Master's Untamed Wife

1386  Science Behind A Cake n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

After some chit-chat with an old friend, Mu Chenyan took the girlies to the back kitchen getting to the stage that Raelle had been waiting for. There was a separate station that seemed to have been prepared for them and Xiao Xu left them with all the required equipment but did not interfere.

Although Mu Chenyan could have taught Raelle at home, it's not like they didn't have all the equipment and ingredients available but she thought there should be a sense of ceremony to everything.

"Do you know why I brought you here for your first-time baking experience?" asked Mu Chenyan to Raelle who shook her head. "Because my first time baking a cake also happened in this very bakery." Raelle opened her eyes wide at her. "My godmother brought me here. We took a plane to get to Kia City just so she could bring me to her favorite bakery that stood the storm of time. Xiao Xu's father was the baker whom she really admired because she couldn't seem to bake like him despite putting all her effort into it. So, she dragged me here coaxing me that it was for my sake but in truth, she just wanted me to learn well from him so that I could bake whatever she wanted to eat for her."

Raelle's lips curled up listening to the story and the other two also couldn't help laughing. Mu Chenyan sighed, "My godmother was definitely playful. But my purpose for teaching you how to bake a cake is pure! I have no hidden agenda but I'd still it if I could taste your first cake. It'd mean a lot to me."

"Who else deserves to eat my first cake apart from you?" asked Raelle.

"But you certainly aren't learning it for me. Before this, you never showed any interest in these household matters. Even if I asked you to check the monthly accounts book of the family, you'd refuse despite your love for numbers."

Raelle rubbed her nose guiltily as she really had never shown any interest in things related to their household matters. She didn't need to do so as she always thought there was Mu Chenyan to handle this stuff. She only needed to focus on things that she liked and no one could force her to do other things.

Mu Chenyan helped tie the apron around Raelle's waist and rubbed her head saying, "It doesn't matter how you suddenly developed this interest. The fact that you are willing to pay attention to these mundane things already means a lot to me. Now, let's get started with the introduction. We are making a simple vanilla cake today. We need certain equipment for baking a cake." She pointed at all the equipment one by one as she introduced them, "These are mixing bowls, measuring cups, and spoons which makes things very easy for beginners like you. This is a whisk but we'll be using an electric mixer instead because I don't wanna tire you. Also, we have..."

She continued to introduce and Raelle listened attentively as she nodded too. "Have you noted them down," asked Xiang Wai. "You are doubting my memory!" retorted Raelle.

Xiang Wai smiled as she said, "I don't dare doubt your memory. Learn well. I am waiting for your masterpiece."

Raelle gave her a look before focusing on listening to Mu Chenyan who had moved on to the introduction of ingredients now. "We are gonna use all-purpose flour to make the cake."

"Why?" asked Raelle. "There seems to be different kinds of flour like wheat flour, rice flour, corn flour, and so on. Why must we use all-purpose flour?"

Xiang Wai and Cloe shared a look when they heard this question from Raelle and looked at Mu Chenyan who didn't seem surprised by this question at all. In fact, Mu Chenyan looked like she had long expected this question from Raelle and she was all prepared too.

"All-purpose flour has moderate protein content, typically around 10-12% which is very crucial because when flour is mixed with water, the proteins like glutenin and gliadin combine to form gluten. This right amount of gluten gives cakes enough structure to hold together but not so much that the cake becomes tough or chewy..."

The more Xiang Wai listened, the weirder she felt inside and suddenly said to Cloe, "I understand why my mother said that only Mu Chenyan could raise Raelle."

"Why?" asked Cloe.

"Because who else would be so patient enough to learn the science behind baking a cake just to teach a 'big child' who loves to question everything? I don't think I have that patience. I'm in awe right now. I can finally see and understand what kind of struggle Aunt Chenyan must have gone through because of Raelle. This girl needs answers for every little thing. When I learned how to bake a cake, I didn't give a damn about why they used all-purpose flour or baking soda or eggs. I only cared about how I'm gonna get a perfect cake."

"That's what makes you and Raelle different," said Cloe. "She is slow with some things because she needs to understand them properly before taking a step further. So, the step that takes us five minutes might take her thirty. We might be saving time, but she won't be the loser either. Because if something goes wrong, she'd have better understanding of each and every step to figure out where things went wrong and how to fix them too."

"You are indeed right," agreed Xiang Wai. "My sister sure is unique."

"You ever had a doubt?" asked Cloe.

"No, how can I doubt that too?"

Both of them also started preparing their own ingredients to bake the cake of their own choice. Since they didn't need to learn, they didn't have to follow the steps of the vanilla cake which was too simple to both of them. Instead, they both found a teacher to learn a new flavor they found outside in the display cabinet.

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