I’m a terrible baker. Despite the limited number of ways to mess up pre-made mix (if that even counts as baking), I still managed to have a multitude of baking fails. Something was just so appealing about being able to eat and share with others what you have made.
My first attempt at baking was a cake. Looking back, it seemed ambitious at the time, seeing as I’ve never baked cookies before, let alone an entire cake. As I began mixing up the ingredients, I could tell that this wasn’t going to be successful. I didn’t measure the ingredients properly, and the batter was overly runny. I took the cake out of the oven, and I knew I did something wrong since the inside was still raw. I placed the cake back into the oven but eventually gave up waiting for the cake to fully be baked.
Next was the fun part I had been looking forward to: icing the cake. I made the icing and followed the instructions precisely and eagerly added the blue food coloring. The plan was simple: create a blue based cake with a red heart in the middle. Even though the plan seemed simple, it resulted in the blue mixing in with the red, and I ended up with a purple-gray iced cake that was slightly raw on the inside. I knew that my chances of baking being my newfound hobby were low.
The next thing I attempted to bake was cupcakes. It was a simple task: add egg, butter, and water to the pre-made mix and place the batter in the muffin pan. Little did I know that I would put too much water into the mix, and the icing would melt, leaving the cupcakes looking like a murder scene. In order to fix the watery batter, I had to FaceTime my friend asking for help. I was told to add more flour, but I couldn’t find it in the kitchen. Eventually, I found a pancake mix and decided to use that as a replacement, which ended up being a disaster. Once the cupcakes were baked, I decided to ice the cupcakes and add sprinkles. Little did I know that you needed the cupcakes to cool in order to add icing or it would melt, leaving a puddle of melted icing.
Baking requires patience and precision, two things I’ve always wanted to work on. Taking my time and making sure to follow the recipe exactly is something I’m learning to do more. The last time I tried baking, I was successful in making banana bread. While I started off as a terrible baker (and arguably still am), the failed baking attempts have helped me learn to become a more patient person. I’m still trying to get better at baking, but now I know how to make mini sweet treats every now and then.