Sunday, January 25, 2009

Nothing Easy About It


As I was drinking my coffee early this morning, my granddaughter called. "Can you come over and bake something with me in my Easy Bake oven?" she wanted to know. Couldn't think of a good reason why not, since I was the one who gave it to her for Christmas.

She and I love to bake cookies, so it seemed like the perfect gift. I have fond memories of my Easy Bake oven as a child. I was so proud of the little cakes and cookies that I forced upon my poor father. He always ate them graciously and my mother to this day has me bake the birthday cakes in the family. 

There is a long story about the 100 watt light bulb that the manufacturers did not include in this toy oven. But to keep a long story short, we assembled the oven and after 30 minutes of tearing the house apart to find the little baking pans she had lost, we set about to bake a chocolate cake. 

The batter was dry and crumbly. Not at all like a batter. We added a little more water until the consistency seemed right. We struggled a bit with the long u-shaped handle to slip the cake pan inside the oven. Patiently, we set the timer and played a game while we waited the seven long minutes prescribed on the box.

Ding! Time's up and in great anticipation of what was about to slide out of the oven, we had camera in hand. To our disappointment, the result of the morning's labor was nothing more than a wad of goo. "Is this right?" my granddaughter asked. Even her limited culinary expertise knew this was not even close to right.

We popped it in the oven again and after another seven minutes, we had a slightly more formed wad of goo. We decided to call it goo cake and opened the frosting mix and sprinkles to add something festive to our new concoction. The watery frosting melded with the goo and the sprinkles added a bit of sparkle to the extraordinary and barely palatable fiasco.

I am tempted to call the Easy Bake people and ask them what happened. I remember this toy as being truly easy and it actually baked. Now I am beginning to wonder if my gracious father thought my treats were just a step up from my early mud pie faze. 

3 comments:

nancygrayce said...

I can be of no help! I don't remember having an Easy Bake Oven, thus my lack of cooking skills!

Wise Grandma said...

Oh please, I still think you are one hot mama!

Anonymous said...

Catching you a whole year late, but I'll add my remembrance.

I can't remember ever using the approved mixes with my 1974ish Easy Bake Oven. I always got it out whenever Mom was baking a cake or cookies, and she allowed me a little of her batter to use in my oven.

It was fun just having a little cake of my own, and I suppose I learned to properly grease and flour a pan. But I moved on to the real oven as soon as I could.

Little Debbie