lucetilogs | (no subject)

Whip the cream; got it! [Sanji sets the cake aside first, rubbing his hands on his apron to get any residual marzipan off. Then he grabs 2 and a half cups of heavy cream out of the fridge. He's not using an electric whisk, meaning he'll have to thicken it up the old fashioned-way - by hand.

This might take some effort. Being a cook doesn't exempt Sanji from noodle arms, and after two or three minutes of diligent whipping he sticks out his tongue with a pant.] Beh.

Would you like me to take a turn?

[Vivi stands and holds out her hands for the whisk and bowl. Together, they can whip this cream into shape!]

[But Vivi you're a giiiiiirl, you're not supposed to make the girls do the work.

Except she's helped him this far; Sanji can tell his chivalry to park it somewhere. He hands over the bowl and checks the recipe for any other steps.]

Hmmm... we need the custard. [Fetching that then] And we gotta cut the cake, too. [Into three pieces. Well, simple enough. Sanji goes to fetch a knife for the preparations]

[Vivi gamely takes the bowl and begins to whip the cream in earnest. Really, Sanji's made a good start of it, so she thinks she'll be able to finish it off without too much trouble. As she whisks, she watches Sanji divide the cake neatly into three horizontal sections and gather the rest of the things they'll need to assemble the cake.]

Almost done, I think.

[A few more minutes, and her arm is beginning to ache, but the cream has come to a smooth and fluffy consistency. Feeling a little breathless at her effort, she holds it out wordlessly for Sanji's approval.]

[Sanji checks, and gives her a nod - that looks whipped enough to him. And then he'll take the bowl, as the next step involves... more whipping; this time with cream and custard together! He'll put aside one third of the cream into a separate bowl before he starts, though.

The cake is going to be heavy and moist and resistant to manipulating, which is why Sanji put each layer on a separate plate beforehand. It should make filling in the middle layers easier]

Now we need to spread some jam on this piece and this piece. [He points them out for Vivi]

[Vivi's on it! She uses a spoon to place a few dollops of raspberry jam on each of the two cakes. Using the bottom of the spoon, she begins to smooth it around evenly, but it's starting to look spread a bit thin. Well, more jam can't hurt, right? Maybe she should have measured it out first, but it'd slipped her mind. A few more large dollops, then, and soon the tops of both cakes are evenly covered in a layer of jam.]

I think I might've used a little too much. [She laughs, holding up the now half-empty jar. She doesn't really think this will be a problem though, considering raspberry jam is delicious. ]

[... A good chef resists all forms of temptation, which is totally why Sanji is eyeing that half-empty jar like he wants to stick a spoon in it and lick it off.]

That's okay! The more, the better. [Look at that, he restrains himself. It's his turn to do the spreading, anyway. He adds a layer of custard cream on top of the jam ones, being extremely generous as Vivi was. Once finished, it's finally time to physically assemble this beast of a cake.

It's a simple matter of layering. He puts one of the jam/custard covered cakes on top of the other, then presses the uncovered layer at the very top. The result is a cake with two rows of filling, and my, it looks delicious. Sanji wipes his brow triumphantly, and grins at Vivi] The hard part's over! We just have to cover the entire cake with the rest of the whipped cream, and then put on the marzipan!

[Vivi nods, grabbing two rubber spatulas for them to apply the whipped cream and handing one to Sanji.]

You start on that side, and I'll do this side?

[They make short work of this part between the two of them, and it's not long till the bowl stands empty and the cake covered in the fluffy topping. Vivi takes the edge of her spatula and tries to smooth her side a little more evenly, so it better matches Sanji's.]

Are you sure you've never made one of these before?

[He's fully engrossed in the task, tongue sticking out a little with the effort of smoothing the cream down. It's a moment before he glances up at Vivi and answers her question]

Not this kind of cake. I've made some others before. [He pulls back, inspecting every square inch, until at last giving another satisfied nod] Okay, marzipan time! [S-so close.]

Well, I think you're doing an excellent job for a first try, then.

[Vivi hangs back to let Sanji handle the marzipan--just this one last step for the cake to be completed, and she trusts him to do a better job of it than she would. Instead, she begins to gather the dirty dishes and stack them in the sink.]

[He will finish his task with gusto. The marzipan is slapped on and smoothed out until it domes nicely over the cake's frame.

And then, for some added flourish, he brings out icing. Where he got it? Who knows. This kitchen is just that well stocked. And Sanji always loves the decorative details. What better way to exploit this opportunity than by dressing up Vivi's birthday cake?

