I was thinking this morning about my first days of becoming a mom. A memory of Theo and me when he was about three weeks old. It was the first time I took him somewhere all by myself. The drive home was about fifteen miles or so and I vividly remember him not crying but screaming, those itty bitty lungs surely about to burst right out of those bird-like chest bones. I was shaking and absolutely terrified, reasoning with myself that I just had to get us home. I had never taken care of a baby before Theo. I remember feeling in that moment while I drove and he was miserable the stark realization that I had just really truly completely changed as a person. By the time we reached home, I was crying, too. I remember getting him in the carrier out of the car and coming inside. We went straight to the sunroom and I fished him out of that warm bucket and brought him right up to my face, cheek to cheek. Some gentle bouncing and sssshhh sssshhh sssshhh's and then quiet calm. Both of us. Standing there, together, in a patch of sunlight, I knew my extraordinary purpose and responsibility.
My mom has also been on my mind, and not just because Mother's Day is this week. I think about her a lot these days while I'm doing the work of the garden, remembering my early childhood, always pawing alongside of her while she tended to her beautiful flower beds. I remember a mother with dirty knees and sun-drenched skin, finished with garden work and moving on to hang linens just out of the washing machine on the clothesline because, she would say, "there's nothing like getting into a freshly made bed at night that smells like the sun." A few years ago, as she was taking sheets off the line, I heard Theo ask her why she did that [instead of using the dryer] and she said the very same thing.
I made this lemon-thyme bundt cake for Easter and in the near future will make in Florida, for my mom. This is the kind of cake she will love. I will use thyme that she's grown and local lemons. I will be filled with gratitude to sit with her on the lanai, a glass of cool chardonnay and a slice of this cake shared together. Grateful for time.
Lemon-Thyme Cake(adapted from Family Circle)
3 cups all-purpose flour1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda1/2 tsp salt2 sticks (one cup) unsalted butter, softened1 3/4 cups organic sugar (granulated)5 eggs1/3 cup plus 3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice3 tbsp lemon zest3 tbsp fresh thyme, roughly chopped, plus a few springs for garnish2 tsp real vanilla extract1 cup buttermilk1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar1/4 cup (or slightly more if needed) heavy cream
Heat oven to 350 F. Butter and flour a 12-cup bundt pan.In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using a stand mixer of hand mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium-high speed for about 3 minutes, until fluffy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Add 1/3 cup lemon juice, the zest, thyme and vanilla. On low speed, beat in half the flour mixture, then the buttermilk, followed by the remaining flour mixture. Pour batter into prepared bundt pan, tapping it on the counter to release air bubbles. Bake for about 50 minutes to 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean.Cool in bundt pan for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto a cake stand or plate, gently shaking to remove. Allow cake to cool completely.In a bowl, whisk confectioners' sugar and 3 tbsp lemon juice until smooth. Drizzle over cooled cake with a spoon and garnish with sprigs of fresh thyme.
So much love to you and yours this Mother's Day.
