Sharing what you make, and the possibility that a dream might be closer than you think.
There is something special about making something from scratch and then getting to share it with other people.
For Day Five of my little Written & Whisked project, I decided to make a lemon and blackberry cake for my Bible study group. It was my first time making this particular combination, and the cake was dairy-free, too.
Originally, the plan was lemon and blueberry. I had made that combination before, so I thought I would stick with what I knew. But when I went to the shops, I couldn't find any blueberries.
Now, I'm not entirely sure whether I was simply being blind, whether the shop didn't have any, or whether the blueberries were hiding from me that day. Whatever the reason, I came home with blackberries instead.
And honestly? I'm rather glad I did.
The cake turned out beautifully. The outside had that slightly firmer, almost crisp layer, while the inside was soft and moist. The lemon gave it a lovely freshness, and the blackberries brought their own little burst of flavour. It was one of those moments where you try something a little different and discover that the unexpected option might be just as good as the original plan.
Of course, the best part wasn't just how the cake turned out. It was getting to share it.
I took it along to Bible study (well… I didn’t take it anywhere really, bible study was held where I was living…), and everyone loved it. There is something genuinely lovely about bringing something you've made yourself and watching other people enjoy it. You put the time into choosing the ingredients, mixing everything together, hoping it will turn out the way you imagined, and then you get to share the result around a table with people you enjoy spending time with.
It's a small thing, perhaps, but I think small things like that matter.
“You should start a baking business!”
At some point, someone made a comment that stuck with me.
They told me to forget about looking for a job and start a baking business instead.
Now, I'm not about to announce that I'm opening a bakery tomorrow! But I did find myself thinking about that comment afterwards.
Baking has always been something I enjoy, and the idea of turning that enjoyment into something more has crossed my mind. There's a difference between baking a cake for people you know and building a business around it, of course. One involves flour on the kitchen bench and hoping the cake cooks all the way through; the other involves planning, costs, customers, consistency, and all the less glamorous things that come with running a business.
Still, I think there's something encouraging about someone seeing something you enjoy doing and imagining that it could become more.
Sometimes we can be so busy thinking about what we should be doing next that we don't stop to consider what we genuinely love doing. We focus on finding the next job, making the sensible decision, or figuring out what the future is supposed to look like.
And those things are important. But perhaps it's worth paying attention to the little things that bring us joy, too.
I'm still figuring out what my own future looks like. I have dreams for my writing, dreams for Written & Whisked, and ideas that I'm not quite sure what to do with yet. Maybe baking will become something bigger one day. Maybe it will remain something I do because I love it and because feeding people is one of the ways I enjoy showing care.
Either way, I don't think I need to have every answer right now.
A little reminder to myself
One thing I'm learning as I work on this project is that not everything needs to be perfect or planned to turn out well.
I went to the shops intending to make one cake and ended up making something different. It wasn't the original plan, but it worked. In fact, it gave me something new to try and a little story to tell.
Perhaps life can be like that sometimes.
We make plans, imagine how things are supposed to unfold, and get frustrated when they don't happen quite the way we expected. We want to know where we're going and how we're going to get there. I know I certainly do.
But my faith reminds me that I don't have to have the entire picture figured out before I take the next step. I can keep showing up, use the gifts I've been given, work diligently, and trust God with the parts I cannot yet see.
Colossians 3:23 reminds us to work at whatever we do with all our hearts, as though we are working for the Lord. I love the reminder that even ordinary things can be done with purpose and care.
That includes writing a few words, learning a new recipe, making a cake for friends, and being willing to try something different when the original plan doesn't work out.
So, no, I haven't started a baking business just yet. I mean, technically I do have a shop page on the website where you can buy what I bake, but it’s not a massive thing yet. But I am happy to keep baking, keep learning, and keep paying attention to the things that make me feel excited about what might be possible.
And if this little lemon and blackberry cake has taught me anything, it's that sometimes a change of plans can turn out rather sweet.
Until tomorrow,
Chatty 🤍
Founder of Written & Whisked
(Follow my socials - Instagram: @WrittenandWhisked)
