Saturday, January 7, 2012

Work--The Cake Curse


Why would writing a blog about work be so difficult for me? I started answering the phone for the family business when I was in grade school, and by the time I was 12, I was putting in time at the office.  I’ve worked in retail, fast food, and as a waitress. I’ve been a staff writer at a regional newspaper, an office supervisor, a logistics planner, a metallurgical technician, an editor, event planner, photographer and public affairs specialist. I’ve driven a fork truck and side loader and soared up over mining trucks in a cherry picker. Now I’m an author with short story collections available on the Internet and a book to be published sometime this spring or summer. But nothing is jumping out at me.

So I’m going to tell you about how my sister tried to teach me to do her work.

You might remember from my story, “The Anniversary Cake,” that my sister baked and decorated the cake for their 50th anniversary celebration. My sister was better in the kitchen than I even before she spent several years working for a caterer. And no place was this more evident than in baking cakes.

Not that I couldn’t bake a cake. I mean, you just open the box and pour it into a bowl and add the stuff the box tells you to add. I could do that. What I couldn’t do was get the darned thing out of the pan in one piece to make a traditional layer cake. I solved the problem by buying some attractive glass baking dishes. My kids endured years of sheet cakes for their birthdays.

When my brother-in-law, then in the Air Force, had to do TDY at a nearby air base with Thanksgiving coming up, it seemed like a good opportunity to invite my sister and their kids to spend some time with us. We’d cook Thanksgiving dinner together. It’d be fun!

“I’ll do the side dishes and you do the turkey and cake,” I suggested.

“I’ll do the turkey, but you have to help with the cake.”

“May I ask why?” My sister knew about the cake curse.

“I’m going to teach you once and for all how to take a cake out of the pan and decorate it.”

I went cold. This was not going to turn out well. “But you know what happens when I try to make a layer cake.”

“Nonsense. It’s easy. I’m going you to show you, step by step.”  She selected two identical pans and greased one of them with shortening. “Now you do the other one.”

I did, and she inspected it to make sure I’d covered it sufficiently. Then she sprinkled her pan with flour. I did the same, and again passed inspection.

Finally she poured half the batter in her pan and I poured the other half in mine. We slid them into the oven together, and when the allotted time had passed, pulled them out and tested them with toothpicks. After a short cooling period came the moment of truth.

My sister flipped her pan upside down and lifted it off, leaving behind a beautifully formed layer.  She nodded for me to follow her example. Hands shaking, I flipped my pan upside down EXACTLY AS SHE HAD. And when I lifted it off, the cake split right down the middle.

She stood with her mouth open.

And as you know from reading “The Anniversary Cake,” the curse is effective even when I don’t actually bake the cake. Apparently all I have to do is touch it for something horrible to happen.

My sister now believes in the cake curse. When she comes to visit, she brings her own kitchen. She and her husband park their RV in our drive, and I am not invited to help her bake.

16 comments:

  1. Bless your little cake cursed heart! Who needs a layer cake anyway? Sheet cakes are bigger! I think it's great that she has her specialty and you have many of your own. We have a niche and so what if yours isn't layer cakes? ♥ ya just the way you are.

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    1. Yes, and you just can't beat a Mississippi mud cake.

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  2. Oh Angela, you had me ROARING with this story! I can see each step as you followed along with her. This reminded me of a time when my former sister-in-law had come by and asked me if I would teach her how to bake bread. The problem was that I was in the middle of cutting up deer for jerkey, had three batches of three different kinds of bread going, and cookies ta boot. (I used to bake like a mad woman!) So I gave her a French bread recipe and told her "There is no way you can mess this one up, so give it a go!" Seriously it was an easy recipe, or so I thought. She came back over a few hours later with tears in her eyes (and I felt HORRIBLE) because (she smacked the loaf on the table and it chipped) her loaf came out like a rock.

    I spent some time with her later, and she did learn how to make bread, but she was not a natural baker (or cook for that matter), her strengths were in the office, or organizing parties, etc... We all have our gifts, and... "cake curses" :-)

    Thank you for the good laugh, I am glad I made it here BEFORE I went to bed.
    k~

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  3. I am the daughter of a professional baker. I can't bake a cake any better. I have become quite proficient with cupcakes...

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  4. I'm so sorry you have the layer-cake-cake-curse! I bet you make great sheet cakes though. :) Enjoyed your take on this week's post!

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  5. Smart girl! Keep your sister busy and reap the tasty rewards.

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  6. Angela! This should be your worst trouble. Everything is a tradeoff. With all your accomplishments, so this is one Herculean task you just can't perform. Big deal! Let your sister make the cake...and you can have your cake and eat it too! Cheers! Funny story...I enjoyed tremendously. :))

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    1. I have to admit my heart isn't broken because I can't bake cakes. : - )

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  7. I can only imagine, having never attempted such a touchy marriage of chemistry and artistry, as to bake a cake.

    It does sound however, as if there is indeed, a curse upon your cakes.

    Ah well, there's always pie. I like pie.

    Thanks for this, Angela

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    1. My pies are much like my cakes--they taste good, but are ugly as homemade sin.

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  8. ps - You really do have some lovely photos.

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  9. Gobs of whipped cream deliciously cover a whole host of baking sins.

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    1. Yes, and I use it copiously. (Is this the right word?) Whipped cream also rescues a mediocre cup of coffee.

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  10. Oh, this is funny. You both do the exact same steps in the exact same way--and this happens. (Question, though: how did you know for sure which layer was whose? Maybe she has the curse now!) I'm not much of a baker, either, and haven't even attempted a layer cake yet. Maybe I'll try it and compare notes with you!

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    1. We kept them on different sides of the oven, but the same distance from the center just to be sure we did them the same way to prove to me that I wasn't cake cursed. Fail. Glad you enjoyed the post. Can't wait to compare notes.

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