Some days the clouds open up and deliver a good dose of April rain along with an unexpected gift that makes your day.

Dear Linda,

It is a rare moment in life when a large, white cargo van pulls up to your house and unexpectedly delivers a heavenly coconut cake made by a woman you have never met.  On this rainy, chilly Chicago day, that exact scenario tipped my day from great to unforgettable.

I can still remember the evening that I tasted my first bite of your coconut cake.  After a less than satisfying meal, your son saved the day by producing a fluffy, heavenly cloud of white cake that was said to have come from your kitchen.  As if it was an oasis in the desert, we scrambled, forks clashing as we scraped it right out of the pan.

When I received your coconut cake recipe and was able to reproduce it in my own kitchen, I felt honored.  But as we all know, things baked by another’s hand often taste better, especially when the recipe is her specialty.  So today, when a windowless van, seemingly driven by a dog, brought one of your cakes to my door, I felt luckier than the folks holding the giant publishers clearing house checks.

coconut-cake-lily

Almost immediately, we popped off the lid, dipped our fingers in the fluffy frosting and served ourselves heaping mid-morning slices of cake.  One serving was clearly not enough so to show you our full appreciation, we helped ourselves to another.  By the second serving, the sugar high was sufficiently mixed with the euphoria of eating a surprise cake.  The smiles nearly broke our faces:

coconut-cake-vivi

You are clearly a special lady.  It is no wonder your boy is one in a million.  I would like to say that I look forward to meeting you in person some day.  But, I must be truthful in that the mystique and great honor of having a Coconut Cake Fairy whose very face eludes me is something quite remarkably romantic.

Sincerely yours,

Caroline

p.s. I heard your macaroni and cheese is the best ever?!