And you’ll want the physicist to explain to those who loved you that they need not have faith; indeed, they should not have faith. Let them know that they can measure, that scientists have measured precisely the conservation of energy and found it accurate, verifiable and consistent across space and time. You can hope your family will examine the evidence and satisfy themselves that the science is sound and that they’ll be comforted to know your energy’s still around. According to the law of the conservation of energy, not a bit of you is gone; you’re just less orderly. Amen.

Aaron Freeman, Eulogy from a Physicist 

Happy 31st birthday to me!

I have a pattern of turning my favorite drinky drink order into my birthday cakes.
For 28, it was pistachio, plum, and coffee cake; for 30, strawberry matcha.
This year, I’ve drawn inspiration from my favorite drink while in Korea: a banana milk cold brew. Every morning (and, to be honest, multiple times per day), I would crack open a cold brew, pour it over a cup of ice, and top it with the creamiest, slightly thick, über sweet banana milk, gently scented with the faintly artificial Gros Michel flavor.

The cake itself is a super moist banana cake, made with kefir, which helps keep it soft and plush. The frosting is a modified ermine (cooked flour) buttercream, redolent with espresso and vanilla bean powders and heavily salted so it can hold its own.
For the filling, I drew inspiration from Maria and my favorite froyo shop, Myka. We’ve had it in New York (both locations, duh) and now also in Barcelona. Their topping options include a nocciola crunch that I thought would go perfectly with the cake.

It’s comprised of Italian hazelnut cream, glossy, smooth, and rich. Butter toasted kataifi (shredded phyllo pastry) is gently folded in. This stays incredibly crunchy for a long time, because the pastry is protected from absorbing too much water by the fat content.

Birthdays, previously:
30
29
28
27
26
25
24
23
22
21
20
18