Why I Love Baking and An Explanation of Absence

The past weeks have been particularly stressful with university, work and other pre-occupations, such as family and a somewhat needy man. 
As you know from the video above, I have been quite wrong-footed with writing the past weeks and barely managed to motivate me to anything. Even blogging became somehow a source of stress, but now I want to show you why I love baking and hopefully herald a new era of disciplined blogging. ​

I have never been one for the kitchen as a child. Even though my mother is a really good cook and baker, I never helped her in the kitchen and cannot really recall baking with her. However, over the past years, I have fallen in love with baking, not only because the outcome is so delicious, but also because it serves as a great counterpart to my hectic, brain-centred life. In baking, you have to be concentrated enough not too think about your life and stray off, but also it does not require academic levels of thinking, which makes it the perfect way to turn yourself off for a while. 

I am not a fancy baker like the people on Zumbo's Just Desserts (which are SO insane, it's a show on Netflix and if you're into high art baking, this is the show for you. More info on the show in the TV section). I usually stick to simple, mostly American, desserts, such as brownies, muffins, cupcakes and cake pops. However, I am attempting more challenging projects now and have recently made profiteroles, Edwardian Spongecake (which is like Victorian Spongecake in smaller) and chocolate-orange tarts. 

One of the biggest misconceptions about baking is that it is really hard - believe me, if I can do it, so can you. Baking is actually quite mathematical in a way that you simply have to follow all steps correctly in order to get the right result. And, as in Maths, there is nothing more gratifying when you actually get it right. 

Another feature I love about baking is the magic of it. Think about it, you are creating something awesome from nothing. It is like Potions class by which you assemble the ingredients to make something healing (and, YES, a cake is healing!). It gives me a God-like feeling because I am in complete control and in sync with my hands and body, as well as my mind, which is a great experience. 

Sadly enough, I have developed a fear of failure in nearly all categories of my life. Whether it is university, writing, decorating the flat, and even sex, performance is key and under permanent scrutiny; however, in baking, I don't feel like I need to perform as it is probably the only thing at the moment I am genuinely only doing for myself. 

So, what stops you from giving it a shot? Below you find a gallery with some inspiration from my previous baking events and also make sure to check out the recipe section, which I will update with the recipes in the next few days. 

Happy Baking! 
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