Not My 'Piece Of Cake'🍰

Cooking is both an art and a science. To me, it means mental and physical therapy.

I discovered my love for cooking in my tween years when I frequently experimented on making after- school snacks for my younger brothers. When something turned out acceptable for them to enjoy, it gave me reason to try out something more. 

The final outcome of a finely crafted dish, cooked with fresh hand- picked ingredients, blended with chosen spices, touched with a secret twist and then the most important fact that I hail from a background with hearty Punjabi appetites, persuaded me to explore my culinary skills. When delicious food lovingly and generously served on a well-laid table bring wide smiles on beaming faces, it gives me immense gratification and inspires me to cook many more exhilarating meals for my family and friends. 

Appreciation is my greatest motivation 😊

While Baking is also a form of cooking ( in dry heat) it has become exceedingly popular in the recent times. Most offline conversations and online social media posts revolve around the art of baking. Baking is understood to be a fun-to-do activity besides being engaging and is also considered to be 'supercool' among aspiring chefs of this generation. 

Back in the day, my talented young cousin all of twelve efficiently baked the best cakes one could have ever eaten. I watched in ardent admiration how she deftly sifted the flour, swiftly whisked the eggs, patiently whipped the butter and sugar, effortlessly beat it all together in a large mixing bowl, folded the batter into a greased baking tin and confidently brought to the table, straight out-of -the -oven a moist, spongy, delectable chocolate cake. All of this in a jaw- dropping 45 minutes!! 

If she is reading this she will agree that something as easy as that for her would make our day so special as we devoured the yummy cake to its last crumb.

I take pride in talking about her skill because she was the only one from that era in our family who not only acquired such brilliance but also mastered it over time. It is overwhelming to share that her passion for baking turned into a full-time profession when she moved to the United States of America in the early 90's. She quickly gained recognition and is one among the most accomplished, renowned bakers in the city of Raleigh in North Carolina. Her incredible chocolate chip cookies is a signature creation. People from far and near look forward to indulge in her mouth -watering baked goods paired with a hot cuppa.

Baking interested me a great deal but sooner than later, I found that it was not my cup of tea. Even after several, grave attempts I failed miserably!! I couldn't wrap my head around this - despite being a "good cook"( as graded by my family) why I grappled to get a basic sponge cake turn out the way it should?? 

Whenever I asked my cousin to teach me to bake a cake she would say - "Oh! Its really simple." Yet, as often as I tried her much sought- after recipes, I couldn't get close to achieving the end result. 

It was back- breaking effort to bring the batter to the right consistency. To have the oven set at the appropriate temperature was a perpetual challenge or "maybe it was to do with the sifting of the flour"? I enquired. Undeniably, there was something I wasn't doing right. Baking felt an uphill task and whatever on earth went wrong, it was such an ordeal to bake!! 

I was quite similar to the spider who didn't quit on spinning her web every time she slipped down the wall and had to climb up all the way back. Disheartened, not only because the ingredients were wasted but also nursing the pain of being unsuccessful, I put myself together to doing this one more time -many times.

Getting started off with keeping all the required items handy on my kitchen shelf to enjoy my baking session, I then focussed on the method. On some days I was lucky to note that my batter looked perfect - the  immediate step after was to see that it went into the preheated oven. There was thrill in taking a peep to watch my cake rise desirably. My confidence regained as I see the top of my cake change to a pleasing caramel colour and its texture looking impressive. I gently & carefully prick it with a fork, pull it out to check if it is cooked from the inside as well. 

"Baking is all about precision", says Preeti Waas. Yes, I was doing exactly as instructed by my mentor. I measured every ingredient, set the temperature accurately and used adequate amount of the baking powder as advised. Fairly pleased with my progress, I gave myself an encouraging pat on the shoulder for being a diligent student.

When my cake seemed almost ready to be taken out of the oven, it suddenly began to sink!!

In a few seconds, it flattened like a slice of stale bread looking wrinkled and withered. My heart broke into a million pieces.!!!  In utter anguish I wondered how to explain the debacle once again.

With great courage I bring it to the table. My family being nice enough to appreciate my repeated effort- "Mom, this doesn't taste bad at all. Never mind, we can eat it while its warm so it won't get harder after it cools down"

One cannot begin to imagine the ache of disappointment I went through. By now, it was not funny at all that I couldn't bake to save my life!! Nothing else felt more demotivating. For the longest time, I erased the thought of baking from my mind to make peace with myself.

Sometime later, I figured an alternate way out at the grocery store. The ready cake mixes available had easy- to- bake directions. This was a great way for me to experience the joy of baking😄 These cakes are reasonably tasty and pretty decent to be served with my husband's evening cup of coffee. As he bites into a slice, I await his reaction to hear a word of (undeserved) praise 😄

He loves the bakery but he loves me more. Making sure not to break my heart with a tender smile on his face, he said- "This is actually really good."

Now years later, my twelve year old niece is baking- the best brownies, cookies, cup cakes, frosted cakes and much much more and me?????

Nah.....

I'm not even trying 😂