When he's finished, the cake looks a little something like this]

Done!

[Vivi finishes putting away their supplies and gives an impressed gasp at the sight of the finished cake.]

It looks beautiful, Sanji-san. Thank you so much!

[Almost too pretty to eat...lol, jaykay. She goes right to the cupboard to fetch some plates and silverware.] Now let's have some!

Not yet!

[Jeez, Vivi. You suck at this. Sanji is once again disappointed]

I gotta sing to you, first.

...oh! I'm sorry, I didn't realize you wanted to.

[Honestly, she'd half-forgotten the reason they were baking this in the first place. She takes a seat at the table and waits demurely for Sanji to do what he's gotta do.]

It's still your birthday. [Nodding to himself, arms folded] We gotta make it as authentic as possible.

[And so, there is singing! Thankfully Sanji has a fairly decent voice for a boy his age, and knows how to stay on key. Years of singing practice with the seamen paid off. He looks proud when he finishes up with the Happy Birthday tune]

Oh! And you should make a wish, too. [He glances at the cake] I couldn't find any candles, but those are probably for show anyway.

[Vivi listens attentively as he sings, a soft smile growing until she's absolutely beaming by the end of the song.] Thank you.

[She nods as he instructs her to make a wish, closing her eyes as she settles on one. After a moment of silence, she peeks out of one eye at Sanji.] There! Anything else?

Nope! [FOOD TIME. He's already got a knife on hand >>]

[Vivi beams, holding up a plate for him to serve the cake onto as he cuts a slice. She leaves the first slice for him, setting it at his place with a fork, and lets him serve up the second slice onto her plate. She admires the cross section of the assembled torte as she waits for Sanji to get situated; the layers of cream, cake, and custard are smooth and even, and quite frankly, it looks delicious.]

[She shoots a glance over to Sanji, not wanting to start eating before he's ready, though it seems appropriate she should take the first bite. Once she sees him settled in his place, she takes her fork in hand and takes a neat piece from the narrow end of her slice, bringing it up to her mouth. She closes her eyes again as she chews and swallows.] Mmm.

Oh, it's good. [Not that she sounds surprised by this.]

[Seeing as he was the head cook of this little endeavor, so to speak, he is waiting on Vivi's word, seeking any type of approval that says he did this right. He's never made this type of cake. Though you'd never guess it based off his reply]

Of course it's good! [Cheeky little bastard. He scoops up a piece with his fork, beaming the entire time] We make a great team! [He is okay with Vivi being his assistant any day.

But all that aside - it's cake time. Eating a slice at this time of night is gonna screw with his sleeping schedule, and it will be worth every bite. Sanji happily starts chowing down, each swallow accompanied by delighted noises.]

Edited 2012-02-21 04:58 (UTC)

We do! [And after that simple agreement, Vivi gets serious with her slice, too. A few bites pass in relative silence--no conversation from either of them, at least, though there are a fair share of mmms and happy little sighs as they nom away. It's also extremely satisfying to see how well all the steps had come together to make the finished product.]

[The only thing that could make it better would be a little something to wash it down with. Vivi lays her fork down next to her half-eaten piece of cake.] I'm going to get a glass of milk. Would you like some too?

[That sounds like an excellent idea. Good as this cake is, Sanji's throat is beginning to feel glued together. As he can barely get a reply out, he opts for nodding enthusiastically, and continues right back to shoveling food in his mouth.]

[Two glasses of milk, coming up! She sets Sanji's in front of him and sits, taking another bite of cake, and then following it with a swallow of milk. There. That hits the spot.]

Cake always tastes best with a glass of cold milk, don't you think?

Mm! It's been forever since I had them both! [Especially the cake. It doesn't take long before his plate is spotless, down to the last crumb, and then Sanji gulps the last of his milk. He utters a content sigh as he leans back in his chair]

I'm stuffed.

[Vivi is a few bites behind him, but she's well on her way to finishing as well.]

Thank you again, Sanji-san. It really means a lot that you made it for me. [A bigger smile.] And it was fun being your assistant.

[Huh, he's not entirely sure what the big deal is - a cake is a cake, no matter who makes it - but if it makes her happy, he won't complain.]

We could cook again sometime! [Enthusiasm running high, it doesn't immediately occur to him what saying that means - that to stay here and cook, he can't run off looking for Zeff. For now, that's probably for the best. He leans forward in his chair, propping his head in his hands] I'm still learning, but I can teach you some stuff!

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lol, whoops, thought I already sent this

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