All Things Chocolate

Gathering the ingredients and equipment I needed, I rubbed my hands together, butterflies fluttering in my stomach.

This was it. My first attempt at making a chocolate cake from scratch, turning the oven on to preheat.

It wasn't for me, but my sister, Katie, since her birthday was today. And she was a huge fan of all things chocolate. So, this was going to be my present for her.

Dumping the flour into a large bowl, I coughed as the particles wafted into the air. Yeah, I probably should've slowly poured it in, smirking to myself. I then added sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder.

I quickly mixed the dry ingredients, feeling the soft flour and cocoa powder, along with the coarse salt and sugar between my fingers, enjoying the different textures.

Oh, this was going to be delicious.

I brought out my mixer for the wet ingredients, reading the list and directions from my tablet. Pinterest was the best. It saved me a lot of time searching the internet.

Even then, it had taken me a couple of days before I found a recipe I could easily follow without screwing up.

Although my skills were improving, my cooking tended to be either a hit or a miss. At least I never gave anyone food poisoning. Good thing too. If that happened, no one would trust me again to cook food.

Katie often volunteered to be my taste tester beforehand, telling me yay or nay, sometimes giving me ideas on improving a recipe.

I also took cooking and baking classes a couple of days a week at the community center. But cooking and baking were passions of mine that I was finally able to focus on more.

I put the butter, eggs, and vanilla into the mixer, which was spinning on the low setting. I didn't want the dry stuff to go poof in my face again when it came time to combine.

I grabbed a second smaller bowl, planning to make some raspberry frosting. My sister was also a fan of raspberries, always having a package in her fridge.

As I integrated the dry and wet ingredients, I pulled out the cake pan, spraying it with oil so the cake wouldn't stick to the glass when I moved it onto a plate.

Pouring the delectable batter into the pan, I carefully slid it into the oven, setting the timer. It would take thirty minutes to cook and then have to sit for over an hour before I could decorate it.

I put the ingredients for the frosting into my glass bowl, smiling as I read the directions. Katie would be so delighted.

I started making the frosting, using my electric hand mixer to combine everything slowly. It turned a light pink as the smashed raspberries were incorporated with the rest of the ingredients.

When the frosting was done, I covered the bowl with saran wrap and placed it in the fridge.

I rechecked the recipe, making sure there were no errors on my part. Nope, I was good. I grinned, watching the cake lift in the oven. The aroma was to die for.

Now I had to wait.

I sent Katie a happy birthday text, saying I would head over to her house in a couple of hours. She responded with a smiley face and a thumbs up.

Soon enough, the cake was out of the oven and cool enough to start decorating. I wiped the pink frosting on it generously. Katie wasn't concerned with her food appearing fancy as long as it tasted good.

I made sure it didn't look sloppy, though, doing some pipework with the frosting. It was her birthday, after all.

I then used some store-bought black icing to write happy birthday on top. For a finishing touch, I placed some raspberries around the words, grinning at my work.

Yes, that was an awesome-looking dessert.

Boxing up my creation, I put in my car and drove to her house, making sure to drive slow. I did not want to lose the cake to an accident mid-transport, knowing how upset I would be with myself if that happened.

The rest of the family waited for me inside by the large window when I drove up, parking my car in the driveway. I checked the time.

No, I wasn't late. They needed to relax, although they were the people who thought early was on time and on time was late.

I carefully walked inside, carrying the cake in my arms as I headed into the kitchen. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"What are you wearing?" Mom pointed at me.

I glanced down, noting the flour and frosting peppering my shirt and jeans. "Oops, forgot to change."

Mom huffed, rolling her eyes. "I told you to dress nice."

"I don't have nice clothes."

"That's fine," Katie walked in, giving me a big hug. "I think you look good."

"Happy Birthday." I pulled back, not wanting her dress to have white and pink smudges. "I've been busy today."

"I can tell," she chuckled, glancing at the box. "My present?"

"In the kitchen."

We all watched her skip over to the box, awaiting her reaction. The butterflies returned.

"Ooh." Katie opened the lid. "Oh my...that's amazing! Thank you so much!"

I smiled. "You're welcome." I gave Mom a side look, "I made it."

Katie's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yes."

She grinned, taking pictures.

Everyone eyed my creation, complimenting the work I did. Even Mom seemed joyful about it. And when they dug in, no one could get enough.

I wasn't really a sweets person, but I took a bite, curious how it turned out. I sighed, impressed with myself. It was moist, sweet, but not over the top, and the frosting was perfect.

"This is heavenly," Katie moaned, taking another bite.

It only caused my smile to grow more. That was all I needed, enjoying everything.