The cakes I’ve made are special not because of the recipes, but because of the people they were made for. Without someone to blow out the candles, the cake is just sugar and flour. I’ve come to believe that knowing someone deeply can reveal itself through cake. Are they a buttercream or whipped cream person? Do they crave citrus or chocolate? I become a little journalist, asking, observing, noting flavors in my recipe journals. And that’s what these essays are about: a collection of cakes baked.