my endeavours including our tea book, website, and this blog. I don’t know what life is going to look like, after Ellen. I will continue to bake her favorite rum cake and her luscious coconut cake. I’ll try to remember to laugh when cakes break into pieces and listen hard to see if I can hear her tell me to just throw more coconut on it, but whatever I do, do it with style and conviction and with wild abandon.   

Ellen Zensen 1967 to 2019

4 Comments
Marny
2/1/2020 08:49:17 am

Kathy--I am so very sorry to hear about your loss of such a dear friend. The way in which you honored her humor and her creativity was inspiring. There is no doubt in my mind that she left her smiles and laugh in the wind and sun for you to enjoy.

Reply
Kristin
2/4/2020 10:38:31 am

Kathleen, this is a lovely tribute to Ellen. ❤️ I am sorry for your loss. Xx

Reply
Rudy Pedulla
2/4/2020 11:08:05 am

Yes, a lovely and heartfelt tribute to your dear departed friend. I am so proud of the way you do these memorable things. You go, girl! The cakes sound magnificent.

Reply
Merlina Phillips
2/4/2020 08:15:25 pm

Kathleen what a warm lovely tribute to your dear friend. Your cakes were baked with love and tears, no friend could offer more than that.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Some random thoughts from Kathleen...

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

    Contact Us
home
free recipes
purchase recipes
Address : 51-349 Kamehameha Highway, Kaaawa, HI 96730

Telephone :  408-379-5200


Copyright © 2015 by Epilogics
  • Home
  • About/Blog
    • Who We Are
    • Our Credentials
    • Tea Travels - Rose's Blog
    • Cakes and Tea - Kathleen's Blog
    • Contact Us
  • The Tea Book
    • The Road Back to Civilization
    • A Brief History of Tea
    • Philosophy of Tea >
      • Harmony
      • Humility
      • Respect
      • Creativity
    • Guidelines for the Host/Hostess >
      • Gathering and Greeting
      • Sharing Stories
      • Sharing Food
      • Sending the Guests Home
    • Guidelines for the Guest >
      • Respect Your Hostess/Host
      • Bring a Gift if You Wish
      • Practice Humility
      • Monitor Your Conversation
      • Arrive with a Grateful Attitude
      • Help if Help is Needed
      • Do Not Criticize
      • Leave Gracefully
      • Send a Thank You Note
    • A Checklist for Planning a Tea Party
    • Teas of the World and How to Make Tea >
      • A Sampling of Teas
      • Herbal Teas and Tisanes
      • How to Make Tea
      • Making Iced Tea
      • Tea Concentrate
      • Brewing Tea for a Crowd
    • Tea Utensils and Accessories >
      • Tea Kettle
      • Tea Pot
      • Tea Cozy
      • Teacups
      • Plates
      • Silverware
      • Teacart
      • Tea Strainer
      • Tea Infuser
      • Three-Tiered Server
      • Cream Pitcher and Sugar Bowl
      • Cake Pedestal
      • Trifle Bowl
      • Jam Pots
      • Serving Dishes, Platters, and Trays
      • Silver Tea Set or Silver Tray
      • Linens
      • Kitchen Equipment for Food Preparation
    • Tea Menu Basics >
      • Sandwiches and Savories
      • Savory Spreads and Dips
      • Scones and Tea Breads >
        • About Lemons
    • Afternoon Tea and the Four Seasons >
      • A Spring Tea
      • An Outdoor Summer Tea
      • An Autumn Afternoon Tea
      • A Winter Afternoon Tea
    • A Calendar of Tea Parties >
      • January: A Japanese New Year’s Tea
      • February: A Valentine’s Day Tea
      • March: A St. Patrick’s Day Irish Tea
      • April: An Easter Tea
      • May: A Mother’s Day Tea
      • June: A Wedding Reception Tea >
        • Lemon Yogurt Wedding Cake
      • July: A Picnic Tea
      • August: A Family Reunion Tea >
        • A North American Family Reunion Tea
        • An Eastern Mediterranean Family Reunion Tea
        • A Kosher Family Reunion Tea
        • A Scandinavian Family Reunion Tea
      • September: An Ozark Farm Harvest Tea
      • October: A Tea to Honor Our Ancestors (Dia de los Muertos)
      • November: A Post Thanksgiving Tea
      • December: A Christmas Tea >
        • In Defense of Fruitcake: Fruitcakes and Candied Fruit
    • A World of Tea Parties >
      • A Chinese Dim Sum Tea
      • A Portuguese Tea
      • A Classic British Afternoon Tea
      • An Indian Chai Party
      • A California Tea
      • A Hawaiian Tea
      • An Italian Tea
      • An American Southern Tea
      • A Russian Tea
      • A French Afternoon Tea
      • A Kosher Tea with Tradional Jewish Foods
    • Afternoon Tea for Special Occasions >
      • An Afternoon Tea for Children
      • A Tea for Our Elders
      • A Honey Bee Tea in the Garden
      • An Urban Tea on the Go
      • Tea for One
      • Afternoon Tea for a Large Group
      • A Vegan Tea
      • A Rose Tea
  • Purchase Recipes
  • Resources
    • Bibliography and Resources
    • Menu and Recipe Index
    • Commercial Food Products
    • Glossary