“Remoted” Workday 189 / Day 282 (Wednesday)

Supper and an audience.

The plan was for a baking after work. My favorite carrot cake recipe was to be made as cupcakes. Hand grating the carrots was a workout. In all the many dozens of times the cake has been made, I managed to forget how thick and dense the dough is and stupidly pulled out the hand mixer. The beaters struggled and it seemed lucky the motor didn’t burn out. The switch to a spoon and the strenuous stirring was exhausting, and several hours later my forearms are still quivering. While battling the dough, I wondered with admiration about the stamina and muscular strength of bakers and cooks in the pre-electricity days. Once the cupcakes were in the oven, it was time for a supper break. Thank goodness for lovely cheeses, crackers, and summer sausages that make for a quick plate. 

The cupcake icing, a very simple two ingredient powdered sugar and lemon drizzle, became surprisingly problematic. Fresh lemon juice was used, and the drizzle tastes weird. Maybe the sugar is tired. I know I am. There are now eighteen cupcakes potentially tainted by yucky drizzle. By this point, I was hot from being near the oven all night, had a headache, and my arms were spent.

After the cupcakes, the baking shift was to end with Mummu’s recipe for  “Forgotten Cookies.” The ingredients are simple. Eggs were separated to beat the whites for the recipe, and because waste makes me nervous, I microwaved the yolks for the dogs. As I was setting the beaters into the hand mixer, there was a pop. In fewer than 30 seconds, the yolks had exploded in the microwave. The beaten to foamy egg whites were to be beaten further with sugar until the mixture “formed firm peaks.” Fifteen minutes in, and the were no peaks, firm or otherwise. My arm was numb from holding the mixer. More than once I considered tossing the whole mess into the trash, but I don’t quit that easily. The batter finally held a tiny peak, and in the desire to just be done with the baking, the chocolate chips and nuts were folded in. The next step is to turn off the 350-degree oven and leave the cookies in for about 10 hours. This is about all I have strength for now, but the last of the gifts arrived today and must be wrapped.