Although the results of baking are almost universally loved, the act of baking itself is actually quite controversial. Even when it comes to something as simple as a chocolate-chip cookie, many find the act of baking tedious and almost impossible—let alone for more delicate desserts such as macarons or patisserie. Personally, I think this difficulty and tediousness is what makes baking so fun. Here are my favorite parts of baking, illustrated with a few case studies.
Case Study #1: Fruit Tarts
December 24, 2020
Difficulty: 6/10
I made these tarts for the first Christmas I ever spent at home (which was, of course, in 2020). Never before in my life had I been able to extensively bake in the holidays because we were always traveling, so I decided to go all out. Among the treats made both successfully and unsuccessfully were a set of fruit tarts, which were thankfully in the former.
The actual baking of the tarts was relatively simple: they consist of a basic pastry base and creme diplomat, which is a mix of custard and whipped cream. However easy the baking was, the construction made these a challenge. Assembling 12 tarts (which included piping the creme, cutting and glazing four fruits, and arranging them) probably took me around an hour. Most wouldn’t attempt fruit tarts solely on account of this time commitment, which is sometimes falsely conflated with difficulty. However tedious assembling identical tarts may be, cheerful Christmas music and looking forward to the taste made it all the more fun.
Case Study #2: Lemon Lavender Shortbread & Cupcakes
June 11 and 13, 2021
Difficulty: 4/10
Since I started baking, I had always dreamed of baking with lavender, which I (somewhat incorrectly) imagined would be among the best things I had ever tasted. Because I never thought about ordering lavender on Amazon, this wasn’t a possibility until I took a trip to Savannah in 2021. In Savannah, I visited a bakery that happened to sell pouches of edible lavender. I baked lemon-lavender shortbread cookies and lavender cupcakes with cream cheese frosting the moment I got home.
These were among the easier things I’ve baked. Shortbread cookies are maybe the easiest things anyone can make, and are absolutely delicious, and the only real challenge in making cupcakes is making the frosting and piping it. While these were fun and easy to make, I was incredibly let down when I actually tasted the lavender flavor I’d been dreaming of: it was much closer to a bar of soap than the refined French pastry I’d been imagining.
Case Study #3: Berry and Whipped Cream Cake
May 20, 2023
Difficulty: 7/10
I made this cake with my mom for Norway’s Nasjonaldagen, or Constitution Day, which takes place annually on the 17th of May. Traditionally, these celebratory cakes are light sponge with whipped cream and fresh berries—conveniently, this is also the only kind of cake I can actually bake.
While cake itself isn’t the most challenging thing to bake, it never ceases to make me feel like an absolute beginner. The fun ends the moment I take the cake out of the oven and have to start laboring over frosting and decorations. Even though this cake was meant to be rustic (and it certainly is), the humble decorations were more than enough for my patience. Thankfully, I could play the hastiness off as intentional.
Regardless of your experience or personal feelings towards baking, I would encourage you to try making something new and to try to enjoy even the enjoyable parts. Joy can be found even in the tediousness that is whipping cream or egg whites, and once you taste the creation you managed to wrangle into existence with only some sweat and tears, there’s really nothing better.
