I have been fascinated by movies since when I was a child. Films can take you anywhere: to a desert with no people or supplies, to your favorite city, to the past or even to another planet. All the stories that are told in books or that are created by filmmakers come alive and everything becomes vivid, clear and real. My parents would always take me to movies with them and that was absolutely stunning! I imagined I was one of the characters, I travelled through time and space, saved a lot of people and was in love with a handsome stranger. And after such an exciting pastime we usually came home to enjoy ube cake that my mom had cooked perfectly well. The extract of ube gave the dessert its unique taste and flavor that I still remember.
My mom actually taught this simple yet delicious recipe. First, we baked the pans in the oven at 350F. Then mom mixed the flour with baking powder and ube extract and I mixed egg yolk with ube jam and sugar. Finally, we folded the two mixtures together to create the soft and nice texture we wanted. All we had to do afterwards was to put the batter to pans and bake the whole thing. Dad loved our cake a lot and he even asked to make it each time we were going to the cinema!
I have always loved the movies not only because of this “cake tradition” but also because I could make my dreams come true only by watching a film. For example, if my dream was to become the best dancer but I knew I was bad at dancing in real life I could escape from reality and watch the brilliant Debbie Reynolds, imagining I was in her place. Sometimes I imagined visiting another planet or even living there so when as soon as I knew where to watch The Martian I rushed there immediately.
Now when I watch movies I feel like I am a small child again. My imagination turns on once I start watching something. By the way, our family tradition with cakes still continues but now I pick a new cake for each movie and my children love it! One of my best cake choices was cassata cake which, I guess, will be perfect for any movie.
I start off by mixing milk, eggs, sugar and vanilla on high speed. Then I add some ricotta cheese to create the needed texture and flavor. After that, I heat the oven and bake round pans. While they are baking I mix the butter with sugar and eggs. Finally, I put the batter on the prebaked pans and put the cake in the oven for 30 minutes.
When my children come home from movies the first thing they think about is usually this amazing cake. We all love discussing cinema while taking small bites of cassata cake, especially in summer. I haven’t forgotten my mom’s recipe too: sometimes my family enjoys her special recipe. But after all, each film needs something unique so I’m trying to find a perfect dessert match for each one.
