leadinglady | video

[ following directions attentively and adding the ingredients to the bowl. SIFTING SUCCESS \o/ ]

That's one step down, then!

Yes! It's time for the next step! [Pulling over another bowl as they set aside their flour mixture, as well as the sugar and eggs.] In this bowl, we add 1 and 1/2 cups of sugar to this, as well as two eggs that you crack and open, like so...

[He takes one of the eggs and taps it against the side of the bowl until a crack forms in the egg, which is then pulled apart so that the egg yolk goes into the bowl.] You want to make sure there aren't any pieces of the shells in the yolk of our eggs, otherwise it wouldn't be in perfect taste.

[He hands over the remaining egg, as well as another, smaller bowl.] If you'd like, you can try to break it in this one first, so that you'll be able to check for any stray egg shells in it.

I've read in a book that shells can add calcium to animals' diets... but I suppose it might be awkward in a cake.

[ eyeing the egg with a critical look, then trying to tap and break it as cleanly as Cilan did... only to accidentally end up with egg goop all over her fingers. ON THE BRIGHT SIDE, no shell got in!! ]

Well, that is true that they do have calcium to them, but unfortunately the human body is unable to digest them properly, so it would be a less than desirable taste to become potentially ill if ingesting too many egg shells...

[...Speaking of less than desired tastes, he'll go ahead and pass over a towel for her to wipe her hands off with.]

And the texture would change. But a crunchy cake would be new, wouldn't it?

[ ach, egg! she wipes it off, then accidentally gets some more on her hands when trying to trash the shells. gosh, cooking is messy! ]

I suppose it would be, but I'm sure there are better substitutes to get tastes like that than using egg shells...

[Like...nuts or something maybe, but who would actually eat a crunchy cake like that...]

[ I WOULD, PICK MEEE o/ ]

True enough. I'll trust your judgement. What's next, Mr. Cilan?

Once we've added our eggs into our bowl of sugar, the next step is to beat them together. Usually this is done with a whisk, like so--[Here's our whisk and, after putting their egg yolks in with the sugar, he shows how to beat them--it's a lot like rapid stirring, getting the yolks to break apart and mix with the sugar. After a minute he'll then hand it off to Platina to let her try.]

Our goal is to beat and mix them together until they reach a "saboyan", or ribbon-like taste as some call it, which is when it appears to have been mixed together perfectly.

Ribbon-like, is it?

[ examining the process veeery carefully. nnot seeing the ribbony part of the egg-beating, though, but a little too proud to admit it. she takes the whisk and bowl with a determined look. ]

I'll give it a try.

[That's because we want you to have some experience trying to do so yourself--if it already looked ribbon-like, then we'd already be done with this step.]

Great! Let's see what you can do! [GO GO PLATINA, YOU CAN DO IT]

[ aaand MIXING WITH ALL HER STRENGTH. on the bright side, the strands of egg flying everywhere sure look ribbon-like! on the not-so-bright side, oh gosh egg is messy why is it so messy. ]

[it sure does seem ribbon-like flying everywhere, but it's supposed to be staying in the bowl...]

Y--you don't need that vigorous of a taste in strength to beat them, Miss Platina...

I'm being thorough. This egg is surprisingly flimsy!

[ but okay maybe pausing for now because if she continues at this speed the bowl will be empty 8| ]

[Well, at least your tenacity is something to be admired...]

Perhaps, but it wouldn't do well for our eggs to end up outside of our mixing bowl, right?

[He looks down inside the bowl, checking to see how far along they've come with Platina's beating of ~~what's left of~~ them, gesturing to where the whisk is in the bowl.] The ribbon stage is reached when you can see a visible trail left behind when you move your whisk through the mixture, see?

You... might have a point. So that's what it refers to, then?

[ glancing down, then moving the whisk through more slowly. on the bright side, it does leave a visible trail thanks to the beating she gave it. suc... cess?! ]

That's right. [Success!]

Next, we take a small bowl and mix together our oil, vinegar, food coloring, and vanilla. [He gestures to each ingredient he is talking about as well as yet another bowl. (But don't worry it's the last one)] After they've been mixed together, we then add it to our bowl of eggs and sugar that we've beaten and mix them all together until they're well combined once more.

[He smiles despite how there seems to be so many steps to making this cake.] I suppose you could say we're starting to reach the midpoint of our baking, as the next remaining steps will begin to have a taste of finality to them soon.

[ whoaaa whoa maybe her head is spinning BUT NO she is a scientist, if she can keep track of data she can keep track of ingredients!! taking the small bowl, though, and trying to remember which ones he'd mentioned... ]

That's a relief. This has been a learning experience! Does it matter what order I put the ingredients in?

[Good to hear!] No, you may add them in whatever order you like!

[You just gotta be sure that those ingredients have all been mixed together before adding that mixture to the mixture of eggs and sugar, that's all.]

[ right then, she starts adding the ingredients, then taking up the whisk with a look of YOU'RE GOING DOWN at the small bowl. mixing is a go!... and with slightly fewer spatters, that's progress. ]

Good! It looks like it has an appropriately mixed taste. And now that they've been combined together, we mix them in with our eggs and sugar that we beat before. [In other words, dumping the contents of that small bowl into the bowl of the eggs and sugar you beat earlier and mixing them into it again] Afterwards, we'll be ready to add to it the buttermilk as well as our mixture of flour that we made earlier.

[So much mixing and adding stuff going on, but once all of that is done, they'll actually eventually get to the pouring into pans and putting them in the oven part... ^^;;]

What exactly is buttermilk? Is it different from regular milk?

[ it... sounds delicious :9 she pours in the small bowl mix into the larger one, then starts diligently mixing again. it's like making poffins! gosh, if Dia were here, he'd be so proud of her. ]

[He watches her progress with the mixing, nodding in approval. Looks like you're getting the hang of this, as he explains a little while you're mixing.]

Buttermilk has a thicker consistency to it than regular milk, as well as being a little more tart in flavor. It can be drunk straight, and it's also used as a cooking ingredient in some dishes, sometimes even sold in a powdered form.

I'm a little curious to try it now. We do have it in stock, right?

[ hmm... not quite ribbony yet. she stares down as if curious to try tasting it, then stirs faster like NO NOT YET... SOON... ]

Of course! [He'll go get it while you're finishing up with the mixing, and when he comes back, he has a measuring unit of one cup for the amount we'll be using to add in soon (though not quite yet), as well as a smaller, regular glass that Platina can pour some of the buttermilk in if she's actually curious enough to want to try to taste it for herself...]

Here we are--ah, and it looks like your mixing of our ingredients is coming along with a fine taste! [YOU'RE DOING GREAT PLATINA /o/]

You really think s... I mean, of course! But thank you.

[ got to be gracious! but she is pretty proud of not spilling much this time. she offers the large mixing bowl to him for closer inspection, while examining the buttermilk. it looks pretty tempting :9 ]

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