Well, frankly. why? If it's your birthday,and mine's impending, which is maybe why I'm remixing the cake question, people always assume it's going to involved chocolate cake, preferably in huge sticky slabs. Will we never move on from here? The only direction of progression seems to be ever deeper into the chocolate. It's not that I actively dislke chocolate, in fact I'm developing a tendency to buy a few truffles to get me through the Christmas shopping, just that I think that there must be more to cake and frankly I feel I'm probably missing out on something if I don't diversify a bit. Maybe setting up a support group for chocolate escapers, for those who politely fork their way through a friend's birthday tea, secretly fantasising about lemon drizzle. Or something meltingly orangey with spices and butter cream.
I was queueing in a cafe this evening with a friend who I wanted to buy a treat for, because, as I said above, it's my birthday shortly. 'What cake have you got?' she asked. I gazed sadly at their chiller cabinet, taller than me, which is usually stuffed with
with chocolate, passable cheesecakes (two varieties), fruit cake, and more items to cheer up a bleak Wednesday after work, but it was bare, barren, entirely empty. 'Chocolate', he said, pointing to something circular and ready sliced under a plastic dome behind the counter. She ordered some, but I had this sinking feeling that they had nothing else to offer of a sugary nature, not even a stale blueberry muffin (what on earth is the attraction of blueberry muffins, or even blueberries?) I was right. I ended up with soggy garlic bread with mozzarella on top. The options were: chocolate cake, or the set menu, and no explanations.