Chapter 56 – Baking a Cake with Amy 2
After placing the cake batter into the oven, all we could do was wait.
There was no point preparing the frosting yet.
I wanted to make sure the cake turned out well first.
If the sponge failed, everything else would be a waste.
As we sat around the table chatting, something suddenly caught my attention.
There was a tiny smear of butter at the corner of Amy’s mouth.
I had noticed it earlier while she was beating the batter.
At first, I assumed some had accidentally splashed onto her face.
But...
The longer I looked...
The more another possibility came to mind.
A small smile appeared on my face.
"Amy."
She looked at me.
"What?"
I smiled serenely.
"Did you... by any chance taste the cake batter while you were mixing it?"
Amy nearly stumbled from her chair.
However, she recovered almost instantly.
"Hm?"
"What are you talking about?"
"I was only mixing it."
"Nothing more."
She answered with a perfectly straight face.
I placed a hand on my forehead and sighed dramatically.
"Then..."
"Why is there butter at the corner of your mouth?"
Amy’s eyes widened.
She hurriedly wiped the corner of her mouth.
Sure enough...
There really was a tiny bit of butter.
For a split second, panic flashed across her face.
But only for a split second.
She immediately regained her composure.
"It must’ve splashed onto me while I was mixing."
I stared at her with a deadpan expression.
"...Really?"
She nodded confidently.
"Of course."
I folded my arms.
"Then can you explain why only your mouth has butter?"
"There isn’t any on your cheeks."
"Or your nose."
"Or your clothes."
"Just your mouth."
Amy froze.
"..."
"..."
After a few seconds, she finally spoke again.
"I... cleaned myself."
"I must’ve accidentally missed that spot."
She crossed her arms proudly.
"What do you know, Gray?"
"Hmph."
I looked at her for a long moment before quietly muttering,
"...Glutton."
The moment those words left my mouth—
Amy’s eyes twitched.
"What did you just call me?"
Uh-oh.
I immediately stood up.
She slowly rose from her chair.
"You little brat..."
A dangerous smile spread across her face.
"Today..."
"You’re finished."
Before she even finished speaking, I turned around and ran.
"Catch me first!"
"Gray!"
Amy chased after me without hesitation.
The two of us began running around the kitchen table while the head chef watched with an amused smile.
Just when Amy was about to catch me—
Ding!
The timer rang.
My eyes lit up as if I had found my savior.
"The cake!"
"It’s done!"
"We should check it before it burns!"
Amy stopped for a brief moment.
But only a brief moment.
She slowly looked at me with a frighteningly gentle smile.
"Of course."
"Let’s check the cake..."
She took a single step toward me.
"Come here, little brother."
"We’ll go together."
The sweetness in her voice made every hair on my body stand on end.
I immediately took several steps backward.
"O-Okay..."
"You go first."
"I just remembered..."
"I need to do something."
Amy narrowed her eyes.
"Hmph."
She knew exactly what I was doing.
Still...
The temptation of freshly baked cake was simply too strong.
She finally turned around and walked toward the oven.
Only after she had put a little distance between us did I cautiously follow behind her.
Amy walked toward the oven with a triumphant smile.
"Hmph."
"I’ll let you off this time."
"But don’t think I’ve forgotten what you called me."
I let out a relieved sigh.
"Thank goodness..."
"I survived."
Amy glanced back at me.
"For now."
"..."
"...That’s somehow even scarier."
The head chef couldn’t help but chuckle as she watched our usual exchange.
The atmosphere in the kitchen felt incredibly lively.
As I approached the oven, I carefully put on a pair of thick baking gloves.
The heat radiating from inside immediately washed over me.
Slowly, I opened the oven door.
A rich, sweet aroma instantly filled the kitchen.
The smell of freshly baked vanilla cake spread through the air.
Even Amy’s eyes lit up.
"It smells amazing..."
I smiled proudly.
"Of course it does."
Using both hands, I carefully removed the two cake pans from the oven and placed them gently on the cooling rack.
The golden sponge had risen beautifully.
The surface was smooth with only a slight dome in the center.
Even before tasting it, I could tell it had baked properly.
"Looks good..."
The head chef nodded with approval.
"Very good."
"For a first attempt, that’s impressive."
Still, appearance wasn’t everything.
Taste was what truly mattered.
After letting the cakes cool for several minutes, I picked up a small knife.
Amy immediately became suspicious.
"What are you doing?"
"I’m testing it."
I carefully cut a tiny piece from the very edge of one cake.
The missing corner was so small that it wouldn’t affect the final decoration.
After all, once the frosting covered everything, nobody would ever notice.
I placed the small piece onto a plate before cutting it into three portions.
Then I handed the plate to Amy and the head chef.
"Here."
"Taste it."
"And give me an honest review."
Amy’s eyes sparkled.
She immediately accepted the plate with both hands.
"Don’t worry!"
"I’ll bravely sacrifice myself for this important mission!"
"I’ll taste every bite thoroughly!"
I rolled my eyes.
"What a noble sacrifice."
The head chef covered her mouth as she laughed softly.
Amy puffed out her chest proudly.
"Exactly."
"I shall risk my life for this cake."
Just before she could eat it, I suddenly reached toward the plate.
"Actually..."
"I don’t think I can allow my amazing big sister to shoulder such a dangerous responsibility alone."
"I’ll make the sacrifice instead."
Amy’s eyes widened.
"No!"
She immediately pulled the plate away from me.
"You’ve worked hard enough!"
"Allow your wonderful sister to handle this burden!"
Before I could respond, she hurriedly picked up a fork.
She stabbed the piece of cake...
And quickly stuffed it into her mouth.
For a moment...
The entire kitchen became silent.
Amy slowly chewed.
Her eyes gradually widened.
"...Mmm!"
"It’s delicious!"
The head chef also tasted her piece.
She nodded approvingly.
"The texture is soft."
"The sweetness isn’t overpowering."
"And the vanilla flavor comes through nicely."
"Well done, Young Master."
Hearing their praise, I couldn’t help smiling.
Our very first attempt...
Had actually succeeded.
Truthfully, I had practiced baking a few times in past months, so this wasn’t completely unfamiliar territor.
Still...
I don’t have 100% confidence it’s become successful.
I finally picked up the last piece and tasted it myself.
The sponge was light and fluffy.
Moist.
Soft.
Not too sweet.
Just the way I wanted it.
"...Perfect."
Well...
Almost perfect.
There were still a few things I could improve.
But for a first attempt...
I was more than satisfied.
I put the plate down and clapped my hands together.
"Alright."
"Now let’s make the chocolate frosting."
Amy, however, looked longingly at the remaining cake.
"...Do we really have to?"
"We’ve only had one bite."
"Wouldn’t it be better to eat a little more first?"
She looked ready to cut herself another slice.
I sighed helplessly.