Feckin' Finished!

Just as happened on Friday, Saturday began with a baker’s disaster. I put a teaspoon of baking powder into the mix, instead of a tablespoon, so there is a big slab of edible rubber in the trash. Both cakes that I am making are new recipes to me and that is often a reason I err. I immediately baked another cake—the first of four that I must bake today—before taking Her Highness for our morning walk and going into the village for yet more baking supplies.

Yesterday’s two cakes were made by tiering four individually baked cakes. I was tempted to make a double batch of batter to make the process go more quickly, but I feared having another disaster, plus I’d have to weigh the batter to ensure that I got two equally sized cakes.

Part of my problem with these cakes has been using a recipe for which the cooking time is for cooking the batter in two cake tins, but I am cooking the entire mix in one pan, so it takes much longer to bake. I must check constantly to ensure I get a properly baked cake—too long in the oven dries the cake out.

Our sunny and bright morning quickly disappeared behind clouds, so the morning was cool and that suited me. I get very sweaty baking in the warm weather, and I hate that. Showering is not easy because I don’t yet want to get my wound wet.

At 10:00, the sun came blazing back, just as the third cake went into the oven. Why did I agree to do all this baking? At 11:00, it came out of the oven and I dropped it. I am cursed. But the glass didn’t break and the damage to the cake was something I could live with if I made that cake a bottom layer. I had one more cake to bake, frosting for the chocolate cake to make, and the cream filling and strawberries to layer on the white cakes. Plus, I had chocolate leaves to make to top the ugly frosting of the chocolate cakes. The I had to decorate around the bottom of the cake on the boards with fresh Salal leaves and dried blossoms for the strawberry cakes, and varnished salal leaves and dried blossoms for the chocolate cakes.

I just wanted the job to come to an end.

Dana and her daughter, Sasha, came to fetch the three finished cakes just past 14:00. They were thrilled with them. Once decorated with leaves and dried flowers, they presented well. Even I was happy with them. Primarily, I was happy to see this demanding project coming to an end.

All I had left to do was make the chocolate leaves for the German chocolate cake. It went very well. Usually, for every leaf that works, three or four don’t and so they go back into the pot to melt, and the job takes forever to do, but yesterday, every chocolate painted leaf worked excellently. Every leaf peeled off leaving a perfect chocolate leaf with the veins of the leaf leaving a beautiful design. Pete and Ali are going to the party, and they will pick up this last cake on their way to Dana’s.

Last night, I watched a bit of a crap movie and then wrote a first draft of a piece I’m writing for a publication that features the work of dysfluent people. And then I went to bed for the soundest sleep that I’ve had in ages.

Today is My Day. I shall water where necessary, go to Silva Bay for lunch, read and chill. I want to try to use the hammock but it scares me.

Yesterday late morning: Once cake finished )high up on the leaft.
It is a chocolate cake made with two cakes stacked. On the right
is the second chocolate cake in progress. There are three of the
white cakes that will form the strawberry cake.

The fourth white cake and the top of the unfinished chocolate cake 
in the top photo. Every time I made a cake, I had to do dishes to prep
to make the next cake. Plus the baking dish had to be cooled so that 
the butter and flour barrier to prevent ssticking would take.

The finished German chocolate cake. I made tw
of them. The leaves are varnished to make them
shiny.

The stawberry cake. I learned how to stabalize 
cream for this job and I value that learning. The
green leaves are fresh, unvarnished Salal leaves.
I made two of these cakes as well.