Baking is a comfort for me. When I’m stressed or worried or frustrated, cracking some eggs in a bowl and whisking them with sugar and chocolate makes the world feel right again.

I was in a weird stretch recently where I had been blessed with the opportunity to make several cakes as a part of my business. It ended up exhausting me and I realized I don’t actually enjoy making things that people want me to make – I just like to go in the kitchen and come up with a new creation and hope that I can share it with people and they’ll love it.

That’s where this recipe came from.

I still have quite a bit of my homemade cranberries in the freezer from the holidays and I knew it would go perfectly with all this chocolate.

I think doing the drip on the outside of this cake was one of my favorite things I’ve done so far.

I may update this post with the recipe later, but I wanted to share the pics and my thoughts before I forgot to do it.

I’m constantly struggling with deciding what I want to be “when I grow up”. I’m constantly battling with myself over whether or not I should pursue my baking passion, or whether that’s something that’s just for me that I keep in my home and for my family. Whether I should continue in corporate america or build my own business. Whether I should pursue other passions and hope that it works out or just find the first profession that will make the most money for my family.

I know I can’t be alone in this, but it sure feels like it sometimes. Especially when I see people who know what they want to do from such a young age and grow up to do that exact thing. They seem to know everything!

For the time being, I will be content to NOT know everything. The best thing I can do is make sure I inspire my children to push themselves and be the best version of themselves each and every day. That’s a complete chore all on its own. I want to know that I at least made one positive change in myself, however small, each day. Who knows what the future holds?

This cake, on the other hand? I know exactly what it holds.

Calories.

Carbs.

Love.

Sweetness.

Understanding.

No judgment.

And I’ll share a bit of it with you today.