Surprise Baking Fiend

Because we do have a lot of people coming and leaving, we also have a lot of going-away potlucks. In all of those, I've not only enjoyed celebrating others, I've discovered I'm actually quite good at baking.

One of our veteran volunteers, Kaki, moved out last month and was known for her amazing chocolate cake. So in her honor, I was enlisted to bake something for her going away party. I admit, I was quite nervous in my attempt to impress Kaki's refined palate. Still, I'm happy to say that on that rainy Monday evening all anyone could taste was success (and a hint of mocha).

my first made-from-scratch chocolate creation and I

After tasting that cake, Municky, a yoga teacher here from Brazil, requested--nay, demanded--I make something similar for her birthday. However, this time around I lacked powdered sugar, so I went for a recipe that used granulated sugar. That was almost a lumpy disaster, until I had a perfect epiphany moment and dumped it all into a blender. What ensued was smooth, rich chocolate perfection that I could easily spread on top of this cake.

The coconut detailing was done courtesy of Sarah.

I definitely didn't expect to be baking (or be any good at it) this summer, but here we are and it's undeniable I'm awesome.

That's all for now!

Sylvia