The Traveling Swirly Pan!

The Traveling Swirly Pan!

Do you believe certain things are worth the wait?  I do!  Three years ago, I was still a relatively new blogger and happily baking my heart out between work and family obligations.  My online friend Jenni Field had the brilliant idea to start a “Community Through Cake” and began “The Peoplehood of the Traveling Swirly Pan Project.”  Basically, she asked a bunch of folks on Facebook if they were interested in baking from a beautiful Nordic Ware cake pan that would be sent around the USA and Canada.  Each person would get ten days with the pan, bake as many cakes as they heart desired, write down the experience (and share recipes) in the included journal, then pass the pan along to the next person on the list.  Jenni, a master of organization, assembled our addresses and plotted the course of the pan.  This is her first journal entry…

Traveling Swirly Pan entry
Fast forward three years and it was finally my turn to receive the magic traveling swirly pan and the baking journal.  During the course of her travels, the pan was affectionately named Dorothy and the journal became Toto.  The pan was even engraved with her new title!
Traveling Swirly Pan
I can’t tell you how excited I was to receive the Email from Lisa, the lovely baker who had Dorothy before she swirled my way!  Lisa and I made arrangements to meet at Costco (exciting, right?) near my house.  Lisa, bless her heart, drove two hours from San Diego, CA to deliver Dorothy to me.  Here’s a picture Lisa’s mom took of the two of us.  See the Costco guy behind us?  He thought we were crazy, squealing like kids at getting to meet each other.  There were big hugs all around.  Well, except for the Costco guy.  He didn’t get one.
Traveling Swirly Pan
 During my time with Dorothy, I went through a huge roller coaster of emotions.  The first day I was able to bake with her was three days after Lisa dropped her off to me.  I went a bit crazy and made two different cakes that day.  It felt AMAZING to be cooking and baking on my own creative terms.   I was singing in the kitchen, dancing with my apron strings swinging around my hips and generally having a delicious time!  Then, life took a downward turn and I wasn’t able to bake with Dorothy again before it was time to send her off.  Writing in the journal was hard too.  After I mailed Dorothy to the next person on the list, I realized I had forgotten to put pictures and recipes into the journal.  Ugh!  So frustrating!  Still, it was a magical time and I loved reading through the entries on Toto.  Knowing so many talented and wonderful people have been a part of this project is truly humbling.  With still so many people waiting to get their turn with Dorothy, it’s going to be an epic journey, with years still to come!   I will be posting the pictures and recipes of one of the cakes I made with Dorothy!  It’s a recipe from a friend and I can’t wait to share it with you later this week.
Do you want to follow Dorothy and Toto’s Grand Cake Adventures?  Here are the social media links to the Peoplehood of the Traveling Swirly Pan!

facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TravelingSwirlyPan

twitter: http://www.twitter.com/SwirlyPan

To all those who came before me and those still yet to bake with Dorothy, THANK YOU!  Thank you for being part of this delicious community and inspiring so much joy through cake.  Thank you Jenni Field for this unique project of love!  It was fun!!

Do you have a favorite bundt cake recipe?  I’d love to hear about it!  Share with me in the comments below!

Related posts

Share your thoughts

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.