Five years ago, after completing my first year in grad school, I flew home to visit my parents, and it was then that I photographed, wrote, and published my very first blog post! Shortly thereafter, I shared the story behind the silly name of the blog, but I’ve never really talked much about why I started a blog in the first place. That’s because it’s part of a rather unhappy story, but regardless, I think it’s one worth telling now, even if very belatedly.
To say that my first semester of grad school was difficult would be an understatement. The workload was immense and overwhelming, of course, but I was dealing with some mental health issues on top of that. I lost sleep, I lost weight, I lost friends; I lost interest in just about everything. But when I went home for Christmas, I received several cookbooks as gifts from my family, and with an eager group of taste-testers present, I was reminded of how much I enjoyed spending time in the kitchen—I had lost sight of that while living alone and cooking for one. Soon after, I created a Pinterest account and started scouring the internet for recipes that made me excited to try new things again. This was huge, considering that I had spent the past few months living off oatmeal and unable to watch anything but reruns of favorite shows on TV, taking comfort in knowing exactly what was going to happen. Cooking (and baking) became my lifeline: it was both a reminder of how delicious life could be and a reminder that it’s okay when things don’t go as planned!
In retrospect, it seems like such a little thing, but trying new recipes helped motivate me and gave me more energy—oatmeal is great for breakfast, but eating it for several meals a day probably left me a bit sluggish!—and over the next few months, I began to turn things around. I finally decided to just go for it and adopt a puppy, and I also gave online dating a try, which is how I met Mr. Cake Pants! Largely owing to the fact that he too loves to eat, the husband has always been very supportive of my kitchen endeavors, and after noticing that I liked to share photos of the results on Facebook, he suggested that I start a blog. I wrote off the idea at first, but after more and more friends started to comment or message me asking for the recipes, I figured, why not?
Over the years, this blog has provided me with the creative outlet that I desperately craved (and yet didn’t initially know that I needed) and a way of connecting with people near and far. I am so grateful for both. Thank YOU for being here and for being (hopefully) as excited about food as I am! Julia Child said, “People who love to eat are always the best people,” and you guys…well, you really are the best!
As we all know (and I mentioned above), things don’t always go as planned in the kitchen (or in life), and this lemon basil cake is my most recent example of this. The first cake tore in half when I tried to remove it from the pan, despite liberal greasing and flouring. The second one (which I baked in a springform pan) was delicious, but the basil simple syrup I brushed on top didn’t infuse the cake with as much flavor as I’d hoped—but I didn’t know this until after I photographed it. The third one (a piece of which is pictured below) had a more discernable basil flavor, thanks to the basil sugar I whipped up in the food processor, but the flecks of basil gave the cake a greener hue than I was expecting (“It looks like a Shrek cake,” the husband declared).
I decided, as a result, to give instructions for two different versions: a (yellow) lemon cake with basil incorporated simply as a garnish on top and a (greenish) lemon basil cake made with basil sugar. Both are incredibly moist, easy to make, and wonderfully unfussy in their presentation—it just comes down to your preference about color and what role you’d like the basil to play.
Before signing off for today, I’d like to highlight a few all-time favorites, in honor of hitting the five-year mark. So without further ado (since this post is long enough as is!), here are five of my personal favorites and five of my husband’s!
My picks:
Chickpea and apricot salad | Copycat Trader Joe’s cowboy caviar | Ginger spice peanut butter cookies | Dill potato salad | Cherry pie French toast casserole
The husband’s picks:
Mango Thai chicken salad | Chicken pot pie | Chicken kapama | Mango carrot cake | Easy spiced nuts
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup basil leaves (optional, see note)
- 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-3 cups berries, rinsed and drained
- basil leaves, chopped or torn
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8x8 square or 9-inch round baking pan with cooking spray and line it with parchment paper. If you plan on serving the cake on a plate rather than in the pan, I recommend using a springform pan.
- Optional (see note): place the sugar and 1/2 cup basil leaves in a food processor and pulse until the sugar has a uniformly green appearance.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the sugar (or basil sugar), flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the remaining cake ingredients and stir until smooth (the batter will be bubbly at first - this is okay!). Pour the batter into the baking pan and bake 35-40 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake cool before adding the whipped cream.
