Blissful Days After Widowhood - Chapter 514

After Empress Zhou finished speaking, it didn’t take long for her to leave with Prince Lu Xu and Prince Lu Zhao, returning to the palace.

Gu Yin went outside to accompany Mrs. Wang in entertaining female guests.

In the afternoon, as the luncheon was coming to an end and there was a gap before the dinner started, Gu Ye returned with Xiao Yudi, who was holding a just-cut cake.

The cake was prepared by Gu Yin, using the traditional method of making white buttercream cake.

First, Gu Yin made the cake batter by mixing egg yolks, sugar, honey, and milk. Then, she combined flour with butter, and whipped egg whites separately with sugar. She gradually added the sugar to the egg whites, mixed half of the batter into the egg yolk mixture, then added the egg white foam, and finally mixed in the remaining batter. The batter was then placed in a baking pan and baked in the oven.

This white buttercream was essentially buttercream frosting, using butter instead of light cream. Since Gu Yin had already made butter during the time she sold mooncakes in Hanshan Town, making the cake this time was doubly easy. She whipped the egg yolks and whites in proportion, prepared a sugar syrup, poured it into the beating egg mixture after boiling, waited for the egg mixture to turn pale, added butter in portions, and continued to beat. If lumps formed, she would place the mixing bowl over warm water and then add a small amount of white wine and white vinegar.

The final step was to spread the buttercream and decorate it. Since Gu Yin hadn’t formally learned cake decoration, she simply smoothed the buttercream on the cake, made a homemade icing bag, and decorated it simply. Later, someone used jam to draw a little flute in the middle of the cake and wrote ‘happy birthday’.

The buttercream cake produced this way had a slightly salty and firm taste. After refrigerating, it had a silky smooth texture like white chocolate.

Gu Yin, accustomed to eating modern desserts in her previous life, still had a special fondness for traditional white buttercream.

People nowadays, let alone Xiao Yudi, were all trying this for the first time, and it was not an exaggeration to say that they were amazed.

Xiao Yudi had just turned one, and before the age of one, children’s digestive systems were delicate, and they couldn’t eat many things. Now that she was a little older and it was her birthday, no one restricted her diet.

In the past two years, Gu Ye’s progress in martial arts had not fallen behind. Although he was only nine years old, he was quite strong. He held Xiao Yudi with one hand and carried a small plate with the cake in the other.

Although the cake was a large two-tiered one, there were many guests, and everyone was eager to try it. When they shared it, each person didn’t get a large piece.

Xiao Yudi had already tasted a bit when she was outside, but now, she clung to her brother’s neck, her eyes fixed on the cake.

When Gu Ye put her on the heated brick bed near the window, she sat down properly at the table.

The servants followed suit, offering the small utensils Xiao Yudi usually used and tied a bib around her neck.

She confidently picked up a small wooden spoon, scooped a layer of buttercream, but instead of eating it herself, she extended her arm to offer it to her mother.

Gu Yin shook her head, saying it was unnecessary, and then she continued to feed her brother sitting beside her.

Once Gu Ye also allowed her to eat on her own, she started enjoying the cake. In just a few bites, she turned into a little messy kitten, and the small table was in chaos.

It was typical for young children to make a mess while eating by themselves. Gu Yin and Gu Ye were used to it and waited for her to finish before cleaning up.

A small piece of cake quickly disappeared into Xiao Yudi’s stomach. She burped satisfactorily, patting her slightly bulging belly, saying, “Delicious!”

Gu Ye picked her up from the table, wiped her mouth and hands with a handkerchief, removed her bib, straightened her clothes, and then said, “If you like it, brother will have it made for you regularly.”

Xiao Yudi was about to agree with a smile, but then she furrowed her brow, thought for a moment, and shook her head, saying, “Tired!” Then, she imitated shaking her chubby hands, looking funny and adorable.

She wasn’t wrong. In this era, there were no kitchen appliances, and both the cake batter and the buttercream required manual labor. Maintaining a consistent and smooth texture was best achieved by someone with some culinary skills, not just physical strength.

Gu Yin alone couldn’t manage it. The laborious task of whipping was mainly handled by the skilled Xu Chef.

Over the past two years, he had been actively working to lose weight. Being a chef provided enough daily exercise, and he had cut down on heavy and oily foods. His dinners were usually a salad with chicken or duck breast, provided by Gu Yin. He would indulge himself with a hearty meal or dessert only once every three to five days.

For a long time, Xu Chef had been eyeing the various delicacies in the restaurant with envy.

However, persevering until now, Xu Chef still hadn’t transformed into the slim figure he desired. Instead, he went from being overweight to a muscular man.

The men in the kitchen all had this burly physique; even Manager Zhou and the other two head chefs in the restaurant were the same.

For a few days, Xu Chef felt quite disheartened.

Later, Gu Yin tried to console him, saying, “The world doesn’t only appreciate refined and gentle styles of men. Being a strong man is not a bad thing. It exudes a sense of security, and what’s wrong with being a strong man? My general at home is quite robust.”

Xu Chef sadly remarked, “But the general looks good. Even with a scar on his face, he’s imposing and majestic.”

“You’re not ugly at all. Really not ugly!”

Xu Chef used to be genuinely overweight, with his eyes almost squeezed shut by the excess flesh. After losing weight and shedding a layer of fat, his well-defined features emerged. While not handsome, he certainly wasn’t unattractive. Additionally, Ge Zhu happened to overhear the conversation and chimed in that he looked much better now.

This lifted his spirits. This time, when making a cake for the little one, Gu Yin had initially planned for a small one to be shared among family members. However, the newly muscular Xu Chef took charge, insisting on making a large two-tiered cake. He claimed it was more fitting for Xiao Yudi’s lively first birthday celebration. Still, the task was indeed exhausting, and he was trembling by the time he finished.

Although Xiao Yudi was still young, Gu Yin wanted her to understand the hardship of labor and appreciate everything she had at the moment. Therefore, when making the cake, she had someone bring her over to watch for a while.

Sure enough, Xiao Yudi saw the hard work of Chef Xu and, despite really liking the cake, didn’t insist on having it again next time.