Cedar Schaeffer

Mrs. Casady

IB English HL

19 May 2022

SEP Integrity Essay

A cake may not be the first thing when imagining structural integrity, but baking in itself

is culinary architecture. To make a successful cake, you must first begin with a solid recipe,

gather the needed ingredients, construct it to a desired height, and present it through decorations.

As an analogy, a cake is much representative of life as it takes time to solidify, effort to build,

and care to present. In order to progress in life, one must be founded in a sturdy manner to

prevent mishaps and catastrophe; with the same idea, bakers must be able to transport cakes from

their bakery to a delivery location. Just as each individual is unique, the possibilities for flavor,

height, size, decor, and other personalization are endless.

Structure

The structure of the cake lies within a key aspect of the cake, a stand. Before the cake can

even begin to be made, there must first come a set ground for it to be made upon. In my life, this

would have been my parents. As seniors in high school themselves, my foundation was made
with optimistic nervousness and was a valiant attempt at normality. I will also note that whilst

the cake will forever be presented on this stand, the stand is never at the forefront. While I

always give the well deserved credit to my parents for being able to jump into parenthood as

high schoolers, they will always hint at the difficulties they faced in providing for me the

parental basis others commonly have. I am by all means thankful for my stable parental history, a

history that is still in fact being written by them together. Beginning with a solid structural

foundation always ensures that there will be foundational strength to help carry the cake/life

further along the process.

Direction

Given a proper foundation, the baking can commence. To start, a recipe must be attained

in order to ensure a successful cake. Just as the foundation was important in providing a sturdy

basis in life, the guidance found in a recipe will prevent any mishaps or errors from occurring. It

is important to now take into note that the conditions for a recipe are not set in stone; baking

temperature must be adjusted for altitude, time must be adjusted for the size and material of your

pan, and flavoring ingredients can now be added for addition or preference. Some individualism

is highly encouraged in baking to set a cake apart from others. The same can be said for parental

guidance. Before being fully developed—or baked through—there is allowance for preference.
Having a plan/recipe is akin to having a parent that stands as a role model. With a role model, a

child will pick up on subtleties, begin to develop habits and personality, and overall form a

character that will be key to their future. Direction is important in leading to success but is

granted individual opinion and choice which inherently creates a greater amount of outcomes.

The guidance I have received from my parents and broader family has led me down a path of

amiability and general thoughtfulness when interacting with or helping others.

Cohesion

Adding to the sense of direction in a recipe, choice remains important. To have a

cohesive cake, the flavors, textures, layers, fillings, and general taste must be generally pleasant

in order to gustatory harmony. Tradition is easily appreciated, though unique or bold flavors can

still insight deep appreciation and enjoyment. An easy example would be the inclusion of coffee

in chocolate cake which often softens the flavors and produces greater savor than sweet

overtones. Just as direction is easily varied, cohesion is completely unique and needs not to

appeal to all who taste it or come across it. In my life, cohesion has been a hybrid of familial

instilled and personal aspiration. Through my family, cohesion is found in our unity and love for

one another while I have discovered personal fulfillment and life cohesion through my

community. I have always held a deep sense of obligation to others regardless of whether they

require it or not; this works in conjunction with my family’s compassionate ideals. To construct a

sense of cohesion there must be a smooth or sometimes bold combination in either the personal

or flavor profile. Layers and fillings add depth and character to the base cake while also working

to compliment it.
Strength

Now that a naked cake has been produced there must be a source of strength. Though

using a sturdy structural base, adding layers to a cake will likely result in slight sway and if not

supported can result in cracking and crumbling. To avoid such a mess, dowels are placed around

the center of the cake in order to hold each layer to a center point. The stability of this is able to

prevent breakage, similar to one’s friends or interests. In my life a source of strength comes in

the form of my friends. When external forces feel overwhelming, there always seems to be a

friend to provide the much needed relief. When unavailable, emotions and pressure can be

outsourced to a hobby or dissipated by an interest; music and culture have always held a special

place in my heart for the grounding effect I feel when with them. Learning about my culture or

listening to music or enjoying friends rather than focusing on negativity is my emotional dowel

and are able to hold me from falling into pieces. Having the strength of dowels is important in

dispelling those crumbling forces.

Durability

While internal strength is important to avoid breakage, external protection works in

conjunction with those internal supports to provide external durability. In cake, this would be

known as a crumb coat. To avoid rough areas and accidental chipping, a crumb coat provides a
thin layer of protection to insulate imperfections and prevent them from affecting the overall

look. As an analogy, my crumb coat is a simple smile. When stress pushes into me, a smile is

always able to diffuse the difficulty. Without correcting anything, my smile is able to withstand

even the most painful moments and communicate normality. Being able to physically act out

emotional and general wellbeing is my idea of durability. Crumb coats and smiles alike are

defenses from external forces and curtains to internal deficiencies. Having a durable cake makes

styling and decorating all the easier thanks to its ability to contain internal leakage/damage on

the inside rather than allowing it to spill over to the outside. These additional precautions ensure

that my outside life and plans are healthily separated from the emotional and personal aspects.

Style

Stylizing a cake enables expression or conveyance of emotions, passion, identity, or

anything one desires. The styling of a cake serves as a great analogy for personality, quirks, and

other unique items of identity. Decor represents exactly what its creator permits or desires. Ways

that I’ve developed a unique style are through my social standing, involvement in community,

straying from the mainstream, and cultural embodiment. I often choose to portray a steady,

nonchalant facade that when removed entails an empathic, artistic, open character. I avoid

sharing as to not be seen as abhorrent and I choose to remain a socially distanced individual that
steadily floats on the periphery of school. My life may not be attractive to many but it is what I

choose to permit others to see. I prefer to indulge in my family than share my life with a large

following outside of my friend group. When viewed in oversight, my life is not particularly

attractive but it is certainly unique and that is the entire purpose. Unique is attractive and special

which remains the reason for my more reclusive character. To style a cake, made for yourself, to

the liking of others sounds absolutely absurd to me. Yet, individual choice is still the key phrase

when styling one’s own life or cake. Some do it for the enjoyment of others while some do it for

themselves. Style and decoration are important distinctions between people and cakes alike;

differentiation and variety add value and attractiveness.