Pride Baking
I have to admit, I’m not a huge fan of using artificial food coloring when I bake. But every June, I happily make an exception. I always look forward to creating something special for Pride, and I spend the year thinking about new ways to incorporate a rainbow into a bake. It’s one of my favorite creative challenges.
As much fun as it is to plan and bake these colorful desserts, the reason I do it goes far beyond the baking itself. First and foremost, it’s my way of celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community. I could list many reasons why I’m an ally, but the simplest and most honest one is that some of my favorite people in the world are part of that community.
Although I haven’t experienced that particular struggle myself, I can empathize with what it’s like to grow up feeling judged and rejected for something beyond your control. For me, that came from being overweight. While the experiences are certainly different, I understand how deeply those kinds of experiences can shape your life and leave lasting emotional scars.
Everyone deserves to feel accepted, respected, and safe enough to be themselves. Sadly, while some people grow up surrounded by love and support, others experience rejection, discrimination, or even violence simply for who they are. Feeling free to be yourself is something many people take for granted until it’s taken away. That’s what Pride represents to me: the celebration of authenticity, belonging, and the freedom to live openly without fear.
My first Pride bake was in June 2018, and since then I’ve challenged myself every year to find a new and creative way to incorporate a rainbow into one of my bakes. Looking back, I think my favorites are often the ones that required the most planning and effort, like the rainbow heart hidden inside a chocolate Bundt cake or my rainbow heart sugar cookies.
One project I especially loved was my 2021 Pride tart. It consisted of six triangular tarts that fit together to form one large round tart. I had bought the molds in Paris and had been looking for the perfect opportunity to use them. Each tart represented a different color of the rainbow, topped with different fruits, and if I remember correctly, they were all filled with a rich lemon cream that paired beautifully with every fruit.
Another favorite is my rainbow milk bread. There’s always something exciting about creating a design that’s only revealed once you slice into it, and I couldn’t have been happier with how it turned out.
This year, I decided to skip the food coloring altogether and made a rainbow focaccia instead. I used vegetables to create each color of the rainbow, which was a fun challenge. Finding something naturally blue turned out to be the hardest part, so I ended up using dark pink radish peels for one of the stripes.
And, of course, I’ve already started thinking about what I’ll bake for next year’s Pride.
Happy Pride, and happy baking! 🏳️🌈
