Why Baking a Cake is a Sacred Act
Cakes are no ordinary dessert. They do not sit in the same category as everyday common sweets, like cookies or brownies. Even in this modern era when so many people can access anything they wish at any time, cakes are often still reserved to commemorate special occasions in a person’s life, such as birthdays, baptisms, graduations, weddings— heck even funerals! For every sacramental occasion in your life, there will be priests and there will be cake.
I’ve baked three cakes in honor of the Nativity of the Theotokos, a tradition from the Living the Feasts, and as the old saying goes, the third time really was the charm. By my third attempt, I had learned how to make a beautiful and delicious cake worthy for our Queen, and afterwards, I was surprised at how liturgical the entire process felt.
After attending to every necessary detail in baking two cake loaves, the pampering began. A cake must not be too hot or too cool in the pan, but just right to fall out of its holding place with grace. And once it has cooled on racks, one must gently transfer the first cake loaf to a specialized board, often silver or gold in color, and layer on filling before neatly aligning the second cake loaf to sit on top. The process does not end here, for cakes do not get left undressed. No, cakes must always be vested in the finest one can offer. This can be a much longer and more tedious process than baking the cake itself. After my cake had been robed in delicacies of icing and other ornamentals of sweetness, I then carefully placed it in a box that fit the board’s dimensions perfectly, so my vested cake could remain untouched until it’s moment of sacrifice and purpose. Then I nestled the cake safely in its carriage and processed with utmost care, placing it in my lap with steady hands during the car ride to church. People offered to open doors on behalf of the cake. I escorted the cake to the table’s place of honor, elevated above the rest on a stand for all to behold it’s glory and beauty. Finally, I used a specialized tool— the cake cutter— to sacrifice it into pieces and make alive the sweetness of the occasion in all the mouths and hearts of those present.
This unspoken ritual makes the process of making a cake more endearing to me and somehow, in the midst of this cake rite, my baking unexpectedly became a beautiful act of love and a profound moment of veneration to the Theotokos that I cherish. So next time you have the chance, don’t skip baking the cake, even if you use the help of Betty Crocker, like I did. Make it with attentiveness and offer it up with love and prayer.
-V.W
