Happy Black History Month! ✊🏾
I had a lot of fun bringing this cake to life, and I’m so excited to share it with you all! 🤗
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Black History Month
Although Black history is American history and relevant all year long, historically not enough attention has been paid to the contributions of African Americans in this country. I don’t know about all of you, but, for a long time, there was so much I didn’t know about Black History in the United States. Most of what I had learned in school was about the enslavement of Black people, and that was about it. It wasn’t until well after college that I began to truly learn about all the amazing ways that Black people have contributed to the growth and prosperity of not only the United States, but also the world.
That’s why the existence of Black History Month is so important. It’s an opportunity to focus on intentionally learning about more than the enslavement of Black people in this country. If you’ve ever wondered how this month came to be, here are some quick facts:
- Black History Month evolved out of Negro History Week in the late 1960s.
- Negro History Week was created in 1926 by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), which was founded in 1915 by historian Carter G. Woodson and minister Jesse E. Moorland.
- Black History Month happens in February because Negro History Week happened on the second week of February to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.
- We have been officially celebrating Black History Month since 1976 when President Gerald Ford formally recognized the event.
- Every year, there’s a theme for Black History Month, and this year, it’s “Black Family: Representation, Identity, and Diversity.”
If you’d like to learn a little more, check out the article I pulled this information from.
So, in recognition of this month that grew out of necessity, I decided to turn my cakes into books written by Black authors. These books all have something to say about the Black experience in the United States, and most of them can be found on several must-read lists. I’ll share some short summaries, and, if you’re interested, I’d definitely recommend checking them out. I’ll also be sharing additional book lists below in case you’re looking for more reading suggestions. However, if books aren’t your thing, there are so many other ways to learn, so check out my BLM post for some other educational recommendations such as podcasts or documentaries.
I chose to turn these four books, which are on my reading list, into cakes:
- The Office of Historical Corrections: A Novella and Stories by Danielle Evans
- 4.3 out of 5 on Goodreads
- I chose this book because it popped up as I was casually looking for new reads and seemed very interesting. It’s a collection of short stories that are focused on topics such as race, grief, and American history through Black and multiracial characters. As a person who loves fiction, I plan on getting my hands on this book as soon as possible.
- The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
- 4.5 out of 5 on Goodreads
- Most people I know have either read this book or have it on their reading list. It was written shortly after Barack Obama was elected president for the first time and does a deep dive into how and why our justice system is racially structured. It’s a must-read for understanding the racial realities of our country and a major system of inequality. If you’d rather have a visual guide on this topic, I’d recommend watching the documentary 13th on Netflix or for free on youtube.
- Black in America: The Paradox of the Color Line by Enobong Hannah Branch, Christina Jackson
- No rating on Goodreads (So if you do decide to read it, make sure you rate it!)
- A college friend of mine, Lucius Couloute, a professor at Suffolk University researching the impacts of mass incarceration, contributed a chapter to this book and made me aware of its existence so I had to add it to my reading list. (Support your people! ✊🏾) This book explores the contradictions that exist in this country when it comes to race and our social structures. It discusses the challenges that Black people face in systems, such as housing and the labor market, that claim to be colorblind and equitable but aren’t.
- Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi
- 4.5 out of 5 on Goodreads
- When the Black Lives Matter protests happened last summer and people were searching for ways to become more informed about the racial inequalities that exist in this country, this book was often found on many must-read lists. It’s a substantial book that covers the entire history of anti-racist ideas that exist in this country and how they impact everyone living here. It demonstrates how these ideas came to be and provides hope for how people can move forward. I wasn’t able to get my hands on it last year but I plan on adding it to my library immediately.
If you’ve read any of these books or read them anytime in the future, please share your thoughts on them! I’d love to know. I’ll come back and update my summaries once I’ve finished reading as well.
Although most of the books I listed are more educational and focused on the racial systems that exist in our country, in order to celebrate Black history you don’t have to, and shouldn’t, just focus on learning about and discussing oppression. I’ve got some fun and entertaining books by Black authors that I want to read as well and people should look for the things that help paint a picture of the full humanity of Black people.
If you want some book lists to explore, check out this one by Penguin Random House, it’s got so many great suggestions including, The Office of Historical Corrections, which I turned into a cake, and The Vanishing Half, which I plan on choosing for my book club once it’s my turn. I’ve heard amazing things about Americanah, and I’ve already started Black Leopard, Red Wolf, though I’ll admit I’m having trouble focusing on it. If you’d rather get your guidance from Oprah, check out her list, which includes books like Between the World and Me, a book I own and would highly recommend reading, and Kindred, another great book that I enjoyed thanks to my husband. Honestly, her list has a lot of books I either own and have read or plan on reading soon. And in case those weren’t enough, I’m throwing one more list into the mix courtesy of Shonda Rhimes’s website. With a mix of fiction and non-fiction, including The New Jim Crow, I’m sure you can find some good options here as well. And don’t forget children’s books! Check out some options in this list or this one. Read to the little ones in your life or gift them a book so they can learn something new. You’re never too young to start. Another great resource is to ask your friends what they’ve read and like!
Regardless of how you choose to learn, I hope you’ll make an effort to learn something new this month and once you’ve done that, keep on learning. The best way to understand the complex history of this country and current events is by learning about the things we were never taught.
Making the Cake
So now that you know about the inspiration behind the cake, let’s talk about how it came to life.
Originally it was going to be made up of all vanilla cake but since I’m impatient and tried to put way too much batter into one pan, I had to scrap my poorly baked vanilla cake and turn Stamped into a chocolate cake. All the cakes were then covered and filled with vanilla American buttercream and covered in fondant. The only book that had a different color spine from its cover was The Office of Historical Corrections so that required an extra step.
Once all the books were covered with fondant, I was able to move on to the final parts of decorating. Honestly, at this point, I was so excited to just see them covered and with their “pages” done, they were so cute! I probably could have been happy stopping there.
Before I could add the final details I had to stack the cake which was a bit intimidating. Originally this was supposed to be a small realistically sized cake but…yeah, no, that didn’t happen, haha. 😅 You live and you learn. I knew the frosting and fondant would add to the size but I really underestimated how much and hadn’t wanted to plan for it. I’ll do better next time.
So I very carefully lifted and stacked my cakes. There were some dents in the bottom of the cakes but I wasn’t too worried about it since I knew I had to add the bottom covers to all of them. Once my cakes were securely stacked I rolled out some fondant strips and attached them with water to the bottom of each book.
Then, I spent some time painting on all the details of each book. It was a long but relaxing process, I love art and it was fun bringing the book to life though I was worried about spacing. Also, trying to write on a book cake while recording it is not easy.
However, it all came together and I loved the result. I wish I could share a slice but I guess I’ll just have to take one for the team and eat it instead. Who knew learning could be so fun and tasty! I hope that if the authors ever see their cakes, they’ll find them to be just as fun and delightful as I do.
If you’d like to watch the process from start to finish, enjoy the video below:
