Gilbert showed her how to remove the pits from the cherries, but the process was lengthy and messy. The juice went everywhere, which, in her opinion, was a horrible loss. So she tried cleaning the cherries with magic by pressing her mana inside the cherry, isolating the pit with it, and then pulling it out. There was still some juice lost, but it was nowhere nearly as much as before.
The old baker was a bit peeved by her use of magic, but couldn't deny the results. After all, she could easily clean ten cherries at a time, making the process much faster. Before long, the pot was filled with cherries. She then added honey to them to make them sweeter and allowed the cherries to simmer.
While those were simmering, they began working on the cake batter.
"This first step is probably most important. You remember how to make the sponge cake batter, right?" Gilbert prompted.
"Of course. I make it every day now. First, I have to whisk eggs with sugar until it has tripled in volume," she replied.
"Exactly. It's different from chocolate cake. Cocoa makes the batter drier and heavier, so it's harder to get the airy consistency. So we have to work extra hard while whisking the eggs," Gilbert said, and took a bowl filled with water. "We'll whisk it over a warm water bath."
"Warm water bath?" Melina asked, looking at the bowl.
"Yes. This is your clue to warm it up. Not hot, mind you. Warm," Gilbert instructed.
Melina touched the water in the bowl and warmed it up. Gilbert touched it tentatively and nodded.
"Good. Now what does this do? It helps to dissolve the sugar, makes it easier to whip eggs to an even greater volume, and also stabilizes them. Warm eggs are much more stable and less likely to curdle," Gilbert explained sagely.
"All that because of warm water?" Melina asked in surprise.
"Yes. Baking is a science as much as it is an art. One tiny thing can change the whole outcome. Now whisk those eggs. Eight to ten minutes."
"Is it alright to do it with magic?"
"Normally, I'd say no. But we're short on time. You can use magic, but we'll practice by hand once you finish your cake for Heilia," Gilbert said.
Melina nodded and got to work. She positioned the bowl with eggs and sugar above the warm water bowl with her magic and began whisking, hands free. Even so, it wasn't an easy process, maintaining a steady stream of mana to keep whisking the eggs. The fact that Melina was still worried about Alistair made her concentration slip on occasion. One time, she nearly dropped the bowl, managing to catch it at just the last moment.
But ten minutes later, she had a beautiful airy mixture of eggs and sugar. After that, she had to sift cocoa, flour, and salt in a separate bowl and then carefully fold them into the mixture. Gilbert warned her multiple times to go slow, so the batter wouldn't lose its airiness.
The last step was adding melted butter in a thin, deliberate stream. The result was a nice, airy mixture ready for baking. Sienna then heated the oven and cooked the cake at a slightly lower temperature than a regular sponge and for a longer period.
Sometime during the cooking process, the cherries finished simmering, so all that was left to do was wait for both the filling and the cake to cool. Obviously, Melina had no patience for waiting. She used ice magic to cool both down much more quickly. After she prepared the whipped cream, of course.
"The process is very similar to regular sponge cake," Melina noted as she assembled the cake. She smeared the cherry filling between the cake layers and the whipped cream on the sides and the top. She also put fresh cherries as decorations on top, as well as dark chocolate shavings.
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"It is, but there are more places where you can go wrong. You haven't really seen it with all your fancy magic, but if the mixture isn't airy enough, you'll get a very dense cake," Gilbert warned.
"I'll keep that in mind. But will Heilia really be satisfied with this cake?" Melina asked dubiously. She had somehow expected something much more difficult.
"I don't know. You'll have to ask her that," the old baker shrugged.
For the time being, Melina deposited the cake in the chillbox and headed home together with Mango and Sienna. The sun was slowly setting, making Melina's shadow stretch far ahead of her. For some reason, her gaze lingered on her shadow as she walked, instead of watching the scenery as she usually did.
It made her think of
It most certainly happened after she rewound time. It allowed her to remember and unlock her magic once again, something that should have been sealed away due to the ritual. But somebody or something deemed it that she, along with those close to her, should remember the past.
"What is it that you want us to do?" She whispered at her shadow, almost expecting it to answer.
