Sierra Weir Assignment 1

Sierra A. Weir
WRTG 3007 – 001

Taking Marie Antoinette to Heart

Everybody is infatuated with something that goes beyond basic fascination and grows into an obsession. When I was six, I had my first bowl of Lucky Charms cereal at a friend’s house. I immediately was on a five-year quest for family-sized boxes of the stuff despite my mother’s vigilant health watches. Up until last Christmas, I hadn’t seen Lucky Charms in our pantry since those glory days. My parents humorously wrapped a box in fancy paper and my obsession was revisited without being rekindled. Obsessions are like that. They are fads for your soul. For now I am consumed by a new obsession. I am obsessed with baking. More specifically, I am obsessed with baking cakes of all kinds.
I love the way a finished cake sits on its stand with a neat, regal air, channeling a courtier all dressed up in frothy buttercream instead of tulle and lace. For me, the sight of a cupcake conjures images of cartoon forest creatures frolicking around a tea party. Like I said, this is just me on this one. Desserts are far from being a basic need. However they are a necessity. I would blame my baking obsession on satisfying my sweet tooth, but baking triggers a compulsive therapeutic and meditative feeling while exercising my creativity.
I wouldn’t say that I have the “sweet thumb” for baking. I just really like to experiment and create a finished product. I began baking with my mother when I was little. She always had me roll out the cookie dough and clean the dishes afterwards. Fortunately this type of work had great upward mobility. Soon enough I was adding the ingredients into the bowls, learning about fractions and food reactions as I followed her lead. I remember my first five or so cakes always stuck to the pans even though I had used nonstick surfaces. My frostings were less smooth and fluffy and more drippy and unbearably sugary. I took Mom’s tips and read our family’s monthly Food and Wine subscription. I learned a whole lot. A pastry chef is analogous to a chemist. Food’s chemical differences combined with temperature create reactions that result in the flavor combinations people love in desserts. I now know certain flavor complements that bring out the key ingredient. Want an extra decadent chocolate cake? Add espresso. High altitude baking became my forte. I felt like a genius. I could change and adjust recipes that were tried-and-true to fit a specific want. No fairy dust is required; one has to just do it and take risks and yes, blow some money on certain ingredients that may or may not end up as a burning mess in the oven.
I don’t keep a journal anymore. Not a bound one anyway. When I was younger I liked writing down favorite quotes or records of the day. Now I daydream about desserts and different cakes that I want to bake. The imagined recipes bombard my thoughts while walking to class or flipping through magazines. I jot down made-up recipes on scraps of paper, in my notepad function on my phone, and in my binder of my go-to recipes. I’ll think of unlikely flavor combinations and add them to basic recipes. I think my worst idea was a cucumber cupcake with a lemon cream cheese frosting. It was 98 degrees at the time and cucumbers are refreshing, to my defense.
When I am feeling extra creative, I bake. When I am feeling sad, I bake a whole lot, especially with chocolate. When I am feeling health conscious, I substitute good ingredients for the bad. I like the presentation of cakes and cupcakes. I hate it when they don’t turn out the way I originally imagined them. I love giving them away to friends. Now my friends see me as quite the domesticate. Bonus: baking saves money on birthday presents and it looks like a lot of effort went into something as delicious and beautiful as a triple layer caramel birthday cake for the roommate. By the way, caramel cakes are very difficult to make, but that’s a different story.
Just yesterday I made chai cupcakes with a cinnamon cream cheese frosting. I was feeling comfortable and cozy at the time. My obsession with baking the perfect cake has turned into a series of edible diary entries. I’m not saying anything hokey like, “A dash of love, and a shake of joy” go into my baking. I have noticed that my emotions at the time determine the ingredients that I will use. I have a constant need to bake because I love using it as both a creative and emotional outlet. Incidentally my friends and family love it too. To clarify, I’m not a compulsive eater either. I just enjoy making a finished product that both others and I admire and critique. That’s the artist in me.