- Once the cake is cool, place the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract in a chilled mixing bowl and beat with a whisk attachment on high until stiff peaks form. Spread the whipped cream on the cake. Top with berries and basil leaves.
- If you want the cake to have a more fragrant flavor, make the basil sugar as indicated in step 2 (please note that the cake will have a greenish tint!). If you want a cake that is yellow in color and/or you want the basil to serve as a garnish rather than as a main flavor, skip step 2.
Happy 5 year anniversary! It’s no small undertaking to keep a blog running for that long 🙂 The cake looks absolutely delicious! Glad to see that the second and third versions turned out wonderfully!
Thanks, Heather! I can’t believe it has already been five years. And yes, I’m glad that the later versions of the cake cooperated more than the first – although the fail cake turned out to be a good(?) thing in the end, because the lemon extract I used had gone bad!
Happy bloggiversary! I’m so glad you started it 🙂 This cake looks intriguing! I’ve never heard of basil sugar or syrup. Can’t wait to give it a try 😀
Thanks, Patty! The basil sugar is so easy – and it’d be great just sprinkled on top of some fresh fruit, too!
I am so glad you started this blog, turned your life around for the better and got a puppy and a husband along the way! Keep cooking and writing and posting those beautiful photos:)
Thanks so much! The past five years certainly have brought a lot of change. And I’m glad to have had you as one of my regular readers from the beginning!
Happy anniversary, Mara ! I just rolled over my 4th here, too, with French Ethereal. 🙂 Your cake looks delicious and I never thought of putting basil and lemon together?!! Will have to try it! I just made a cake the other day and I forgot it in the Bundt pan… So when it pulled the bottom off, I created a Happy Accident Cake {still have to write the post} with cherry jam inside to hold the bottom on.
Happy blogging and Happy Monday to you and your hubby,
Hugs,
Barb 🙂
Thanks so much, Barb, and congratulations to you too on four years! I tried a basil limeade at a restaurant a few years back, and it inspired me to start putting basil and fruit together – it’s SO refreshing! I’ll keep an eye out for your forthcoming Happy Accident Cake post. Glad you were able to salvage things with some cherry jam!
I’ll take the lemon and leave the basil, lol! But speaking of lemons, your story reminds me of the saying if life gives you lemons, so this cake is very timely. You’ve shared a wonderful story with a fairy book ending and it just goes to show how following your dream (even if it means baby steps at first) can be so transformative.Good for you! 🙂
I hadn’t thought of the “if life gives you lemons” connection, but I love that – what a happy coincidence! Thanks so much, Mollie!
Happy 5-years Mara! And what a DELICIOUS recipe to celebrate it! Thank you so much for sharing your story behind the blog, sharing (and hearing) your story really helps take the stigma out of mental health issues and always reassures others (like me!) that we are not alone in facing challenges like that in life. So happy that you found your passion in the kitchen and that we all get to benefit from it with lovely recipes like these.
-Lauren-
Thanks so much, Lauren! Sharing personal stories like this isn’t generally something I’m comfortable with, but I completely agree with you that we (as a society) need more people to share their experiences if we want to break down the barriers that make it difficult for many people to get the support or help that they need. I really appreciate you addressing that 🙂
What a fun story, Mara! I mean I know it came from a not-so-happy place, but it totally worked out in the end. In a way, my story kinda parallels yours as I’ve always loved to cook and experiment, but when I was living alone I opted with cheaper, easier (read: lazier) dinners. That meant lots of pizza…and not the homemade kind. Love that food played such an important role here! Also, I had to laugh at the ‘Shrek cake’ comment. He’s kinda right. 🙂 And I was a bit surprised to see there wasn’t any cross-over between your 2 top lists. Was that on purpose? Either way, love this cake! Happy blogiversary!
Thanks, David! Cooking for one really can be an uphill battle, particularly in terms of motivation. And yeah, I can’t really argue with the Shrek comment…although if you think about it, it’s perhaps not so different from zucchini bread! As for our favorites, I initially put the mango carrot cake on my list as well, but ended up choosing an additional one to avoid duplicates. But other than that, we had no overlap! I guess there are just too many good recipes to choose from 😉
This looks beautiful and the flavours sound interesting, I’m sure it’s very tasty.
