Writing for Fun
November 2018
The Wedding Cake By Royal Order - Anna Browning
The formal print blurred in front of Minnie’s eyes as they glazed over in shock. She, Minnie Sanders, had been chosen out of hundreds of bakers to make the Royal Wedding cake for the young Royals, Prince George and his fiancé Louise. She had twelve weeks to come up with a fantastic design combined with extraordinary flavours which would be considered suitable for the Royal couple.
Several weeks later and Minnie was still nowhere near coming up with any ideas for the cake. She could feel the rising panic threatening to engulf her. She still had time and today was a good time as any to start the enormous task ahead. Her fabulous industrial kitchen with gleaming steel and the latest top of the range equipment beckoned her encouragingly. An hour later the kitchen looked like a war zone, with her hands immersed in sponge mixtures and her pretty face screwed up in concentration.
After days of frantic experimenting with different flavours and textures, Minnie had come up with the winning formula in four flavours. Rose petal, Raspberry Parfait, Chocolate Delight and Velvet Dream. Minnie was sure the Prince and his future bride would adore the flavours. If they didn’t like them she still had another five flavours she had concocted for them to try. She took the samples in the form of cupcakes for them to sample, delighting in their approval as they bit into the delicate sponges.
At last Minnie could get on with preparing the final stage. As soon as she got home and donned her hat and apron she began the process of making the cakes. Later that evening the cakes were finished, looking gorgeous and inviting, the deep sponges emitting wonderful scents into the kitchen. They certainly looked good enough for the Royals to eat.
The next step was the icing and decorations. Again she had experimented and achieved four glorious colours and designs. The cakes were finally finished. They looked like works of art. Minnie left them on the worktop for the following day and cleared the kitchen until it was immaculate and shining like a new pin. She switched off the lights and closed the door. She climbed the stairs wearily but happy with what she had achieved and fell into bed falling asleep immediately.
The following morning Minnie lazily wandered downstairs to the kitchen feeling contented and relaxed. She opened the kitchen door and there to her shock and horror the once gorgeous cakes lay dismembered lying across the worktop. Visible claw marks on the sponges surfaces and paw marks trailing along the floor towards the opened window. Minnie realized she had forgotten to close the window allowing the next door neighbour’s cat to climb in enticed by the inviting smells of baking.
She sank to the floor weeping hysterically. All her hard work had been wasted. What was she going to do now? There were only a couple of days left to produce another wedding cake. Minnie phoned her friend Sally in desperation and relayed the nightmare she had just experienced. Sally came round immediately to comfort her distraught friend. ‘Look, Minnie, I have a great idea. Let’s go shopping.’ Sally drove them to the nearest Waitrose and dragged Minnie down the bakery section which was bulging with enticing cakes and pastries. ‘This is what you are going to do. You are going to buy the best cakes Waitrose have to offer and decorate them with the designs you have already produced. This is your only alternative.’
Minnie’s face was a picture of misery, but as the idea gradually sunk in, she realized that that was her only option, given the time she had left. So she selected the best cakes that she thought would be most suitable. Once she got back to her kitchen, she prepared the creams and icings in the flavours she had previously chosen. She then poured loads of rum over the cakes and began to ice and decorate them. Lavishly spreading the different flavoured creams, then icing. By the time she had finished decorating them, they were completely camouflaged and disguised.
At the wedding reception the happy couple cut the cake and tasted the first slice. They oohed and aahed, relishing each tasty morsel. Minnie breathed a sigh of relief as she glanced at them from the back of the room. The experiment had worked.
The following week she received a Royal letter with the Royal approval that Minnie Sanders could now declare herself a Royal Baker.