Chocolate or vanilla, potato or poh-tah-to, to-may-to or to-mah-to, no need to call the whole thing off when there’s this beautiful and tasty a compromise! Maybe opposites attract, but complements make things better just because they’re together, as this tasty marbled bundt cake proves!
Anyone else grow up loving old movies? I volunteered as a candy-striper at our local hospital throughout junior high and high school, and in between episodes of My So Called Life, we watched a lot of classic old movies. And I didn’t realize that the “po-ta-to, po-tah-to, let’s call the whole thing off” song came from a classic Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movie until I saw “Shall We Dance.” I thought it was just something that my grandmother got stuck in my head.
It’s a song about a couple seemingly comparing the differences between regional accents but really finding all the things where they’re different or maybe just plain opposite. And yet in the end, po-ta-to and po-tah-to be damned, Fred and Ginger make it all work out happily ever after.
I’ve thought about that a lot over the course of my marriage. My husband and I are very different in a lot of ways. Some of them are silly and superficial – I love avocados and mushrooms and he won’t touch them, and he loves pickles and I’ll put bread and butter pickles on my sandwiches and that’s about it. Others are a little deeper – he grew up moving all over the country and learning to be flexible with everything and my parents still live in the house they’ve been in since I was in the second grade. And others are still deeper – I’m type-A, achievement motivated, ambitious, and always on about something, and he’s a lot more mellow, go-with-the-flow, que sera sera.
I remember wondering just how we would make anything work early on, as my career propelled me from place to place at a high rate of speed and he seemed content just to be, well, him. The man didn’t even like avocados, for crying out loud.
“Opposites attract, but they don’t stick” people always say. And I was worried that they were right. And even though we were always so happy when we were together, was there going to be a point where the differences were too much to overcome?
Well, here’s the thing I’ve learned over eight years of marriage, which we just celebrated last weekend.
Opposites attract. Complements stick. And partners are awesome.
In so many of our differences, we’re not opposites, but we’re complements. Scott’s laid back and calming attitude is often the perfect foil to my 1,000 mph drive, and exactly the reminder I need at times to stop, sit down, take a breath, and figure out what exactly I’m trying to do. My ambition gets him up and moving when he wouldn’t normally get after something, or might lose track of the time. I keep him on task, he keeps me from spinning myself into stress.
It’s pretty awesome to say you’re a better person in all regards because of the person you married.
The rest is a conscious decision to figure out what’s best for the team you’ve decided to become. Partner doesn’t like avocado? That means he orders his avocado or guacamole on the side and you get it. One’s an early bird and one’s a night owl? You figure out where your schedules meet in the middle and make the best of it.
There’s always a little give and take that has to happen in a relationship, but over time, it becomes easier and more natural and you learn to enjoy it. That little thing, no matter how small, might be a gift you’re giving your partner.
And so you bring together the opposites into complements, into something that by itself might be nice, but when paired is extra special.
I wish I could say all of that thought went into our decision to get a marbled chocolate and vanilla wedding cake when we got married eight years ago. At that point, we just wanted something everyone would like that would offer up some chocolate without overwhelming everyone. However, that thought did go into the making of this dramatic and delicious bundt cake!
[lt_recipe name=”Chocolate Marble Bundt Cake” summary=”Chocolate or vanilla, potato or poh-tah-to, to-may-to or to-mah-to, no need to call the whole thing off when there’s this beautiful and tasty a compromise! Maybe opposites attract, but complements make things better just because they’re together, as this tasty marbled bundt cake proves!” servings=”12″ total_time=”3H” print=”yes” image=”https://homefrontcooking.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Marble-Bundt-Cake-1033-e1593391569340-1024×683.jpg” ingredients=”For the cake:;3 1/2 cups all purpose flour;1 tsp salt;2 tbsp whole milk;4 tsp vanilla extract;9 large eggs, room temperature;2 cups unsalted butter, softened;2 1/2 cups granulated sugar;3/4 cup Dutch process cocoa powder;For the glaze:;2 tablespoons butter;2 ounces unsweetened chocolate (chopped);1 cup powdered sugar” ]For this, you’ll need a swirled bundt cake pan. Mine is a Nordic Ware Heritage pan and I highly recommend it. Spray with cooking spray and set aside.;In a medium bowl or large Pyrex measuring bowl, whisk together the milk, vanilla, eggs, and yolks. Set aside.;In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, place the softened butter. Beat the butter on medium speed until smooth, about a minute.;Gradually add in the granulated sugar and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.;Lower the mixer speed to low or stir. Add the flour to the mixture 1/4 cup at a time and beat until fully incorporated, about 5 more minutes. Sprinkle in the salt and beat until combined.;Gradually pour in the egg mixture while the mixer is running on low and beat until the whole mixture is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.;You’ll need two plastic Ziploc bags or pastry bags for this next step. Separate four cups of the mixture into one of the Ziploc bags and set aside.;Add the cocoa powder to the remaining batter and beat on low speed until well combined and the mixture is smooth and creamy again, about 2 minutes. Pour this chocolate batter into the second bag.;So that you can pipe the batter into the pan, snip the corners off the bags. Alternate piping the batter into the ridges of the pan so that you have alternating chocolate and vanilla swirls. If they mix, it’s okay. You’re going to marble the rest of the cake anyway.;Pipe in the rest of the batter, alternating colors, until you have filled the pan about 3/4 full. With a large skewer or thin spatula, gently swirl the batter together so that the batter is smooth and the colors swirl together but don’t combine.;Heat your oven to 350F. Place the cake pan in the oven and bake 50-55 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.;Let the cake pan cool on a baking rack for about 10 minutes. Then turn out the cake from the pan and let cool completely. This takes about 2 hours.;To make the glaze, start by combining the butter and chocolate in a saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring until melted.;Stir the powdered sugar into the butter and chocolate. If you need to thin the mixture, add a tablespoon of hot water at a time and stir until you have the consistency you want.;Spread the glaze between the cake ridges with a small spatula or pipe in and smooth as desired. It’s just a nice little accent.[/lt_recipe]
So in honor of our wedding cake eight years ago {and yes, we smuggled the top back to New York from Florida after our wedding, thanks to some very understanding TSA agents} and in honor of the way I feel like my marriage to my husband actually makes me better, I offer up this delicious cake.
We’re definitely far from perfect. Like any cake, there have been any number of odd bumps and little missteps and occasionally something gets burned, but despite all that, we make a great combo – and a great team. And I’m so absolutely grateful for it all.
Love you, handsome guy. Happy anniversary.
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