My little cowboy has had no interest in taking sporty lessons. Over the last two years, we've tried karate and gymnastics, soccer and basketball. At the end of each class he'd tell me that he didn't really like it and that the only sport that really interests him is fencing. Unfortunately, I could never find a fencing class in our smallish town. Until, one day I noticed a community fencing class for adults and persuaded the Quiet Man to sign up with him. We worried that our son might get lost in a class of grownups, but the noble French fencing master agreed to coach him each week for an extra half hour before the adults arrived. It is such a ball to watch this serious and proud Frenchman sparring with my wannabe Jedi. 
It's a bit like watching Mr. Miaggi and Ralph Machio on the Karate Kid, the old proud master and the young playful student. West has learned the positions for several swords, to advance, retreat, and lunge. I don't know if any of these skills will pay off in the long run, but in the meantime, don't challenge him to a light saber duel because now he goes for the throat.
Best of all, he loves his fencing class and all of the applause he receives when he defeats an opponent. (It's easy to be the star of the class when you're the youngest by 20 years.)Addicted to the lime light already at age six! Now if only we can get him a fencing scholarship to Cambridge in 2020.
To celebrate the last fencing class for semester one, we came home to a bitty little chocolate cake. This one is also part of my Tuesdays with Dorie baking club. The cake was meant to have prunes that were soaked in Armagnac, which I promptly left out. What kind of reward would that be for a young fencer? The cake on it's own is a pleasant sort of chocolatey cake, and the glaze is phenomenal. I've heard glowing reports from the brave prune bakers, so if you can get away with it, give it a try the right way. 
But if you are celebrating a triumph with a brave young six year old, it's perfect in a simple pruneless state. Click here for the recipe and gorgeous photos- a half pruneless batch will probably cost you $3.00. 
There's nothing better than a bit of chocolate cake in the icebox!
We are developing a bad habit of devouring my creations without taking the time to thoughfully arrange and photograph them. I hope this will only serve as greater testimony to their yumminess.Up Next:
My Simplest Weeknight Tomato and Basil Pasta
30 comments:
Perfect way to refuel after a workout/activity, if you ask me!! :-D
What a cutie pie you have there.
The cake looks great too!
Wow - fencing! I wish I lived somewhere like you so that I could expose my son to such cool sports!
Nice job on the cake - glad to see it is good without the prunes!
I'm wishing I had thought like you and left out the prunes. Cute pics of your son!
Your cake looks perfect to me!
That's my kind of cake! Your little guy looks like a pro at fencing already!
That West is just to precious!
What a cool mom and dad yall are to find the thing that he really loves and help him to develope that skill.
Rewarding with chocolate cake doesn't hurt either :)
i totally get your sentiments. I've been too lazy for food photography lately too! always a slice of chunk missing off the original product before photos. *argh*
Well, we never arrange and take cute pictures here at my house either, so welcome to my little world.
My oldest son signed up for the fencing club when he started college, and he really loved it. It's funny how something strikes a kid as just what he wants to do!
Your chocolate cake is beautiful, even cut!
What a handsome little fencer you have. I'm sure my 3 year old would love a fencing class! The cake looks delicious. I had a request yesterday for a birthday cake...I wish I would have had this recipe. We will have to give it a try the next time we are in the mood for bithday cake!
chool offers a fencing class but he was too young this year-we're thinking of signing him up next year though; one of his firneds is also interested. I love how you tie in your life with your incredible yummy recipes!
Congrats to your little guy on a semester of fencing! How fun for him to have parents that encourage what he wants to do. Your cake is cute!
your little guy is such a cutie! :) glad this cake was delicious without the prunes, too!
Glad everyone enjoyed the cake. Nice job!
Fencing class looks like so much fun! This cake looks amazing, I can't wait to make it.
What cute pictures of your little guy Prudy! That's so great that you found a way for him to do it. My daughter wants to take fencing too.
Your cake looks to die for!
