I Love Mom

Red Velvet Rum Cake ft. Cream Cheese Sea Salt Frosting

We're going a little off the beaten track for Mother's Day this year, eschewing the typical floral patterns that usually characterize this spring holiday. Aside from a beautiful flower arrangement and a delicious breakfast in bed, Slate says it best - "a tattoo dedicated to Mom is in fact one of the most iconic American maternal tributes."

When I thought of doing this graphic design for Mother's Day, I had no idea what flavor combinations were appropriate for a tattoo cake. Until I did my research: this cake is an ode to both mothers around the world and the man who is said to have originated the first Mom heart tattoo - a man named Norman Keith Collins but more famously known and remembered as Sailor Jerry.

He was born in California, enlisted in the merchant marines, and traveled through Southeast Asia, the Philippines, and Japan where he was influenced by several high-concept tattoo artists. Collins settled in Hawaii where he opened his own shop - an 'upscale operation somewhere between a hair stylist and a dentist.' By the 1960s, clients flew to Honolulu to acquire a 'Sailor Jerry' the way that they bought a 'Warhol."

Many of his tattoos played on nautical and Americana themes, including flags, ships, anchors, Civil War battles, and allegedly the famous ribbon-wrapped 'MOM' tattoo. These tattoos became popular with sailors during World War II as both trophies of achievements and travels, and also as momentos and keepsakes from home.

So this cake is flavored with rum and sea salt as an homage to the Sailor Jerry and the sailors that brought the MOM tattoo to life - and to the mothers that brought all of us into life as well.

Calimocho

Red Wine Velvet Cake ft. Coca Cola Frosting + Red Wine Reduction

There's nothing wrong with being a cheap date - and there is certainly nothing wrong with being a cheap drink for that matter. Enter the Calimocho (or Kalimotxo or Cocavino depending on your etymology of choice) - "the cheapest Spanish cocktail." Half red wine and half Coca Cola, the Calimocho is the darker version of a white wine spritzer, adding a touch of fizz to your glass of antioxidant-rich red wine.

We drank our first calimochos on a trip to Spain where a friend introduced us to the local college kids' drink of choice, favored since it is easy and inexpensive - requiring only a 2L bottle of Coke and a €2 bottle of red wine. In fact, "any average quality wine is good to make calimocho... even a bad wine will make a drinkable calimocho!" (We made ours with boxed wine - highly recommended).

I have found this drink to be a divider among those who try it. Much like cilantro or the smell of gasoline, I feel like you are either a fan or you can't stand the stuff. But whether you're for or against the calimocho in its liquid form, this remix is deep and rich - and full of antioxidants.

The cake starts with a red velvet cake mix, and replaces the usual wet ingredients with - what else - red wine and Coke (and a bit of sour cream to keep the cake from flattening). The Coke frosting is best made by reducing a cup of soda to a thick syrup and then mixing this with butter, powdered sugar, and a few more tablespoons of Coke. The frosting will turn out to be light brown in color so I added more brown food coloring to make a gradient when I frosted the cake (see below).

The most interesting part of this recipe is the reduction. Pour yourself a glass of red wine and then pour another cup of wine and some Coke into a saucepan. Simmer on low heat on the stovetop for 20-25 minutes until wine has bubbled and thickened into a syrup. I chose to stain the Coke-frosted cake with this red glaze, but you can also drizzle, pour, soak, spoon, or spritz the cake with the reduction as well. The cake is a little bitter and dry due to the wine, the frosting is sweet from the sugar and Coke, and the reduction should be the perfect blend of each.

Happy Red Wine Valentine's Day!

red wine velvet cake
1 box red velvet cake mix
3 eggs
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1/2 c. sour cream
3/4 c. red wine
1/2 c. Coca Cola
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Preheat oven to 325 degrees F, grease pan with butter or a non-stick spray like PAM. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs, oil, sour cream, wine, and Coke until smooth. Slowly add in cake mix into wet ingredients and beat on a high speed for 1 minute until batter is smooth.

Pour batter into greased pans until each is 2/3 of the way full. Bake according to the times on the back of the mix box, depending on the types of pans you are using. Use a toothpick to check doneness - if the toothpick comes out clean from the center of the cakes, remove from oven and let cool completely on a rack.

coca cola frosting
1/2 c. butter
2-3 tbsp. Coca Cola
2-3 tbsp. Coca Cola syrup
4 c. powdered sugar
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In a large mixing bowl, beat butter, Coke, and Coke syrup (see below) until blended. Slowly add in sugar and continue to mix on high until frosting forms.

coca cola syrup
1 c. Coca Cola
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Heat 1 cup of Coca Cola in a saucepan over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, while stirring constantly to keep it from sticking. Let mixture cool and thicken for 2 minutes until syrup forms.

red wine reduction
1 c. red wine
1/2 c. Coca Cola
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Heat wine and Coke in a saucepan over low heat for 20-25 minutes until volume has reduced to about half the original amount. Let cool, and the liquid should thicken slightly.