It isn’t the cake. Not really but sort of. It is the connection and the laughter; it is the planning and the execution; it is the hands dirty and sticky. It’s the math and the sequencing; it’s the magic of the kitchen and the tidbits of conversation unrehearsed and unexpected. It’s what happens when you bake together adapting as you go along, the goal that moment when iced and plated we are ready for the picture.

This is the third Fourth of July bake off that Tali and I created.  Each year a different cake but every year a patriot’s theme. The first year it was the flag and we learned that not all food colorings are created equal. So the red of our fist cake batter was more maroon and the blue more of an aqua than navy. The second year we went for the fireworks and as you cut the cake red white and blue M & M’s cascaded to the plate, an homage to the rockets red glare.

This year we called it deconstructed. We showcase the guts of the cake, with red white and blue sprinkles peeking through, the frosting an afterthought. Or another way of putting it: The truth of America in 2019 can’t be hidden under a parade of icing.  Who will this country belong to? Who will this country welcome to its borders? How will this country rekindle its vision and promise for the America of many different cultures, colors, heritages and traditions? We wanted our cake to ask: What is really great about America: the confectionery coating of a puerile patriotism or the gore and guts of you and me who want an inclusive, fair and open society?

But enough of the cake and its politics, it is the experience of forming memories together – It is the love, love, love as powdered sugar coats the counter. It is Jacob doing the math and Corey doing the critique and Dani offering support, missing Sammy and Maya at camp. It is ignoring how much butter is in buttercream. It is life at its best. It is thank you to Momofuku Milk Bar for posting their recipe.

See what can happen when we share?