Maple Pecan Spice Cake Therapy

The last few weeks have been utter stress. P and I have been inundated with guests for the past couple of weeks and work has been non-stop. Not to mention that P has just been introduced to the wonderful world of unemployment. I've been slowly simmering, but reached my boiling point this Friday. It was just all too overwhelming. Lucky for my in-laws, they were in town to witness my rapid combustion.

What I really needed was a weekend alone. I don't think I've had a day alone for almost a year now. Every holiday P and I get is spent either away visiting friends and family, or in town with friends and family visiting us. Even those normal weekends at home with no guests and no plans, there is still P and his endless talking. I love the man and I love his ability to talk, but after 4 years living alone sometimes I miss the quiet.Which is exactly what I planned for this weekend.

As of Saturday at 1:00, I was free! No more talking, no more guests - just quiet. And in that time, I've never felt so connected to the rest of the world. I've now spoken with my neighbour about four times in the last two days, which is more than I've spoken to her in the last 2 years. My parents and sister S were visiting last weekend. I'm usually lucky to speak to S once a month, and my parents usually call every other week. But I just spent an hour on the phone with S and missed a call from my parents. Not to mention the Facebook conversations and endless texts from work about computer issues and complaints.

I find the best way to cope with all stressors is to bake. Baking helps me take my mind off of everything that's troubling me and bury myself in the recipe. Not to mention, the delight afterwards of getting to eat whatever I made is stress release itself. Nothing feels so comforting and fulfilling than eating a slice of cake that is perfectly moist and slathered in rich icing. It is so satisfying knowing that at least this part of life will always come out right. (Just don't ask me on days when the oven breaks or the cake doesn't rise.)

The stress release of this weekend was Maple Pecan Spice Cake. The recipe came from Cooking Light, so I could at least pretend I was eating something that wasn't completely horrible for me. I had tried it once before and ended up overcooking the cake slightly, so I made certain I didn't this time.The icing was a little bit tricky and cooled way too quickly. I had to rush to cover the whole thing while it was still warm, and even so the cake looks distinctly "homemade". The cake is rich and spicy with chucks of toasted pecans, which perfectly cut the sweetness of the icing. As I was mixing, I could feel the stress slowly ebbing away and being replaced by quiet contentment.

The first bite was sheer and utter bliss. Almost. The next best thing would be to share this cake with P, despite his noise.