Elaine made a Coconut Black Walnut Pound Cake yesterday. It was really good. Maybe not so good if you don't like black walnuts, or coconut, but I thought it was phenomenal.
As I ate my first piece, I thought of all the time put into it. Elaine spent quite a bit of time preparing and baking it, but before that, I had spent many minutes picking up black walnuts, peeling the hulls of them, and then cracking them. I can't imagine that there is less than two hours of my time invested in this cake, making it (I suppose) one of the most expensive cakes I've ever eaten.
I don't really know why I spent so much time working with these bitter, meaty nuts -- maybe just because they were there. Maybe because they were a challenge for me. What a strange ingredient black walnuts are. They aren't sweet, in fact, I think they taste kind of bitter and yet they taste really good in sweet things like fudge or, brownies or, pound cake.
It is tempting to think that a life that is all sweet things would be perfect, but the reality is far from that. It is difficult times, times filled with deep emotion, and moments of sorrow that draw us closer to God and help us to grow. And God knows this and so His recipe for our lives includes not just sugar and spice and everything nice, but also sour and bitter things like black walnuts and rhubarb and coffee.
That is just what we need.
A recipe that is all sugar would be awful to eat and while a Coconut Pound Cake would be good, a Coconut Black Walnut Pound Cake is far better.
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