How to Bake a Cake

By: McKayla Maddox

To bake a cake, you will first need to gather all of your ingredients. Some are simple: flour, sugar, butter. Others arrive uninvited. 

1. First start by stepping into the pan, you slowly start to feel the metal walls pushing up against you. You push the button to the top floor, the door shuts, completely locking you inside, the preheating begins. The air feels warm, sweat drips down your forehead, like they always say, the hotter you feel the better. 

2. Be sure not to panic, it only makes it worse. The first rule of baking, the more you fight it the higher the temperature rises. There's a loud sound, it sounds like bowls clashing against each other, oh wait that's just your heartbeat. Calm down, everyone can hear it. 

3. Now it’s time to grease the pan, the walls are slowly getting closer, you lean against the wall hoping it would help you feel more relaxed. You're stuck, trapped against the wall now, the heat is too strong. 

4. In one corner of the elevator let's mix our dry ingredients, in a big mixing bowl whisk together a cup of fear, a tablespoon of anxiety, and a dash of shortness of breath. The flour creates a thick cloud of dust, it’s getting harder to breath, you whisk faster, maybe moving will help take your mind off how little space there is left, haha… probably not. 

5. In the other corner, mix the wet ingredients, slowly adding sugar, our melted butter, and tears one at a time. The salt gives it flavor. You mix and mix until everything starts to feel smooth and you start to feel heavy. The elevator stops, someone gets on, you almost dropped the bowl, your hands are shaking and your palms are sweaty. You try to ignore the awkward silence, pretending not to feel the oven slowly swallowing you.  

6. Now it’s time to combine everything, pour all of your thoughts, your breath, well whatever's left of it, and sweat into one bowl. Keep mixing. The elevator jerks, you feel yourself rising, slowly expanding in such a small space. Someone's shoulder brushes yours, another person coughs, you can smell yourself, cooking in fear, disgust, and anxiety. 

7. DO NOT open the door before the cake is done. Now wait, and wait some more, do not try to rush the process or the cake will be sticky, wet, it will start to melt and be no more. As the heat rises, your chest tightens, you're desperate for space. You are the batter expanding to each inch of the pan, praying to not spill over. 

8. Finally a soft ding, the door opens, steam rushes out and so do you. The hallway feels cold and fresh. You step out carefully trying not to crumble, head straight to the bathroom, every cake needs time to cool off. Splash cold water on your face, you are not cake, you are human. You remind yourself you must carry on with the rest of your day, but somewhere deep inside knows you will be back. And the cycle repeats itself yet again.