Think of this as a creative writing assignment.
Somebody come up with a defensible theological reason why a chocolate-almond butter cake, or possibly a flourless chocolate torte, is an appropriate symbolic choice to make to celebrate the Nativity of Mary next month.
I am open to using white frosting, but not really.
Since most of the rationale behind what people choose to serve on a feast day isn’t necessarily steeped in theological reasoning, you can pretty much find a reason for anything!
Almond:
The Almond is a symbol of Divine favor, taken from Numbers, Chapter 18, verses 1-8, prefiguring Our Lady.
Can be found here:
http://www.catholictradition.org/Mary/marys-symbols.htm
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Quite simple, actually. Use white chocolate frosting–best if you do a two-layer flourless torte, one dark chocolate, one milk; that way you have a triple-chocolate cake (which is delightful even to those of us who don’t like white chocolate)–thus you have the purity of Mary (and the redeeming work of the divine Son whom she will bear) surrounding and covering the darkness and sin of the world.
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about that one I make with the blueberries (Grimel Cake) but without the blueberries? It is fairly white, and toasted almonds could be sprinkled atop.
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Do you need deep theological reasoning to enjoy a favorite dessert on a favorite feast day? I appreciate the thought people put into preparing beautiful, symbolic desserts; but frankly, that’s not really my style. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a simple: “Yay! It’s a Marian feast let’s have cake!”
Or you can say: “I bet Mary likes chocolate birthday cake too.”
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Chocolate, etymologically, is the food of the gods. It’s a great thing to serve on a feast day of Our Lady, whose own blood became God’s food when she nursed the baby Jesus.
Maybe?
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Hmm, did they have chocolate in first-century Palestine?
Rob Harrison, I like the way you think (good one with the white frosting covering the dark cake idea). The problem is that anything white chocolate is anathema to my husband. He would regard white chocolate as an objectively evil ingredient.
Charlotte, thank you for the almonds reference.
MelanieB, “Yay let’s have cake” is of course a last-resort option, I just thought maybe I could fake some symbolism in it too. Perhaps I will compromise with almond-flavored white frosting on the chocolate almond butter cake.
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Why not a lovely rich chocolate cake to celebrate the lovely, rich gifts Our Lord gave Our Lady?
(Keep in mind I am a master at justifying things to myself)
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I kind of think that having symbolism to feast day foods is a new thing, invented with the ready availability and variety of foodstuffs. Wouldn’t the common people have made their ordinary foods a little more special, say, with candles stuck in sweet buns shaped like a wreath? Or putting crosses on buns or shaping bread dough into folded arms?
Here, we’ll probably have a birthday cake in honor of Mary’s BD, preceded by much arguement on what kind of cake we should make. I think that since Mary was a female, she would naturally have enjoyed a chocolate cake with a dark ganache. I could always plop a flower from my Rose of Sharon bush on top for added meaning. But my husband things a lemon/blueberry cake with cream cheese frosting would have been her choice.
Maybe you could contrive some BVM as “ark of the covenant” symbolism? Arks are made of wood and wood is dark and ????
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Does it have to be cake? Why nice rice or vanilla pudding, divinity fudge, or even vanilla ice cream?
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The thing is, white chocolate is normally anathema to me, too–but I learned to make an exception from the triple-chocolate mousse cake we used to get at Death By Chocolate in Vancouver. Seriously, combine it with milk and dark chocolate, and it’s a whole other thing.
I should also note, for me personally, part of it is that I really don’t care for almonds. So it all depends. 🙂
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Ooh, that sounds like a great idea Christy! Only I’ve never made tres leches. Will look around!
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bearing blog 