Thanks, Cat! I’m so glad this caught your eye 🙂
Happy blogiversary, Mara! Regardless of how you started blogging, I’m so glad you did and even gladder that I found it and you! This lemon basil cake is beautiful! I have yet to try adding basil to desserts, and I think I’ll start with this cake recipe. Btw, don’t forget you’re cohosting tomorrow. I’ll be sending you the guidelines momentarily.
Thanks so much, Angie! I’m glad to have found you as well. And yes, I’m looking forward to cohosting! I’ve forgotten a lot of things this week, but I did not forget about that 😉
Great! I just sent you the guidelines. I’m so excited! I’m working on my post right now, see you tomorrow!
Such a gorgeous cake and photos, I love your blog!
Thanks, Kat! I’m so happy to hear that 🙂
Happy 5th anniversary. I too started five years ago, last May, and can’t believe I’m not blogged out. It has really helped me to be more adventurous in the kitchen, and of course reading posts like yours continues to give me inspiration. Thanks for co-hosting with me this week. Enjoy and have a lovely weekend.
Thanks, Hilda, and congrats to you too on hitting the five year mark earlier this year! There have definitely been times when I felt a bit low on inspiration, but I think it’s natural to have ebb and flow when it comes to creativity. I hope you have a great weekend too!
Happy Blogiversary, Mara!
I always enjoy reading your stories – they are real, relatable, and you have an authentic voice. When I see recipes in some food magazines, the recipes seem too involved and sometimes the level of science makes me not want to try their recipes. Yours seem much more doable and the photography is amazingly mouthwatering. Real food and real stories to go with the recipes: a great format! Keep creating, and sharing when you can – even if life sometimes gets in the way.
P.S. This cake looks like the definition of “summer!”
Thanks so much for all your kind words – and for reading along since the very beginning! I always enjoy hearing your feedback when you try a recipe 🙂
Congratulations! Beautiful blog 🙂
Thanks, Irene! I appreciate you stopping by!
Happy Fifth! Lovely looking cake there, and thanks for sharing your coming to the world of blogging.
At any rate, those berries look great, and this reminds me that if it ever gets to stop raining, or get cool enough, I’m going to have to get to one of our local blueberry picking places.
Thanks so much! Picking your own fruit can be so much fun – I hope the weather cooperates sometime soon 🙂
What a lovely post, with a happy ending. I think most all of us food bloggers never knew or anticipated what blogging would do for us beyond sharing our passion and recipes. I certainly didn’t. I’m at 5 years as well. Well, probably 6, but the first posts, although great food, were terribly photographed, so I’ve deleted most all of the first year! Anyway, congratulations!
Thanks, Mimi, and congrats on hitting the 5 (or 6) year mark as well! It really is amusing/painful to look back on the early photographs, isn’t it? I’ve been playing with the idea of reshooting a whole bunch of mine…
What a lovely story! Blogging is such a great way to be creative. I didn’t have a clue I was and I’m 47!!!Your cake looks amazing which ever colour you choose!
Thanks, Jenny! There are all sorts of different types of creativity – I’m glad that you were able to find yours! 🙂
Congratulations! You have a lovely blog oh that cake! 🙂 Thak you for co hosting Fiesta Friday!
Thanks, Petra! I’m so glad you stopped by 🙂
This looks amazing to celebrate the five years! Congrats, Mara & thanks for co-hosting FF this week! x
Thanks so much, Jhuls! I hope you had a great weekend.
Five years!!! Way to go!!! This cake looks amazing and is a beautiful way to celebrate. Keep up the great work!!!
Thanks so much, Kathy! It’s hard to believe that my blog is the same age as a kindergartener…
Happy blogiversary! This cake should certainly serve you well.
Thanks, Sean! It has and it will continue to – we’ve got lots of basil growing that needs to be used.
How absolutely fantastic! Lemon and basil is such a common pairing, but so rarely in a sweet context. I love it. And whip is the perfect complement. The berries, I’m sure, just make it pop over the top!
I agree – the lemon and basil combo seems to get more attention in the savory realm, but I love it just as much in desserts! Thanks for stopping by!