Catching Up, With Cake

I’ve been living at the center of the tornado that is student life for the past few months, and this blog has been silent because I haven’t managed to write anything that totally self-obsessed. Anything that isn't focused, that is, on questions about the nature of the self, the nature of our idea of the self, or the nature of what selves can do and how we should treat them, as asked and answered by David Hume, G.E. Anscombe, Sydney Shoemaker, Christine Korsgaard, and plenty of others. I've taken occasional breaks for thinking about Aristotle’s account of bravery. I then try to exemplify that virtue when I return to self-consciousness.

It’s unfortunate that I haven’t been posting, because this student life does not include a diet of instant ramen and dinner-cereal. Far from it. This is Berkeley, after all, and there’s no reason, excuse, or even feasible method for avoiding noteworthy food. And I’ve been experimenting with new things a fair amount – baking, braising, and freezing all sorts of substances. I’m going to try to catch up on the documentation over winter break, and of course I’ll be making countless new dishes to force on all the people who plan to come to town for the holidays.

But before I return to term papering, here’s a recipe to start off with. It’s one of a number of birthday desserts that I’ve made this semester, and the second one to include alcohol as a key ingredient. I find that people appreciate this on their birthdays. It was inspired by this year’s Anchor Steam Christmas Ale, a rich and spicy beer that could count as a dessert on its own. Upon my first sip, I immediately pronounced that it tasted exactly like cake, and promised to make it into one. Most things, after all, are improved by transformation into cake form.

Chocolate Birthday Beer Cake

1 box Trader Joe’s chocolate cake mix

Whatever else it lists on the back of the box, minus the water

Anchor Steam Christmas Ale

2 tsp cinnamon

Follow the directions on the box, but replace the water with an equal quantity of beer, and add the cinnamon. I didn’t frost it, because I didn’t have time to make frosting, and because I like cake better than frosting – especially this cake. But it would be excellent with some whipped cream. Or plain cream.