I've been meaning to try this out for some time now - and with quite a bit of stress over the past couple of weeks, I figured the best thing to do to de-stress over the weekend was to make a cake. :)
For me, cooking and baking is a way to deal with stress. Because it's so unlike anything else I do in my day to day - and it requires the utmost concentration, it really helps to reboot my brain and relieve stress. Back in 2001, when 9/11 happened, I wasn't in New York at the time as I was in college. The whole thing was so mind numbing and impossible to take in, I ended up making pasta alfredo for everyone to give me something to mentally cope. (Mind you, it tasted absolutely horrendous.)
Gary's Blackforest cake
http://www.masterchef.com.au/black-forest-cake.htm
While the recipe is quite complex and involves quite a number of techniques and creations, the whole thing wasn't actually that bad. As you can tell, I didn't end up with the 5 tier cake like the one on the show simply because it was too late to try and make a second sponge cake (I only had 1 springform pan) and I hadn't bought enough marscapone cheese. Plus, when we served it up, most people had already eaten dessert anyway, so it was probably a good thing that it was a little smaller in size.
Yummo.
Why do you cook? What hobbies help you destress?
I Cook firstly as a means to eat, but then, on every third or fourth day when I have an opportunity for some extra preparation, it is a great way to share some time with family around the kitchen. I especially like sharing recipes for cupcakes with friends.
ReplyDeleteGreat that you are brave enough to try it even though you didn't make the 5 tiers! I haven't yet, although it's on my list! Looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteI think cooking and gardening can help me destress. It's a wonderful post, I like it!
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