by Andrew Reise
He set the cake batter aside. Then he began making the cinnamon topping that would go over the cake. Compared to the cake batter, the cinnamon topping was much simpler. He took the brown sugar and poured out a cup of it, packing it in to make sure it was a full cup. He poured it into a small mixing bowl. Then he added a tablespoon of ground cinnamon.
Finally, to give it the nice crunch that all coffee cakes had, Alan chopped walnuts and added a cup's worth to the mix. He chose walnuts based on the knowledge from the system. Walnuts themselves were fairly bland. The only real flavor to them was slight bitterness. That bitterness would be perfectly countered by the large amount of brown sugar. As a result, the walnuts wouldn't interfere with the flavor, and would only add a nice texture.
After adding all three of the ingredients to the small bowl he mixed them thoroughly so he was left with a seamless cinnamon sugar mix in front of him.
He took the batter and poured half of it onto a cake pan. Unlike other pans the cake pan was deep so that it could hold the cake mix. He poured half into the pan, spreading it evenly so that it was level. Then he sprinkled half of the cinnamon sugar mixture over it. Once he was satisfied it was thoroughly coated he poured the remaining batter over the top and finished off by coating that with the cinnamon sugar mixture. By doing it that way he would have two layers of cinnamon sugar flavor.
That was key when dealing with cake as cake is very thick, and without the cinnamon sugar mix in the middle it would have a strong initial taste that quickly faded to a bland cake taste.
Taking the pan Alan put it in the oven that he had preheated. After he did that he went back to his ingredients and made sure to put the ones that would spoil away, like the milk.
He let it bake for 20 minutes before turning the temperature down to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Then he let it bake for another 40 minutes. He pulled it out of the oven at this point and took a thin wooden skewer and inserted it into the cake. When he pulled it out he saw there was still some batter on the skewer, meaning the cake wasn't done yet.
The system gave Alan an ideal recipe, but unfortunately each oven was different. Though his oven was top of the line, it didn't mean it would bake the cake perfectly. He set it back inside for another 15 minutes. When he checked it again it had finished perfectly. He made a mental note to bake the cake for an hour and 15 minutes going forward.
He set the cake out to cool on a wire rack. The advantage of a wire rack was that it allowed cool air to circulate freely, preventing condensation from forming and making the cake soggy.
After it had cooled for 10 minutes, Alan grabbed the cake and set it onto a cutting board. He took a knife and carefully sliced the cake, getting an even slice. The cake held together well, though the slightly crunchy cinnamon mixture crumbled slightly causing bits of it to stay with a few cake crumbs on the cutting board.
He took a deep breath, luxuriating in the smell, and took a bite. The crunchy sweetness of the cinnamon crumble on top paired well with the muted sweetness of the cake itself. He made himself a cup of cappuccino and walked into the cafe, eating his coffee cake and sipping his cappuccino for a good twenty minutes.
After Alan finished, he sat satisfied for a moment. Then he went to the kitchen. He took the cake and wrapped it in plastic wrap before storing it in the refrigerator.
"I'll take it to my parents tomorrow," Alan thought to himself, satisfied.
He walked back into the cafe and cleaned up the plate and cup. Then he washed the mixing bowls, measuring cups, pan, and cutting board in the kitchen and put the remaining ingredients away.
Finished and satisfied, he turned off the lights in the kitchen and cafe, made sure the door was locked, and went upstairs to get ready for sleep.
Chapter 14
The next morning Alan got up at the usual time, but he quickly left the cafe carrying a covered cardboard box under one arm.
He looked for a taxi to flag down, but sadly there weren't many awake at this time. Finally, after waiting at an intersection for a while he managed to find one and flag it down.
He got in and gave the driver his parents' address before sitting back in his seat. He hadn't had his coffee yet so he still felt residual tiredness. A pressure headache seemed to form behind his eyes. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them he found he had already arrived.
