Posted on by Deb

Giant Cookie Cake

Giant Cookie Cake

Lessons in Acceptance

Max the Cat

“I have wondered why it is that some people are less affected and torn by the verities of life and death than others.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

Like kite tails swirling in the blustery spring wind; days whirl by. Tangled together the strings are difficult to separate, one day resembles the next. We go along, go along and then venture a bit further. Further from ourselves and what really means the most to us. Sometimes, all the pressures and self imposed expectations of family, work and self intertwine into a jumbled ball of tension and frustration that is more challenging and time consuming to sort out than the tangled kite string. I had arrived at such a place. At the time I didn’t understand how I got there; I was just hanging on to that jumble of a swirling kite tail. Spinning, dizzy with raging emotions I was unsure of myself. I needed shelter from the intense vertigo and most of all needed to accept my arrival at the destination I had played a part in choosing. In the five stages of grief, acceptance is last. No matter how hard we work or how smart we may be the realization that life has blemishes and injuries result in scars is at times daunting.

Max the Cat

It was during my spin and decent into the cushion of acceptance that Max the Cat came into my life. I have shared Max’s history before and his way of being. I’m not convinced that Max is as special as I like to portray him. But undoubtedly his arrival was special. I learned a lesson I had forgotten. To accept life as it unfolds and revel in the imperfections as unique as shining jewels that litter the path we travel.

Max purrs easily and loves to cuddle on my lap. He still runs to hide at any loud noise. Surround sound from the TV, music of any type, loud noise in the kitchen, a rattled paper or magazine, a voice without kindness sends him scampering under our bed. And under the bed he will stay until he is ready to emerge. Anthropomorphically, we infer “Max got his furry feelings hurt”. And furry he is. I could vacuum daily and still there would be cat fur. Being the serious, but affectionate type he only plays occasionally. Laser pointers are of no interest. He remains hungry. Unless he has just eaten, he wants to eat again. He is an anxious pest before his breakfast and dinner. In the morning he will pounce on the bed, run across both of us and then wait, watching us until we get up. At 3 p.m. he begins hovering, pacing and being a nuisance until his dinner at 5 p.m. And so we have a fat cat. Not as huge as when he came to us seven years ago, but still, a fat cat. I share Max’s habits and personality as an example of an extraordinary friend. A friend with deeply ingrained habits and imperfections and yet we accept him for who is, Max the Cat. Letting go of the expectation of perfection is liberating. Max is a tangible reminder that with acceptance peace is possible.

Max the Cat

Essentials

This post is a celebration of Max’s seventh year with us. We are guessing that he is now nine years old. I’ve taken to baking a treat for his human family on the anniversary of the day he came to live with us. A reminder of how quickly time passes and another irresistible reason to celebrate the unique sweetness that is Max the Cat. If you are interested in Max’s anthropomorphic qualities or enjoy cats he has a very active Twitter account @ColonelMomo. His nickname Colonel Momo suits his bossy personality perfectly, although we endearingly call him “Momo” or just “Mo”. Max is the “proper” name he arrived with seven years ago.

Baking giant cookies

Max and his cake

Since Max is a seal point Siamese I tend to bake something chocolate on Max’s Day. This year I chose the Giant Cookie Cake from Martha Stewart’s Cakes and Cupcakes. The gigantic Chocolate Chip Cookies suit Max perfectly in color and size! The finished cake is so much fun; who doesn’t enjoy chocolate chip cookies? The cookies are astonishingly sweet, while the cream cheese frosting retains its appealing tang. Paired together as a cake each voluptuous bite results in an impressive and lavish dessert. This was a easy Martha recipe but the instructions were a bit haphazard. It just wasn’t possible to beat 6T of butter and a total of 2-1/4 cups of sugar into creamy submission. The sugar overwhelmed the butter and after ten minutes of mixing I moved onto the next step. The cake is a breeze to put together and easy to slice and serve.

Max the Cat

31 Replies to “Giant Cookie Cake”

  1. Pingback: Apple Butter Hand Pies for Max | East of Eden Cooking

  2. I’m not sure which looks more irresistible – Max or the cake. If I could eat a piece of that cake while petting Max on my lap, well, that would make for a perfect dessert moment.

    1. Thank you for the delightful comment Mary! Max would probably try to have a bite of the cream cheese frosting, LOL!

  5. Max is a very lucky guy!!!! Beautiful post Deb- I for one am so thankful for cakes like yours to help us celebrate all the good things in life 😉

  6. Oh Deb, I know what you mean about that place…..I feel as though I’m there!!!! But thank God for lifesavers and love. his cookie cake looks wonderful.

  7. I really like your writing and Max is absolutely gorgeous. My cats are feeling left out that they don’t have twitter accounts now though. Your cookie cake looks absolutely heavenly and I love that it was baked to celebrate Max!

  11. so sweet you’re celebrating max; my orange tabby will be turning 19 (wow) this year, those little fury guys can sure bring a lot to our life – lovely cookie cake Deb!

    1. Thank you for the lovely comment Orly! Would enjoy meeting your sweet orange tabby! Many years ago I had another Siamese cat for almost twenty years, a lovely old soul!

  12. I had dogs and miss them like crazy. And then I got a pregnant cat who delivered in my back yard, and had the kittens for weeks, and finally understood cats. Life with pets is amazing, and Max sounds like a great companion Deb! That surely is a wonderful cat cake!

  13. of course max is as special as you say is – after all he is yours, you and your family have taken him into your home and hearts and you think he is special so he is. besides isn’t every being – 2 or 4 legged – special in some way?

    happy adoption day to you both

  14. We have a fat cat named Max too! A rescue cat that we adore and talk to, pandering to his every whim especially as he almost died of liver failure last year. Our pets help make us more human, I think. Beautiful images of your sweet, regal Max, and the cake/cookie, and both together!

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