I'm a working mom. I work in an office 4 days a week and one day at home. But the only thing harder than being away from my kids 4 days a week, is trying to work with them at home with me. Don't get me wrong, I love my kids, they are my everything. But when you're writing a creative piece under a deadline or trying re-edit a cut while potty training a two year old, it gets pretty...frustrating.
So when I make it to the weekend, I like to make the most of it, and BAKE. Baking helps my anxiety. I know, it sounds insane. But, it's something that I can do with a certain amount of control. There's a cause and effect. And that gives me a sense of calm. This has been quite a year, and at my job, there have been uncertainties. So my week was filled with stress and anxiety. Which is why this weekend, I decided to try and make a mental change. I decided that if life hands me lemons, I'll make lemon bars, lemon meringue pie, lemon curd...or a lemon chiffon roll cake with strawberry swirled whipped cream. I'm harnessing these scary feelings into someone delicious. A cool, cloudy day in the middle of spring isn't exactly life handing you a lemon, but when you're dreaming of summer, this is the next best thing! Plus strawberries were on sale at my market so, why not!? Citrusy, sweet and sour flavors are some of my favorites. They're bright, and not too heavy. Makes you think that having another slice is light eating! You can't really do that with a dark chocolate brownie now can you? So to brighten up my Sunday I decided to make my favorite roll cake, adding lemon zest, juice and extract to really punch in those lemon notes. And the Strawberry puree in the whipped cream just adds another layer of sweetness. We're so close to summer we can taste it. And with this cake, you totally can!
