Start the new year with a positively yummy resolution -- to celebrate each month by making a cake. Few desserts are as universally appreciated as a really good cake. And few mark special occasions nearly as well, perhaps because cutting a cake is such a potent ceremonial moment.
We've invented a calendar of cakes to take you from January to December, suited to the holidays, ingredients, and moods of the seasons. One month may have you carefully crafting a regal anniversary cake; another will find you snacking on warm coffee cake with your best friend on a cool morning. Enjoy making one cake, and then the next. And look ahead once again, knowing there will soon be another reason to celebrate.
January: Martha's Meyer Lemon Anniversary Cake
February: Triple-Chocolate Mousse Cake
March: Cardamom Streusel Coffee Cake
April: Spring Shower Almond Petits Fours
May: Teatime Coconut Layer Cake
June: Cocoa Buttermilk Cake with Scrolled Tuiles
July: Berry Pound Cakes with Whipped Cream
August: Peaches-and-Cream Ice Cream Cake
September: "Bake Sale Cookie" Cupcakes
October: Darkest Chocolate Crepe Cake
November: Apple Pie Cake and Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake
December: Snow-Capped Fruitcake