But all she got was a confused chitter from Sienna.
"Sorry. I was just… contemplating some things," Melina said dismissively.
Soon she reached Alistair's home, which didn't appear nearly as inviting as before. Going inside, she was acutely aware of Alistair's absence. Only Sienna's and Mango's presence helped to ease her worries. But even that didn't last long. As soon as Melina got under the covers, her mind once again began to worry about Alistair. She barely slept that night.
The next morning, she was able to keep her focus better, although her thoughts were still filled with worry. She broke only a few bowls, and no pastries suffered. It was also easier to keep a pleasant expression in front of customers.
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But there was another, new worry on her mind. Would Heilia accept her cake? She decided to bring it to the elf as soon as the bakery closed. If things went well, then she would make it a new addition to the bakery assortment. But despite having done everything correctly, Melina had a strong suspicion that this chocolate cherry cake wasn't it.
Maybe it was just her inner turmoil that made her feel this way. After all, Roxie and Adrien had both praised it, saying that it was by far the most good-looking thing they'd seen her make. But in the end, it was only the elf that could decide whether the cake was worthy or not.
After finishing the service, Melina took it to the apothecary's. The elf greeted me with a disinterested expression, the same as always. She did glance at the cake in Melina's hands, but only briefly.
"That was fast," Heilia noted.
"I convinced Gilbert to teach me the recipe yesterday," Melina explained.
"I see. Come in, then," the elf stood aside, letting me in.
The air was a bit tense. Heilia wasn't much for short talk, instead heading to the kitchen and bringing out two plates as well as some tea.
"So this is the chocolate-cherry cake," Heilia stated.
"Yes. I hope you'll enjoy it," Melina said. "If you allow me."
She took the knife and cut two slices of the cake. It looked good—the layers were even and the cherry filling looked rich. Melina gave a piece to Heilia and one for herself.
"Have you tried it yourself?" Heilia asked.
"No. System ranked at an A rank, so I'm confident it tastes good," Melina said. There was no way the System would rank it that high if it was bad.
"That's certainly promising." The elf said, her expression unchanging.
They both tried the cake. Melina thought it was good. The biscuit was nice, and the cherry filling was rich and tasty. The whipped cream brought it all together. Overall, it was a good cake.
"What do you think, Miss Baker?" Heilia asked, sipping on the tea.
"It's good…" Melina said. But she could already tell by the elf's expression that she wasn't impressed. Neither was she. "But there's nothing really special about it."
"Mhm. I would expect an arcane baker to come up with something more unusual," Heilia noted.
Melina's mind began brimming with ideas. Perhaps, she could use scorchvine pepper just like she used in the eclairs. It went well with chocolate if used in the right amounts. Maybe the cherries would pair well with feyfruit for that extra magical kick.
"Forget I brought this here, Heilia. I'll return with a better cake later," Melina said and grabbed the remaining cake.
"I look forward to it," the elf said, watching Melina storm out of the apothecary.
After giving the chocolate cake to Roxie and Adrien, who ate it with gusto, Melina began her experiments anew. This time, she brought out scorchvine pepper and feyfruit. She had an idea how to elevate this cake to a level that even picky Heilia would enjoy.
"I don't get it. You make such a delicious chocolate cake, yet the elf is not satisfied with it. Elves must have very picky taste buds," Adrien noted.
"Aren't many elves regulars at the bakery?" Roxie pointed out.
"Now, when you mention it… Yeah, there are certainly a few I see every day. So I guess this particular elf is picky. I seriously wouldn't worry about it. Anyone would be happy to purchase this cake," Adrien soothed.
"But I know I can do better," Melina said.
"Leave her be, lad," Gilbert said, also enjoying a slice of cake. "She won't calm down until she makes that cake produce fire or some similar magical thing."
"W-Wouldn't that be dangerous?" Roxie muttered.
"Magic in general is dangerous," Gilbert pointed out.
But Melina wasn't really listening to them. Instead, she was mixing cherries and feyfruit pulp in various proportions, trying to find the perfect ratio. She couldn't add too much feyfruit—then the cake would be too filled with mana. Anyone without the ability to manipulate mana could get mana poisoning. That included pretty much everyone in Sunglow besides her and maybe Leon.
