me in my baking era

The first step that turns into many steps. The one thing that I kept looking forward to the most. The place where I found peace and a sense of belonging.

 

It all began with a tweet (yes, still call the app "Twitter"; I'm old). The OP made a butter cookies with a character cutouts which were so cute. I saw them on December 2023, and with all the holiday mood and vibes, I asked my sister to bake them with me. She and my mom were going to bake a cream choux, but I remember thinking that was so advanced, so I insisted on butter cookies and she agreed to bake cookies with me.

I spent my days searching for recipes and watching tutorial on Youtube over and over. Fortunately, I was able to stop myself from buying too many cookie cutters. Then, the weekend I've longed for is finally came. I prepared everything with the help of my sister and mom. They turned out... pretty good. However, it was exhausting. I had to roll the dough, cut out the shapes, and make sure the lines was clear enough otherwise you wouldn't see the cutout. It was a good, rewarding experience when the cookies came out from the oven, but I was tired and had no desire to recreate it in the future.

However, this triggered something in me, lol. The urge to create something. I was rediscovered embroidery around 2020, but somehow stopped doing it because, yes, I am lazy. I did continue my latest embroidery project, but still haven't finished it (until this post is up, lol). Then, I thought to myself, "Let's bake a cake!"

I went on searching for a basic sponge cake recipe and tutorial. I made the cream cheese frosting, which was A BOMB by the way, and decorated it with a berry jam filling and another one was tiramisu inspired. The sponge cake was great, bouncy, spongy, and it absorbed all the flavor. It was so well balanced. This cake, they boosted my ego and I went crazy.

I wanted to make more. Madeleines? Yes! Chiffon cakes? Yes, please!

They taught me a different lessons and my ego wasn't get boosted this time.

Lesson number one: Baking involves science and precision, which I do like, and it's one of the reasons I like baking more than cooking, because I do like following instructions. This has led me to and endless lessons.

I made several attempts at making madeleines, and until these days I still haven't gotten the madeleines I expected. Don't get me wrong, they tasted pretty good and I like them, but I crave for perfection and that's why I tried and tried again. Madeleines, is a simple recipe yet requires a precise steps. After my third attempt, I surprisingly felt okay about them being imperfect. Lesson number two: it's fine to be wrong sometimes and to try and try again. It's also okay to fail for many times. Plus, it is so fun to experiment with the recipe and adapt it to what I have on hand.

Chiffon cake is another weird one. I don't like chiffon, they are... tasteless. The experience I have when eating chiffon cake is quite boring and ordinary, whereas I love rich, flavorful desserts. The ones I buy are sometimes a bit dry or have an eggy aftertaste. Now, why did I want to bake it? The only reason is because my mom loves chiffon cake. So, I baked it and it turned out pretty well for the first time. It was a fun experience, quite a bit similar to sponge cake, but was trickier. This brings me to lesson number three: Be careful, and do not--I repeat--do not underestimate the process even if you have done it several times. One bad example was when I made one for my birthday. It wasn't as airy and chiffon-y as I wanted them to be, and the frosting was too melty and difficult to work with. I liked the decoration because my sister did it, but I knew there was room for improvement.

So, yeah, I got to say that the me in my baking era has grown up so much. I was more consistent and persistent. I wanted to explore more and didn't give up even when my creations didn't turn out well. I do hope this is not just an era. I hope I can bake every now and then, enjoy the process, and enjoy the cake as well.

Thank you for reading this another self-reflective story. If you're wondering whether or not you able to try my baked goods or not, hit me up! (Sorry, family & friends only, for now *wink wink*). And for those who wants to try my sister's baked goods, she sells them. Check out @shachi.cookies on IG & TikTok for butter cookies, soft cookies, and fudgy brownies!

Wish me luck, so I can open a little bakery for you guys to try :)