I try to stay away from controversy on my little baking blog.

I have a philosophy… its silly I know.  But I believe that we can all unite over cake.  No matter your beliefs or views or politics, we can all come together and celebrate  with a beautiful and delicious cake.  And that is why I try to keep this blog a happy place, full of pretty desserts that are sure to bring others joy.

When I heard that there was a controversy over this Cheerios commercial, I was deeply saddened.

I know that some people are not going to like this post.  That they will click the little X in the upper right hand corner and vow to never return.  I know that they will disagree and be upset.  And I am sorry.  Truly, the last thing I want to do is be divisive.

After seeing the commercial, I literally had no idea what the controversy even was.  My friend Kristen from Dine & Dish had posted it on her facebook page and I had to go read the comments to find out what the issue was.

In case you are as blissfully naive as I am, the issue was race.

Some people were upset that the husband was black and the wife was white and that they had an interracial child.

Martin Luther King, Jr. famously said, “We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people.”

I dont want to be a part of the appalling silence anymore.

After reading some of the awful comments people have made, its clear to see that their minds are not going to be changed through some brief internet interactions.  I am never going to argue someone into seeing my perspective.

Instead, what I do want to focus on is solutions.

“Racism isn’t born, folks, it’s taught. I have a two-year-old son. You know what he hates? Naps! End of list.”

Denis Leary 

This cake is simple.  Overly simple some might say, but that was intentional.

I feel like the solution is simple.

Teach love.

I can certainly make sure that I am raising intelligent, well-mannered and considerate young people who understand that our inherent value is not based on appearance.

Simple.

I can model the behavior that I want to see in them.  I hope that my children will see in me a love for others, regardless of physical appearance.  I hope that they will remain blissfully ignorant of the pain and destruction caused by prejudice and racism for many, many more years.

In addition to teaching and being an example of love, I went out and bought five boxes of Cheerios.  The way that they have responded to the controversy, with class and grace, has certainly impressed me.

“We are a family brand and not all of the comments were family-friendly,” Camille Gibson, vice president of marketing for Cheerios told USA Today. “There are many kinds of families, and Cheerios celebrates them all.” 

I think its something easy we can do.  Standing in the cereal aisle at your grocery store, maybe this week you can choose one box of Cheerios in place of your regular brand.  Maybe we can all help support a company who chose not to see color and chooses to embrace love.

Maybe we can all make a Cheerios Cake and celebrate family and love!

Now.  Do you want to know how I really feel about segregation?

 Ahem.

Just in case you want to make your own Cheerios Cake here is what I did.  Make the perfect white cake in two 8-in rounds and the best chocolate cake in two 8-in rounds.  I then whipped up a batch of chocolate buttercream to cover the cake.  There is no frosting between the layers.  Using Chocolate Cheerios, I spelled out the word “love”.  For the individual slice, I just poured some more Chocolate Cheerios over the top to add some texture and depth of flavor.

If you decide to make a Cheerios Cake be sure to share!  I would be happy to post your pictures and link to your blog or facebook page.