Dear National Chocolate Cake Day,

I want to start by saying THANK YOU. Thank you for taking over January 27^th. Thank you for giving me a much needed break from my “I’m going to eat healthy” New Years resolution. Thank you for giving me a reason to eat chocolate cake and not feel guilty about it. Thank you for giving me a reason to indulge in your rich, gooey, delicious self.

Without you, I don’t know where I’d be. *I’m addicted and I just can’t get enough* No seriously, like I can’t go to bed without a piece of you. It’s like you have this hold over me. On the worst days you get me through. I find comfort in knowing at the end of a long day, before I hop into bed, I can take some time to myself and reflect as I bite into a decadent square of chocolate.

National Chocolate Cake Day provides me a full 24 hours to do what I love most- bake. While I’m no Betty Crocker, (I’m completely horrendously terrible at baking), I still find peace in it. Baking a chocolate cake allows me to forget my worries, even if only for an hour or two. Baking allows my mind to wander, instead of fretting over my latest stats grade.

Getting ingredients together, measuring, leveling, mixing, whisking- all of it calms me. I love scrubbing bowls and spatulas as the luscious smell of chocolate wafts through the kitchen. I get excited when the kitchen timer screams to alert me that my concoction is finished. A smile spreads across my face as I pry off the top of a chocolate buttercream container. (Nobody’s got money to buy all the ingredients for homemade buttercream…we’re balling on a budget here, remember?)

As I spread the icing along the smooth edges of my favorite chocolate cake, I forget about all of my problems. I become immersed in the swirls and twirls my knife creates.

I get a warm feeling in my stomach when I present my finished product to friends and family. My heart leaps when they take their first bite (mostly because I’m anxious to see if they decide to swallow the bite or not).

National Chocolate Cake Day, you provide me with a day of complete solace. One I can revel in… even if my cake turns to mush. You allow me to escape my tests, projects, homework, and practice for a day. On National Chocolate Cake Day I’m ensured that it will be a stress-free day. I believe that nothing can go wrong on the day that celebrates chocolate cake! (Right?)

National Chocolate Cake Day, not only do you let me escape my reality, but you allow me to share my passion with others. Because of you I get to show off my amateur baking skills and share my “masterpiece” with friends and family.

National Chocolate Cake Day will come and go, and while I’ll be upset to see it drift away I know that in another 364 days it will be back!