A Perfect Success

Greetings fellow perfectionists! Today, I share with you my cooking catastrophe that is as fraught with disaster and disappointment as it is sweetly-filled with an important life lesson.

Having baked a gorgeous and delicious Bundt cake, my girlfriend, Barb, inspired me to try my hand at her confectioner’s delight.  She shared with me photos of her masterpiece and the . . .wait for it . . . Limoncello Bundt Cake recipe. YUM.

Scanning the recipe, I lugged my twenty-nine-pound KitchenAid mixer onto the counter (those who bake need not lift weights) and quickly pulled the ingredients from the pantry and ‘frig. I measured carefully and went to work. Time was of the essence. Another friend, Kathryn, was expecting family that evening in preparation of her mother’s funeral.

Having confidently thought I had followed the directions exactly as written I was beyond jubilant at the site of the golden work of art rising in my oven as the scent of lemons and butter and sour cream wafted through the house. It was truly a Betty Crocker moment.

Until it wasn’t’.

Waiting patiently for the cake to cool, the time of reckoning came. Could I get the Bundt cake out of the fluted pan without it falling apart? I had failed at this before, so I had asked Barb for counsel regarding this critical exchange between baker and cake. She told what she had done but rather than research the topic more deeply, I jumped to the conclusion I knew what she meant.

I didn’t.

So, what did I do? I ran up and purchased a Nothing Bundt Cake! As I handed it off, Kathryn thanked me. But the redemption story is what happened next: When I showed her the picture of her cake, cooling on my counter, peals of laughter rang out. Nothing could have been more perfect than providing my dear friend some comic relief in the midst of her stress and mourning.

Whatever your burden of perfection might be—appearance, home, cooking, success, children— know this: Perfectionism looks nice from afar but up close, realism is way sweeter.

(Until it happens twice. But that’s a success story for another day.)