JFWCM Chapter 44

Sweet Baking

Sweet Baking

The holiday time flowed like a soothing movement in a symphony, amidst the bustling and tranquil interstellar world. As night fell, Jiang Wan’yuan nestled lazily in the soft sofa, the holographic tablet in her hand shimmering with colorful lights. Bored, she scrolled through various interesting videos, when suddenly, a beautifully designed cake caught her eye.

The cake was like a work of art, with layers of soft cake interspersed with delicate cream, covered with a layer of crystal-clear icing. On the icing, colorful chocolate sauce outlined an interstellar starry sky, with twinkling stars, as if condensing the entire universe onto this small cake. Jiang Wan’yuan’s eyes lit up instantly, and she mumbled unconsciously, “Wow, this cake is so pretty, it looks so delicious.”

She immediately sat up straight from the sofa and watched the cake-making video tutorial repeatedly, becoming more and more tempted. Finally, she couldn’t resist the impulse in her heart anymore, picked up the communicator, and quickly dialed Yi Shang’s number. Yi Shang’s clear but gentle voice soon came from the other end of the phone, “Wan’yuan, what’s up?”

Jiang Wan’yuan said excitedly, “Yi Shang, I just saw a super pretty cake video, shall we make a cake together? It feels like it would be a lot of fun.” There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone. Just when Jiang Wan’yuan thought Yi Shang would refuse, Yi Shang said softly, “Okay, wait for me, I’ll be right over.”

Before long, the doorbell rang. Jiang Wan’yuan, like a happy little rabbit, skipped to open the door. Yi Shang was standing at the door in a simple casual outfit, her cool temperament softened by a touch of domesticity. Jiang Wan’yuan happily took Yi Shang’s hand, pulled her into the house, pointed to the cake on the holographic tablet, and said, “Yi Shang, look, it’s this cake, isn’t it especially pretty? Let’s make one too.”

Yi Shang looked at the cake on the tablet, the corners of her mouth slightly raised, and nodded, “It is indeed very beautiful, but the production process looks a bit complicated, are you sure you want to try?” Jiang Wan’yuan nodded firmly, “Sure! I believe we can definitely do it well.” Yi Shang touched Jiang Wan’yuan’s head indulgently, “Okay, then let’s try.”

The two went to the kitchen. Jiang Wan’yuan, following the video tutorial, began to prepare the ingredients needed to make the cake. She took out fresh eggs, milk, flour, and various flavors of interstellar fruit jam from the interstellar refrigerator. Yi Shang helped organize the kitchen utensils, preheated the oven, and carefully checked whether the egg beater and other tools were working properly.

After the preparations were complete, Jiang Wan’yuan took a deep breath and said, “Then let’s start! The first step is to separate the egg whites and yolks.” She carefully picked up an egg and gently cracked it on the edge of a bowl, trying to separate the egg white and yolk. However, her movements were a little clumsy, and the yolk broke at once, flowing into the egg white. Jiang Wan’yuan looked at the egg liquid in the bowl in frustration, pouting and saying, “Oh no, what’s going on? What should I do?”

Yi Shang smiled lightly, took the egg from her hand, and said, “Don’t worry, watch me.” Yi Shang skillfully picked up the egg, gently cracked it, and then cleverly tossed the eggshells with both hands, and the egg white and yolk were perfectly separated. Jiang Wan’yuan looked at Yi Shang, her eyes full of admiration, “Yi Shang, you’re so amazing! How can’t I do it well?” Yi Shang looked at her gently, “Just practice a few more times, come on, try another one.”

Encouraged by Yi Shang, Jiang Wan’yuan picked up another egg, this time learning from her mistakes and being more careful. Finally, she successfully separated the egg white and yolk, and jumped up excitedly, “Yi Shang, look, I did it!” Yi Shang nodded with a smile, “Great, keep it up.”

Next was whipping the egg whites. Jiang Wan’yuan inserted the egg beater into the egg whites and turned on the switch. The egg whites gradually foamed white under the rapid stirring of the egg beater. Jiang Wan’yuan stirred while adding fine sugar according to the tutorial. However, whether it was because she wasn’t stirring fast enough or for some other reason, the egg whites never reached the stiff peaks shown in the video.

