February 14: A Birthday Cake for Granna

When I was in elementary school, my grandmother lived in Covington, Tennessee, north of Memphis.  Covington is a nine hour drive from Atlanta, so I only visited her house a couple of times each year.  The summer vacation after my tenth birthday was a milestone.  I took my first airplane ride - solo - to visit Granna for two weeks.  My parents and some friendly flight attendants delivered me to my seat in Atlanta.  I received Delta puzzle books, a Coke, peanuts, and pin-on pilot wings for me and my Paddington bear.  After the short flight, my grandparents were waiting for me on the gangway in Memphis and it was a fabulous adventure.  I got to go to Granna's for a couple of weeks every summer after that.

Some vacations she let me paint with her oils and canvases.  Sometimes we shopped all day in Memphis or tried new recipes at home.  Prior to my vacation at age twelve, Granna took a Wilton cake decorating class with her friends.  I recall that my entire vacation that year was spent cajoling my grandmother into teaching me cake decor tips.  We practiced making icing roses, scallops and ruffles on sheets of waxed paper while sitting together at her kitchen table.

Blowing out the candles

Today is Granna's birthday.  (She told me that she is 28-years-old today, which is a fib, because I am certainly only 29 and that math just doesn't work).  My uncle and aunt drove down from Covington for a surprise birthday party and Granna cried when she saw all of us there bearing cake and presents.  I made this Saturday Cake last night and I struggled to remember all of the decorating tricks Granna taught me.  I admit that my roses need a little more practice, but she was very happy and asked where we bought the cake!



Next Saturday:  Cherry Cake