In fact, I’m not even going to share the recipe I used to make this cake. I’m only going to share the story. There are plenty of versions out there on the web, so you can do what I did, and search Google to find a version you want to make if you are interested in it.

It’s become a tradition for me to go home to Tennessee to visit with my Mom the week before Thanksgiving. During that time, we put up her Christmas tree, decorate her house, do our Christmas shopping, and I wrap my gifts and put them under the tree.

It helps put me in the spirit. Plus, I like getting my gift shopping and duties out of the way. Mom loves having me visit and appreciates the help too.

Two years ago (2019), she was in a wheel chair and in need of two hip replacements. That’s how our little tradition began. I even took her out to the mall in her wheelchair to do her shopping. Then, Covid happened. Mom still got her hip replacements during that time and the wheelchair went away, but I kept up the routine of helping her get the holidays started. Last year, I did her shopping for her online. She loved having all the gifts show up right at her door!

This year, we put on our masks and decided to venture out to do some shopping. We are both vaccinated, and the case load in her town was extremely low. We stopped in at a small café that is inside an antique store I like to browse when I am in town. They’d just opened for lunch. Mom and I decided to have a bite since we were the only two there. It was a nice experience for both of us because it was the first time either of us had eaten in a restaurant since before Covid started.

We had chicken salad sandwiches with a pickle and chips. And for dessert – a slice of homemade buttermilk yellow cake with maraschino cherry frosting! It was amazing! After my visit, I couldn’t get that cake out of my head. So, I took to Google to find a recipe. As I said, there are lots of versions out there. After reviewing several, I chose one I liked and wrote down all of the ingredients and directions. I was going to make this cake for Christmas!

I’ve only made a cake from scratch one other time. That was years ago, and that cake was a huge undertaking with probably twice as many ingredients as this cherry cake. I’m not a baker. I enjoy cooking, but not all the time. But, it’s Christmas! I was already planning on making a homemade lasagna for dinner on Christmas Even, so why not a homemade cake to go with it to celebrate a nice memory I shared with my Mom this year?

I was a bit stressed out and worried I’d overbake it, but I didn’t. It turned out nice. My recipe is more of a white cake, rather than yellow, but it still tasted great. It’s a three layer cake. Oh, and the cake has three sticks of butter in it! The frost has three and half! I love maraschino cherries, so putting them in frosting and using the juice to flavor it was a plus for me. It got me to thinking of other ways to use the cake recipe possibly for other flavors. Maybe pineapple?

That’s what I like to do with a recipe. I like to make it exactly the way it’s intended at first, and then later if I decide to try it again, I put my own spin on it. But I’ll definitely make the cherry version again! Maybe a new Christmas tradition has been born?