Brazilian Carrot Cake, German Chocolate & Italian Pastry with B Santos

The best way to introduce B is to share what she wrote about her Storied Recipe, a marbled Brazilian carrot and chocolate cake with a silky chocolate glaze:

It was hard for me to pick a recipe, to be honest, because my baking has become a colorful mix of the places I’ve lived—Brazil, the US, and Germany. I wanted to suggest something rooted in childhood memories: my mom’s Brazilian carrot cake with chocolate glaze. At the same time, I made it my own through the experiences I’ve had learning to bake independently. The marbling is a strong metaphor for who you become when you live abroad: flavors that blend into a whole while remaining distinct. That’s how I see myself now—different cultural streams flowing together, mostly harmoniously.

B recently defended her Master’s dissertation in Germany on an Italian painter who transformed how food appears in Renaissance art. I read a translated copy and found it fascinating; it made me reconsider food in art in ways we hadn’t discussed in over 150 podcast episodes.

I enjoyed every moment talking with B and I’m excited to share our conversation with you. Thank you for joining us.

Time Divisions

First 20 minutes: Conversation about B and my son’s shared experiences in Germany, the dramatic changes in her life during COVID, and what can be gained from living abroad.

20:00 – 1:07:10: Discussion of B’s Master’s thesis on shifts in food imagery during the Renaissance, focusing on Vincenzo Campi’s Brera cycle.

1:07:10 – end: B’s life and memories growing up in Florianópolis, the vibrant island city in Brazil.

Highlights

• Reflections on my son’s first weeks in Germany and B’s practical advice.
• The challenges and rewards of living abroad.
• Moving from Brazil to Germany without speaking German.
• The major shifts in B’s life and work during the pandemic and following her mother’s death from COVID.
• How comfort baking evolved into the subject of a master’s thesis.
• The evolution of food in art: from supporting religious narratives to becoming the central subject.
• Why Campi’s marketplace paintings were displayed in legislative buildings and the reminders they offered public servants.
• B’s lifelong love of art and visual culture.
• B’s mother: a woman of scientific and literary interests who shaped B’s intellectual curiosity.
• Childhood moments of sand, sun, and sea that shaped B’s early life.
• Warm, lively family dinners where every topic was discussed openly.
• Baking lessons with her aunt and the role of cakes in family life.
• The story behind B’s Brazilian carrot and chocolate swirl cake.
• Coping with the loss of her mother at a young age and discovering her mother’s presence in herself over time.
• How B adapted a classic Brazilian carrot cake to suit her tastes and life abroad.

Listen to B Now

Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player

B’s Storied Recipe: Brazilian Carrot & Chocolate Marbled Cake with Silky Chocolate Glaze

Moist Brazilian Carrot Cake with Chocolate Marbling

How to Contact B Santos

Instagram: @santo.babi

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