XOXOXO
Jen
I've seen your handsome young jedi at his fencing skills and they are very impressive. I'm glad you found a sport he loves. That cake looks so delicious. Thanks for another great recipe!
I have always thought this was such a neat sport! Good for you - for finding your son's niche! The chocolate cake looks like the perfect way to end the day!
YUM!
I can't wait to see Westy in action! I hope he gets that scholarship! In the meantime, your cake looks delicious and I completely agree, what is there better than chocolate cake in the icebox?
That's so cool! Great cake and I think it's fabulous he does fencing lessons!
That is the cutest thing I have seen in awhile! Fencing? wow- that is amazing. Those pics with the fencers dualing is great.
This cake looks perfect the way you tried it. I just didn't get to it.
I would love it if we could somehow get together before we head South!
Great pictures. It looks like your son is really enjoying himself. Nice cake, too. =)
Oh how I wished we lived closer and could raise the little jedis together... He really had always been very good with a sword. Thanks for the delicious looking recipe. I'll be sure to make it sometime in the next 3 weeks otherwise it will have to wait a couple of years :).
yum. that looks fab. of course, chocolate cake is a favorite at our house.
my boys would adore a fencing class. i should look into it.
i have used pureed prunes (from the baby food section)in chocolate cakes and brownies as a substitute for fat with success. (by success i mean, it yields a cake that i enjoy when dieting--not anything worthy of gourmet magazine.) my kids eat it, too, because they are oblivious to the substitution, poor souls.
What a great fencer! Love those photos. I'm sure we'll be seeing him at the Olympics someday soon! :) And great looking cake!
I've ALWAYS wanted to take a fencing class! Great cake!
PROPRINTWEAR HIGH SCHOOL FENCING
http://highschoolfencing.blogspot.com/
National High School Fencing Blog
Please look this over. We have been contacting high school fencing programs across the country and posting this site on various blogs. It will become a center point of high school fencing as we have plans to develop this into fully operationally web site capable of posting high school results in every state. What this translates into a potential source of new fencers for your club and quite possibly the development and furtherance of high school fencing in your area.
The purpose of this site is to further High School Fencing in the United States. Coaches and High School Administrators are invited to post results and commentary. Fencers and Parents are invited to post commentary, not results. We have received positive feedback from several college coaches with regard to the creation of this blog. This is not a site intended to cause pain or grief, but rather give national prominence to the Athletes and the Sport.
We at Proprintwear are proud of our association with the sport of fencing. Our owner was first a Fencer, secondly a National Referee and now a business owner committed to furthering the image of fencing.
We have added a “Where to Fence” and “Fencing Camp” Sections for advertising fencing clubs and fencing camps. If you like to be posted send us a request. This could be extremely helpful in the recruitment of new fencers.
One of the many challenges facing fencing today is the” unknown”. Up until now, I have been of the opinion that no one individual and/or group has focused in on the area of High School Fencing across the United States. It is our hope that by publishing the various leagues and affiliates that this somehow creates a knowledge base beneficial to the growth of High School Fencing as well as on the national front. On Long Island we have enjoyed High School Fencing for more than 46 years with as many as eleven (11) teams in one county and seven (7) in the neighboring county. For the last several years Long Island has held a Long Island Championship and I am making plans of hosting a State Championship within the next few years.
You will find a short survey at the bottom of the page. Please feel free to contact us with suggested questions at proprintwear@optonline.net. If this site is well received, we shall have a web site constructed to further enhance the development of High School Fencing in the United States.
If possible please provide us with a link to our website using the attached file at www.proprintwear.com and a second link to our High School Fencing Blog at http://highschoolfencing.blogspot.com/
Sincerely,
Philip J. Daly
Proprintwear
My best friend's daughter has been fencing for 7 or 8 years now and really loves it. She was just at a big event in Albuquerque last month. They call it an 'intellectual' sport, so it shows that your son is one smart boy!
Oh Erin, this choco cake is amazing, and what a change up in work outs... I've never fenced before......
Wow.. these chocolate cake making my mouth water.
Post a Comment