Amelia, the Great

Is it safe to say that after this weekend, I'm one of hundreds, possibly thousands, inspired by the talents of a certain Amelia Morris? I mean, there might have been a day when all we thought she could do was attempt things in the kitchen. A great cook, an awesome baker. Fools, we were! I'm of course referring to her remake of Robyn's "Call Your Girlfriend" music video. Watch here.



(video still via Jeana Sohn)

I think we were all stunned, amazed and blown away by Amelia's awesome dance moves and performance abilities. The video was infectious, right? I've found myself watching it over and over again these past few days as if she was a celebrity. I mean, by now, she basically is. If remaking Robyn's video with the kind of fearlessness and magnetism that Amelia displayed doesn't garner you celebrity status, I don't know what does.

But seriously, her video attempt made me smile and reminded me that if we let down our guard and go for what we really want, we will shine. Long story short, Amelia is the coolest! She makes me want to get my silly on.

So, when I heard about a cake contest at Omnivore Books this weekend, I couldn't get Amelia's Strawberry cake out of my mind. Remember her attempt at the Saveur recipe? Well, I decided to go for it and enter the contest. Both Amelia and her blog were excellent and supportive guides. What excited me about this recipe is that it calls for strawberry jam, one of my favorite things on earth:





At the contest, everyone asked how I got the cake so red. My answer was simple: Red Food Coloring. Safeway.

Side note: in a moment of not-genius, I wore an ALL WHITE outfit to the contest. (Was I subconsciously trying to prove something?) Luckily, and supposedly reminiscent of my preschool self (when I used to come home without a spot of dirt on me), my outfit remained perfectly void of red. My, how times have not changed.



Two beautifully baked layers. This cake is gorgeous in all of its forms.



By the way, it was my very first "attempt" at a double layer cake. Needless to say, the whole cake baking experience was joyous - even when I found myself on an emergency errand to Safeway at 7:30 am Saturday morning to pick up more food coloring. I'll never forget listening to Whitney Houston's "I Get So Emotional, Baby" over the speakers as I sped frantically through the market aisles thinking, yes, yes, I do!

Eventually, I made it home and the baking resumed. When I laid the top layer onto the bottom layer, I actually squealed with excitement. My squeals were so frequent they may have competed with NPR's Morning Edition. Or was it the new Gillian Welch album? I can't remember. I was too busy squealing over this masterpiece.



Notice the tote in the background? Amelia was with me the whole time in spirit :)



The final product! And, no, sadly I did not win the contest. But I had Amelia's video to cheer me up. Oh, ya, and lots of leftover cake to indulge any feelings of defeat. I've been joking about the plate of cake in my fridge. When I squat down to take a bite, I feel like a mix between Marie Antoinette and Bridget Jones. YUM.

In the spirit of Bon Appétempt, behold!

Amelia's version:



(photo via Bon Appétempt)

Poem, Sweet Poem's version:



Thanks Amelia, for all of the inspiration! xoxo