Mundane Monday: Birthday Cake

Today is my birthday, so it’s not as mundane as the other 51 Mondays this year. We all know the downsides of social media, but I’m liking the Facebook anniversary function and the “rediscover this day” function in Google photos. One thing it led me to re-discover was cakes of birthdays past. 

One year while I was still living in Massachusetts, my birthday fell on orchestra/choir rehearsal night. It is an experience like no other to be serenaded in the birthday song by full orchestra and choir in four-part harmony. My stand partner and best friend attached a mylar balloon to my chair and brought a sheet cake for the intermission refreshments.

While I remember the music at that celebration very well, at least in the US, cakes tend to occupy the center of attention. In the recent film, Blade Runner 2049, a birthday cake scene was still one of the most powerful memories of a happy childhood.

I found making birthday cakes to be one of the more fun parental duties. I especially like the Hello Kitty and Minecraft-themed cakes I made when my kids were small:

Then there were the years when the main decoration was the sentiment:

And the years when we just couldn’t resist the lure of the Carvel ice cream cake (no, I don’t work for Carvel, just a satisfied customer!):

Okay, now I’m getting hungry . . .

Here’s to all the birthday cakes, whether they’re homemade from scratch, out of a box, store bought, ice cream, gluten-free, nut-free, sugar-free, or somewhere in between!

For the Mundane Monday Challenge #138.