Shaking his head to dismiss his stupor he paid the taxi driver and got out of the cab. Then he went and rang the doorbell on his parents' home.
It took a minute, but then his mother appeared at the door. "Oh!" She exclaimed. "Alan, what a surprise. Come in, come in. Did you take a cab here? You didn't need to go to all that trouble. I wish I knew you were coming I'd have made some of your favorites for breakfast." Smiling at her fussing, Alan walked inside, the warmth of the house washing the cold off his body.
"No need, I'm fine with whatever." Alan assured her as he took of his shoes and shrugged off his coat to hang on the nearby coat rack. Then he followed her to the kitchen. His father sat at the table, reading a newspaper and slowly eating a piece of toast with some jam on it. He looked up as Alan walked in, moderately surprised.
Alan nodded his head at him, and took a seat. His mother prepared a similar plate of toast for him and set it in front of him before noticing the package he still held in his arms. "What's this?" She asked curiously.
Alan set the box on the table and opened it. Then he removed the coffee cake from it. Only one slice was missing. "This is the latest addition to the menu at my cafe. It's a coffee cake I made. I made it last night to test it out and was satisfied with the result. I thought I'd bring it over for you to have."
She smiled. "That was very thoughtful of you. Of course we'll try it." She lifted the cake and brought it to a cutting board where she cut three slices for herself, Alan, and Alan's father.
She placed them on individual plates and brought them back to the table. "Here you go." She said, putting it down in front of them. Then she sat down herself.
As they sat there Alan noticed they seemed to be hesitant to try it. He chuckled, lifted his fork and used the side to scoop off a piece and lifted it to his mouth. "It's really not bad, I wouldn't bring something inedible back to you." Then he ate it.
Seeing this, his parents chuckled lightly, eyed each other and simultaneously ate a bite.
Alan watched as they chewed on it. His mother's eyes widened slightly as the flavor hit her before she made a sound of appreciation. She nodded at him and she finished the bite and said, "That really is quite good. I didn't know you knew how to bake."
Alan laughed. "If you have a recipe it's simple enough to do, you just have to follow the instructions to the letter."
Remembering her own first attempts at baking she felt something was wrong, but she shook her head dismissing the thought.
His father hadn't said anything, but he also had continued to eat bite after bite as he went back to reading the newspaper. That was a show of his approval.
Alan finished his slice, took his plate to the kitchen and put it in the dishwasher, then returned. "Well, I have to go, but I just wanted to stop by and share the cake with you. Feel free to eat it all. It was baked fresh last night so it should last for a while providing you store it properly."
His father spoke up for the first time since he had arrived. "Is business doing well?"
Alan nodded at him. "It's doing well enough. I'm gaining more regular customers, and I'm making enough to pay the loan and support myself."
His father nodded and fell silent again. Though he didn't say anything, Alan nonetheless understood that his father meant that even if business wasn't doing well his father would do his best to support him.
Walking outside into the cold morning, a warmth lingered in him as he left his parents' home.
As time had passed more taxis took to the street and he was able to hail a cab much more easily than earlier in the morning.
He took the cab back to the cafe. As he arrived, it was already 8:30 AM. He didn't
see Tom out front and assumed he must have left when he realized Alan wasn't there. It was too cold out to linger in front of the cafe for an hour. As he said this, he noticed an unfamiliar face standing out in front of the cafe shivering and hugging himself.
He eyed the figure curiously as he unlocked the door to the cafe and went inside. As he did, he noticed the figure's eyes widen. The figure reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone, and made a call. Alan loitered in the doorway despite the cold so he could listen in on the conversation.
"Sir, it's me. Yes, the cafe is open now. Yes. Okay, I'll return now. Thank you, sir." The figure let out a sigh of relief through chattering teeth as he hung up the phone and put it away. Then he flagged down a cab and left.
Alan felt the whole thing was very strange. However, he went inside the cafe, letting the door close behind him. He also made sure to lock it. Then he went to the kitchen. The first thing he did was brew himself a cup of coffee. Then as he sipped it to warm his cold face, he heard a knocking on the door. Turning he saw Tom standing there, his face frowning.
Alan considered not opening the door, but it was Tom, his first and most loyal customer, so he opened the door and let him inside.
"I thought you were open." Tom said immediately, dissatisfied.
Alan shook his head. "What gave you that idea?"
"I had my employee stand out here and call me when you opened. He said you had just opened." Tom explained. He frowned as he said this.
Alan realized what had happened, and noticed the frown at the same time. "None of that. I really did just come back and unlock the cafe. Don't blame your employee for not realizing I was going to lock it back up."
Tom shook his head, dismissing Alan. "In any case, why aren't you opening yet?"
Alan explained. "I had something to do this morning, and I just got back. Normally I would open right now, but I still need time to prepare today as I'm introducing coffee cake to the menu."
The dissatisfied look on Tom's face washed away as he heard there would be food. "Well, don't let me stop you. Tell you what, just serve me a coffee and I'll sit over here quietly," He said while gesturing to one of the leather armchairs. "I'll drink it while you make the cake. It's your normal opening hours anyways so it shouldn't break a rule right?"
Alan thought about it. If it was a different customer he wouldn't feel comfortable leaving them unattended in the cafe, but it was Tom.
Tom waited anxiously as Alan thought.
Finally, Alan nodded his head. "That should be fine." He turned and went to make Tom a cup of coffee while Tom breathed a sigh of relief.
He already relied on Alan's coffee to start his day. Sitting down, he put his cash on the counter for Alan to collect when he got back.
When Alan came back with a cup of coffee, Tom spoke briefly. "It would probably be a good idea to make the coffee cake earlier so you could serve it first thing in the morning."
Alan gave no reaction, but Tom didn't give up. "No, really, think about it. You'll be able to earn more money if you can serve it to customers who come in early to get coffee. It's just common sense."
Alan waved him off. "Alright, I get it. That was my plan to begin with. I just had something to do this morning. Going forward there will be coffee cake available when the cafe opens at its usual hour."
Tom nodded in satisfaction before sipping on his coffee. "Well, don't let me keep you." He took his coffee and went to one of the leather armchairs.
Alan shook his head, bemused by this unique customer. Then he went into the kitchen and began preparing the cake. After setting it in the oven and setting a time on his phone, he went back into the main area. Tom remained seated in the armchair, seemingly involved in a phone call.
The bell on the door rang as the door opened and a familiar face walked in. It was Claire. Alan greeted her and asked, "The usual?" She nodded her head and handed over her credit card which he charged. Then he went and prepared her a cup of coffee. As he walked back out he saw she had taken her usual seat in the armchairs.
Walking over to her he handed her the cup of coffee and turned around to go back behind the counter. However, she stopped him as he began to walk back.
"Is the coffee cake available?" She asked him, lifting her chin in the direction of the menu on the chalkboard.
Alan turned back and shook his head. "I'm sorry, I was delayed this morning, and the coffee cake is still in the oven. It will be available in another hour or so. Going forward it will be available from the moment the cafe opens."
Claire nodded her understanding, then as per usual pulled out documents and began editing them while she sipped her coffee. Alan went back to the counter.
They say a watched pot never boils, but apparently a watched cake eventually bakes. As Alan felt Tom's eyes follow his every movement, he checked his phone and saw the timer was just about up. He went into the kitchen and pulled the cake out. He tested it really quickly, inserting a thin piece of wood into the cake and removing it. No dough was stuck to the wood. He quickly put it on the cooling rack.
The smell of cinnamon sugar and freshly baked cake filled the air and spread into the cafe, mingling with the smell of coffee. Tom took a deep breath, his mouth watering at the smell. Even Claire looked up from her documents, momentarily distracted.
Alan waited for the cake to cool slightly and walked back out.
Immediately he was accosted by Tom, who was waiting for him. "Is it ready?"
Alan nodded his head. "Would you like to order a slice?"
Tom nodded his head, checking the menu. He hadn't actually looked at it earlier since Alan had directly told him the coffee cake would be there. He saw the price of the coffee cake and was surprised. "Only $5 for a slice of the cake?" He felt that the pricing seemed to be off.
"Unlike the coffee, the ingredients for the cake are average. $5 is already taking into account my perfect cooking method. Otherwise it would probably only be $3 per slice." Alan explained.
Tom gave him a look of understanding.
Alan went back into the kitchen and cut a slice of cake for Tom. Then he put it on a plate and carried it back out into the cafe to serve his first slice of coffee cake in the cafe.
As Alan walked out into the cafe, he saw Tom's eyes locked on him. More specifically, they were locked on the plate of cake he was carrying. He walked over to Tom and handed him the plate.
"Enjoy," He said before walking away. He firmly believed that his customers should be left on their own to enjoy the food and drink his cafe offered. His presence would only take away their focus.
Hence, he didn't even observe Tom from the counter. Instead he went back into the kitchen and busied himself by placing the cake in a covered glass dish meant to preserve the cake's moisture. Then he cleaned up the kitchen a little. Only after he finished that did he walk back out.
He noticed that Tom now had an empty plate and was lying back in his chair with his eyes closed, sipping on his coffee and issuing contented sighs.
Watching Tom for a moment, Alan felt a sense of satisfaction at this reaction to his coffee cake. As he stood behind the counter Claire stood up and walked over to him. "I'd like a slice of the coffee cake too please." Alan nodded, went back to the kitchen to cut her a slice, and then brought it out to her. He charged her credit card the extra $5.00 and handed it back to her with a nod. She gave a rare smile and went back to her seat with the cake.
Alan likewise spared her the discomfort of having someone stare intensely at you while you eat. Instead, he went to Tom and offered to clear the plate away. When things were busy Alan didn't always take the time to do this, asking customers to return it to the counter. However, if he had the time, he would always prefer to go the extra step to make sure that his customers had the most luxurious experience possible. Sometimes, that just meant doing something simple like taking their plates or cups away after they were finished so they didn't have to bring it to the counter.
It was the sum of a number of small thi
ngs that added to the overall luxurious environment of the cafe.
As Alan walked back with the plate, Tom followed with his coffee and took a seat at the counter.
After Alan brought the plate into the kitchen and set it in the dishwasher, he returned to the counter where Tom sat.
"Not staying in your armchair?" Alan asked curiously.
Tom shook his head. "That cake was too filling. Between the warmth of the coffee, the comfort of the armchair, and the beginnings of a food coma from being stuffed I was in danger of falling asleep."
Alan chuckled slightly, but also felt slightly curious. This was the first time someone had tried the cake, and it seemed that it really did have the effect of fully satisfying one's appetite. Staring at Tom like a guinea pig, he asked, "Did you eat before you came here?"
Tom shook his head. "Not at all. That's why it's strange. Your coffee cake is very filling." He eyebrows furrowed briefly as he thought about the phenomenon, but then they smoothed out as he relaxed. "I guess that's why they say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. If this carries forward I'll probably only have something small for lunch. Guess I'll be on the cake diet going forward."
Tom laughed as he suddenly had a thought. He looked at Alan and smirked, saying, "I guess this means your sales won't be that high. One slice per day and they'll be all set." He poked fun at Alan's weak point: his greediness.
Alan remained aloof. He looked at Tom's slight paunch on his stomach that showed through his shirt, then looked back at his face, and said, "Worry about losing some weight before you worry about how well my coffee cake will do."
Tom pretended to be hurt, clutching at his heart in an exaggerated manner. "You wound me good sir. That's it I can't stand it anymore. I'll take my leave." Alan shook his head, not fooled. Finished joking around, Tom drained the rest of his coffee then stood up to leave, saying goodbye as he did so.