Flavor was also important. Too little feyfruit and nobody would even feel its pleasant, slightly sweet flavor. It went really well with cherries. She did have to be careful with honey, adding less than she would with just cherries.
After making several batches, she had what she thought was a winner. One part feyfruit to three parts cherries seemed to be the best mix, which wouldn't overwhelm the eater with mana. It was definitely better than just plain cherry filling, as the feyfruit added a new layer of complexity that previously wasn't there.
She also decided to improve the batter. This was a lengthier process since the sponge was so delicate. There wasn't much she could do without losing the airiness of the batter. However, she definitely could add ground bits of scorchvine pepper. Even in small amounts, they already added a much-needed kick to the sponge.
So she made several batches, alternating the amount of scorchvine pepper added. It turned out that she often went overboard, making it so spicy that only Sienna was able to enjoy the cake. The wyrm certainly wasn't complaining, getting all those sponges for herself while Mango yipped in displeasure. Melina did give the fox more of the leftover cherry-feyfruit filling since the fox wasn't bothered by the excess mana.
But with a little pinch of the ground pepper, she managed to add a pleasant heat to the sponge. Not enough to be labeled spicy, but just enough to leave a pleasant, tingling warmth on one's tongue.
Melina decided that the cake wasn't chocolatey enough. She still could remember the rich, chocolate cake she had eaten in Elenor's shop. Obviously, that was a pure chocolate cake, not a chocolate-cherry cake. But Melina still believed that the cake could benefit from another chocolate element. So she decided to make a chocolate cream. All she had to do was combine heavy cream with dark chocolate and some honey.
Finally, she decided that the whipped cream could use an upgrade, too, so she incorporated feyfruit juice into it. She was careful to strain away any pulp, leaving a beautiful, shimmering liquid. When combined with heavy cream in the right amount, she got beautiful, shimmering whipped cream. She didn't even need a lot of the juice to achieve the effect.
The main problem was actually deciding what effect to apply to the cake. The scorchvine pepper would give it fire resistance, but with how much feyfruit there was, it would be easy enough to override this effect with another one. Preferably, it would have an effect useful to the apothecary. But she didn't really know much about her.
The Guild often relied on Heilia, as did the people of Sunglow. She was essentially the main healer of the town, which put a lot of work and responsibility on her shoulders. The elf never showed it, but she likely was tired. Perhaps a restorative effect similar to Melina's muffins was in order.
With her mind made up, Melina began the assembly of a completely new cherry-chocolate cake. It was already late evening, and Adrien, Roxie, and Gilbert had already gone to sleep. Mango was also huddled up on the kitchen chair, snoozing. Only Sienna remained awake, observing Melina as she cooked.
"I think this will be my best creation yet. What do you think?" Melina asked the wyrm as she whipped the eggs and sugar over the warm water bowl.
Sienna chittered excitedly, seemingly agreeing with her. She wanted to see this cake ready just as much as Melina. They were both absorbed in the process, oblivious to things going on around them. Not that there was much going on—it was a peaceful evening in Sunglow.
Or it should have been. Only when the sponge was cooking in the oven and the cherry-feyfruit jam was ready, did Melina notice something was amiss. The usually clear Sunglow skies had become cloudy. That on its own wouldn't be so strange—it rained in Sunglow too after all. The strangest thing was the strong scent of algae and mildew, which came from outside.
"Sienna, do you sense that?" Melina asked.
Sienna shuddered, but it was more akin to the "I hate rain" kind of reaction, rather than something being wrong.
Cautiously, Melina decided to go outside. She peered into the garden but didn't see anything there.
"Perhaps the wind carried the smell of algae all the way from the shore," Melina noted, scanning the surroundings. She saw a figure approaching from afar, walking on the street. For some reason, this made her pause, so she watched, trying to discern who it was. They appeared to be holding a bottle in their hands.
But when the figure grew ever more familiar, Melina's heart sped up with joy. It was Alistair.