Anonymous good deed? Check. 500-piece puzzle? Check. Mastering a new favorite song? Check. Now, it’s time to BAKE SOMETHING FROM SCRATCH.
My mom liked to bake. She made bread shaped like teddy bears and even baked her own dog biscuits! So, genetically it seems like I might have an advantage in this challenge. But my own experience is fairly minimal. I went through an “artisan bread in five-minutes a day” phase for about a year when we lived in Northern Virginia. That’s rough on the waistline. I make a mean Texas sheet cake but I’ve never baked an actual layered cake from scratch. Turns out that National Chocolate Cake Day is Friday, January 27th.
So, I’m going to bake a chocolate cake from scratch. I’ve watched all of the episodes of the Great British Baking Show. I’ve even watched some episodes of the Great American Baking Show (not as good as the British one but better than I thought it would be). I’ve watched every season of Top Chef. Those crazy-talented chefs never want to tackle dessert. They want to cook, not bake! Baking is difficult. It requires more precision than I’m used to using in my life. I’m not a precision person. Wish me luck.
What about you? Have you ever baked a cake from scratch? Do you have any tips for me? I’m excited to give this a try. I now like puzzles (Andrew and I are working on a 1,000 piece puzzle!) so, who knows, maybe I’ll never buy another cake mix again! You certainly don’t have to bake a cake. There are a lot of things you can bake from scratch. If you make something, I’d love to hear about it. Hopefully, I’ll just manage to make something that I’m not embarrassed to give to my co-workers on National Chocolate Cake Day.
Before you go…if you’ve never heard the stand-up set about cake by the comedian, Jim Gaffigan, you need to! As a 10-year-old, Andrew could recite the whole thing. Probably still can.
Before You Grow Up 
I enjoy baking! What I like about it is the way that each ingredient has a specific purpose and effect on the en product. I spent an afternoon researching brownies once and it was fascinating! I found out that if you want fluffier brownies, you should whip the eggs longer. If you want richer brownies, cocoa powder and butter does the trick. I love that there is chemistry behind the reactions (not that I could actually tell you what). I just love that you can put your own personality into the recipe by understanding the different properties of each ingredients.
I wish you luck with your cake! I know I’m looking forward to Friday… 😉
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Thanks, Jenna! That is so interesting! I personally like a richer brownie but I’m not going to turn any brownie away 😉
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Ina Garten is my favorite foodie – she makes baking look easy…and because of her I want to go to a cheese shop. I was addicted to Next Food Network Star for years…but I’m like the fat girl that loves the fitness channel – watching has never really benefited me. I was never the girl that baked with my mom…in fact she always told me to scat! That’s so cool Dee made homemade dog biscuits! ❤️… I’ve always been intrigued with being able to make the perfect homemade biscuit…I’ll need to hit up Target for a rolling pin I guess. I’m going to surprise my family with homemade biscuits this Saturday morning and I’m going to make some homemade honey butter to dress it with. Whataburger makes this chicken biscuit with honey butter and I could eat 6 at one time. I actually did once. It’s part of why currently I can only wear one pair of jeans in my closet (but that’s a different post) anyway…thanks for the challenge. Have a good day!
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Haha. Good luck! My brother-in-law makes the best biscuits and gravy. I can’t wait to hear how yours turn out.
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Oh, my guys will be excited about this one.
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Haha, love it.
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