Jiang Wan’yuan looked at Yi Shang anxiously, “Yi Shang, why can’t these egg whites whip up? Did I do something wrong?” Yi Shang observed carefully and said, “Maybe the speed isn’t even enough, let me try.” Yi Shang took the egg beater and skillfully adjusted the speed and angle. Before long, the egg whites became thick and could pull out straight peaks, successfully whipped.

Jiang Wan’yuan looked at Yi Shang, a little embarrassed, and said, “Yi Shang, I feel like I can’t do anything well, it’s a good thing you’re here.” Yi Shang put down the egg beater and gently held Jiang Wan’yuan’s hand, “Don’t say that, this is our first time making it, it’s normal to encounter problems. Besides, I’m here to help you.” Jiang Wan’yuan looked at Yi Shang’s gentle eyes, and a warm current surged in her heart.

Under Yi Shang’s guidance, Jiang Wan’yuan successfully completed the egg yolk batter and carefully mixed the whipped egg whites with the egg yolk batter. Then, they poured the mixed cake batter into a mold and put it into the preheated oven. Jiang Wan’yuan stared at the cake batter in the oven, full of anticipation, and said, “Yi Shang, what do you think our cake will look like?” Yi Shang gently put her arm around Jiang Wan’yuan’s shoulder, “No matter what it looks like, it’s the result of our efforts, it will definitely be delicious.”

Twenty minutes later, the oven made a “ding” sound. Jiang Wan’yuan couldn’t wait to open the oven door, and a rich aroma of cake wafted over. The cake had risen just right, with an enticing golden-yellow surface. Jiang Wan’yuan said happily, “Wow, it looks pretty good!” Yi Shang said with a smile, “Yeah, it smells so good, but we can’t eat it yet, we have to wait for it to cool down before we can take the next step.”

While the cake was cooling, Jiang Wan’yuan and Yi Shang began to prepare the cream and decorations. Jiang Wan’yuan poured the fresh cream into a bowl and whipped it with an egg beater, while Yi Shang cut various interstellar fruits into small pieces and prepared some colorful sugar beads and chocolate sauce.

After the cake cooled, Jiang Wan’yuan took it out of the mold and placed it on a cake rack. She first spread a thick layer of cream on the first layer of the cake, then spread a layer of sliced interstellar fruit, and then spread another layer of cream. Yi Shang helped pass the materials and reminded Jiang Wan’yuan to spread the cream more evenly from time to time. In this way, they assembled the cake layer by layer.

Finally, Jiang Wan’yuan picked up the chocolate sauce and outlined the interstellar starry sky pattern on the surface of the cake, following the video. Yi Shang helped to decorate the colorful sugar beads on the side, making the cake look more vivid. When the last sugar bead was placed on the cake, the two smiled at each other.

Jiang Wan’yuan said excitedly, “Yi Shang, we finally finished! This cake looks amazing, just like the one in the video.” Yi Shang looked at Jiang Wan’yuan’s happy appearance, her eyes full of tenderness, “Yes, thanks to your persistence, we were able to make such a beautiful cake.”

Jiang Wan’yuan picked up a knife and carefully cut a piece of cake, handing it to Yi Shang, “Yi Shang, you try it first.” Yi Shang took the cake and took a bite, the softness of the cake, the sweetness of the cream, and the freshness of the fruit blended in her mouth, the taste was excellent. Yi Shang said with a smile, “It’s delicious, Wan’yuan, you did a great job.” Jiang Wan’yuan also cut a piece and put it in her mouth, and said happily, “It’s really delicious! The cake we made ourselves is just different.”

The two sat at the dining table, savoring the cake they had made with their own hands, and sharing their interesting stories. In this warm evening, the sweetness of the cake and the deep friendship between the two intertwined, permeating the entire room. Jiang Wan’yuan and Yi Shang knew that this friendship, like this delicious cake, would become richer and more precious with the passage of time. And this night of making cakes together will also become a beautiful memory in their youth, forever engraved in each other’s hearts.