Sometimes imperfect things can be even more beautiful than perfect ones.  Take a look at the Japanese art of pottery repair known as Kintsugi, for example.  Broken pottery is fixed with lacquer mixed with gold or silver dust, oftentimes leaving a more visually interesting piece.

This cake mimics the beautiful pattern of a kintsugi pot.  It’s a vanilla butter cake with three layers of banana custard and two layers of semisweet chocolate ganache.  The icing is vanilla buttercream.  A thin layer of fondant veils the three layers, contrasting nicely with the yellow cake.  If I were to make this cake again, I think that I would opt for using an icing glaze instead of fondant.  The yellow lines have a chunkier look than what I was aiming for.  I’d love to make this cake again and decorate it with an icing pattern similar to the markings on Mille-feuille pastries.

I think that the perceived flawed elements in a person’s life have the potential to be transformed and overpowered.  In a way, we are given the chance to show our true colors and turn those flaws into gold.  Obviously, this cake has given me some New Year’s resolution food for thought!