In fact, producing these sorts of Western desserts required fine control of both the quantity of the materials and the temperature of the oven. If either measurement were off, then you were very likely to end up with a failed product.
Su Tang only dared to bake this kind of delicate cake with her crude tools because the orange cat was around. Although she would usually complain that the orange cat was only good for eating, she at least recognized that he was very competent as a measuring tool.
Meanwhile, the orange cat, who had been reduced to a measuring tool, could only feel immense regret in his heart!
Around fifteen minutes later, Su Tang removed the tray from the oven and revealed that the small bowls now each contained some fluffy-looking cakes. Su Tang scooped out a small bite with her spoon and put it in her mouth. Immediately, she could taste the unique blend of cheese and sugar that cheesecake was known for. She thought for a moment and then murmured, “I think it would be a bit better if we could add some fruit to it.”
Of course, Su Tang hadn’t eaten such a cake in a very long time, so she was momentarily overwhelmed by the familiar taste from her previous life and she just stood there quietly with her eyes closed and savored it for a moment. But as a result, when she opened her eyes, she was immediately greeted with the bitter glare of a certain Divine Beast.
Seeing the accusation in the orange cat’s eyes, Su Tang smiled wryly and quickly passed two small cakes over to him. Only then did the orange cat finally twitch his whiskers contentedly and happily begin to eat.
Judging by the omnivorous nature of the orange cat, Su Tang felt that she could only admit that Si Er was really no ordinary cat. (tl note: It’s embarrassing but I’ve been mistranslating the orange cat’s name. He’s rarely ever properly named, but it’s ‘四儿’ as far as I can tell. I’ll try to go back and fix it in previous chapters as well.)
And this one success proved that the oven she had designed was working properly, which meant everything was ready and she could finally open her shop.
Su Tang decided to have her grand opening the day after she confirmed that the oven was working, on the sixth day of the twelfth lunar month.
Thus, she began baking cakes with Baohe early that morning. Of course, because the shop was just opening, Su Tang decided not to make things too complex or have too many items on the menu. For now, she was only selling the toffee she had made last time and the cheesecake she had made the day before.
Because there was no special paper for holding a piece of a dessert like a cupcake in this era, Su Tang was using small customized bowls instead. However, although the bowls were acceptable as a substitute, it also meant that people who were buying cupcakes in these bowls would have to eat in the shop and wouldn’t be able to take them away. With that in mind, Su Tang also designed a pan that could make a larger cheesecake which could then be cut up to be sold and taken away piece by piece.
She had already put up the sign for her shop which she had ordered beforehand, just it was covered with a red cloth until the grand opening would take place. Meanwhile, Song Yi had found out that Su Tang’s dessert shop would be opening today, so he had sent Pengmo over to help his disciple out.
Because today was the grand opening, Pengmo had bought some firecrackers and was ready to set them off later when the doors opened for business. Of course, Su Tang knew that there would be some difficulties because she was selling things that the people of this era had never seen before, but there wasn’t much she could do about it. In the end, she decided to set out some of the dishes for guests to try as samples.
Because of that, Baohe came out and put some of the bigger cakes and toffees they had baked this morning on the counter at the front of the shop. Because the smaller cupcakes couldn’t be taken away, they were only placed on the cafe’s inner counter. Besides this, there was also a teapot sitting on the stove inside the shop where fresh milk tea was being brewed.
In addition to the three kinds of desserts, Su Tang’s cafe also had fresh milk tea and fresh ginger milk on the menu. Of course, at present, the whole menu was only these three products.
Su Tang wasn’t in a hurry though. She figured she could sell these things first and then slowly add more new products later.
Seeing that all the preparations were almost done and that it was almost time for the nearby academy’s lunch break, Su Tang had Pengmo go out and set off the firecrackers. At the same time, she pulled the red cloth down and revealed the sign with the name of her shop: Dessert Cafe! (tl note: ‘甜品吧’ is the raw for the name here. I dunno, ‘Dessert Cafe’ seems close?)
The sign only contained those two big words, but there was also a strange and unique pattern carved into the top left corner of the sign. This pattern was actually the logo specially designed by Su Tang, and it looked like a modern candy.
After that, Su Tang asked Pengmo and Baohe to take the flyers that she had specially designed and copied beforehand, take them to the two entrances of the academy, and start handing them out!
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tl begging corner:
