#1 never fails to surprise and scare me at the same time. Where mum is the 'planner' and 'sane' character, the daughter is directly opposite! Everything for her is impromptu, last minute and full of 'guts', never one to fear!
My darling #1 came home at 3p.m. yesterday with her friend 'M' and asked me "Mum! Do you have ingredients to bake a cake?" Huh? mum responds. "Can you please teach us to bake a cake now?" "Huh? What? Why? When? Now? asked her bewildered mum."
"Yeah! Now! We want to make Denon's brithday cake!" Eh@!@! Mum only bake cakes, mum doesn't and has never iced a cake! "Never mind" was her response, we'll just figure it out. I'll use the kindergarten method of icing. (#1 worked with a kindergarten for six months after From 5 and loved the experience). Anyway, mum, just show us how to bake the cake!
Aiyoh! What in the world do they have in mind? Two 18 year olds who has never baked cakes and don't even know what icing a cake entails, now want to make a birthday cake for a good friend! Just buy lah! mum responds! Oh no! We want to do something special! Haiez.....sighs mum.
Mum orders the two 18 year olds and 8 year old (#3) around to get the ingredients and utensils out of the fridge and cupboards. Whips up two butter cake and baking time takes 40 minutes. One butter cake for trial and testing of the icing and the other (hopefully) be the 'masterpiece'! Meanwhile #1 surfs the internet for icing recipes because she suddenly gets cold feet about the 'kindergarten icing method' - maybe not such a good idea after all she says!
Let's try glaze icing or just mix icing sugar and water or this icing or that icing?
Enough!!! At 5 p.m. and we're looking for icing recipes? I spoke to a friend who does icing for her cakes and asked for some advice. After discussing with her the most simple and basic of all icing, I decided that the
girls should try butter icing.Whipped up the butter and icing sugar, added (limited to red, blue and green) coloring and started testing on the first cake.
#1 said that the cake had to be flat so must cut off the 'mount' on the butter cake. I provided her with a long bread knife and she started sawing the cake. Ended up slanting, one side thick and one side thinner.
Mum scratches the head and ignores the groans and bitching from "M" and #1. With very limited tools and experience, the two girls started to mix and squeeze pipping bags with wrong sized nozzles and limited colors.
At 6 p.m. they are done with the grotesque 'trial run', amidst the laughter and tears! Then I made a statement "Eh! Why is it some girls have 'boyfriends' who can bake and ice cakes and you girls are struggling here trying to quick fix a birthday cake? "Excuse me Madam, does your husband bake? asks "M". *Complete silence* @#!&#@$**#@~! #1 looks nervously around and *Mum explodes laughing*! #1 also explodes laughing , rolling and banging herself on the cupboard in utter disbelief! By then another girlfriend "L" who came to help with damage control bent and contorted into half in more explosive laughter! "M" looks at mum with huge innocent eyes and grins. Both of us thinking "me and my big mouth".
This is the reason I love these kids! They dare to speak their mind but at the same time respectful and well mannered. Hubs and I like "M" and "L" and together with #1 they 'lepak' and study (I try to convince myself of that) together even though they are in three different courses.
They finally finished the 'masterpiece' past 7 p.m. and had to rush off to bathe and change for the surprise party that they had organized for Denon.
I quipped, "you three may just have a promising career in the cake baking and icing industry"! Hehehe!!
