There have been cakes I have spent hours decorating because I wanted them to look just right in a picture.

And then, once the cake was cut, I found myself thinking more about the picture than the cake.

Because somewhere along the way, I think we bakers started making cakes for two people. The person who is going to eat it and the person who is going to see it on Instagram.

And sometimes, the second person wins.

I love a pretty cake. I really do. I save cake designs, notice little details and get completely sucked into looking at what other bakers are creating.

But there is a point where you have to ask yourself, does all of this actually make the cake better?

Does the extra piping make it taste better?

Does that perfectly smooth finish make the chocolate cake more chocolatey?

Does adding ten more decorations make someone want another slice?

Usually, no.

I have also noticed that some of the cakes I enjoy making the most aren't necessarily the ones that get the most attention online.

A simple cake with good frosting.

A cheesecake that doesn't need much decoration because the texture speaks for itself.

A chocolate cake where the important thing is that it is moist and rich, not that it has twelve different things sitting on top of it.

And I think that is something I have had to remind myself of as a home baker.

Instagram is useful. It gives us ideas, helps people discover our work and, let's be honest, makes us want to try things we would never have thought of ourselves.

But it can also make us chase perfection.

Sometimes I catch myself thinking, “Will this photograph well?”

Now I try to add another question.

“Will this taste good?”

Because once the cake reaches someone's home, the phone eventually goes away.

The cake gets cut.

People eat it.

And that's when all those little details we obsessed over stop mattering.

The only thing left is whether they enjoyed the cake.

And for me, that still matters more than the picture.