In her article, A Coconut Cake From Emily Dickinson: Reclusive Poet, Passionate Baker, Nelly Lambert looks at Emily’s passion in baking. Lambert writes,
“Dickinson discussed baking in many of her letters — evincing both her trademark wit and a zest for life that belies the common image of her as a depressed figure. Note the animation in her letter to a friend about some burnt caramel rule: “I enclose Love’s ‘remainder biscuit,’ somewhat scorched perhaps in baking, but ‘Love’s oven is warm.’ Forgive the base proportions.”
Read the article here, which includes Emily’s original coconut cake recipe. If you venture to make the cake, make sure you savor it while reading some of Emily’s poems.
