Over the Moon

Red Velvet - Chapter Eight

The next day they shot the contest in Big Bad's Bakery. This put Red at a slight disadvantage, not knowing her way around the kitchen but she caught on quick.

Goldie assisted and Red felt emboldened by Hunter who stayed on the sidelines to root her on. Granny didn't come. Red knew she wouldn't but she wished she had. Red's self-doubt wanted to make something of it but she pushed the thoughts away. She had a job to do.

They had three rounds. First, they had to create a pastry. Second round a muffin. The third was a cupcake. They would be judged on taste and presentation. Red got nervous when she had seen two of the judges were famous names in the industry but nearly cracked up when she saw the third judge was Humphrey. He obviously couldn't find a replacement for Hunter in time.

Wolf arrived with one of his bakers. The woman looked positively frazzled. Elias having zero baking skills meant she was on her own this competition. Red almost felt sorry for her but the moment she'd seen Wolf smiling at her with those big brown eyes and sneering grin, her sympathy vanished.

5 more minutes on the set. Red looked over at Goldie who appeared even more nervous than her. "Hey, you okay?"

Goldie bit her lip and wrung her hands. "What if I mess up? What if I cause you to lose this competition? There is so much at stake Red, are you certain you wouldn't be better off..."

Red put her hand on her best friend's shoulders. "There is no else I'd rather be at my side right now than you."

A slow worried smile spread across Goldie's lips. "You positive?"

"100 percent," Red said smiling at her. "Whenever I've needed you, you've never let me down."

Goldie took in a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Okay, let's do this!"

The clapper came down and the host of the show stepped into the spotlight.

"Two bakers enter, but only one can leave victorious. It is maybe the sweetest battle to be had on our show but one baker will walk away with their own T.V. spot but the loser will have to close up shop. I'm Jack Sprat and this is Baker Battle Royale."

"Cut! Perfect Jack, now when the bakers are done we want you to give the pastries a try and add in your own opinion," Humphry said. 

"Uh-Uh, no way. You know I never eat that sweet stuff. If that's what you had in mind you should have gotten my wife to host the show."

"Fine! Moving on! Round one people, ready and go!"

The first round was a pastry. Red and Goldie worked together like a flawless team where Elias kept huffing and puffing because his baker wasn't getting something he wanted and she's trying to explain to him that what he's asking for isn't right for the recipe but he continued to ignore her believing he knew best.

When the buzzer sounded Elias had produced a half baked croissant. The judges didn't pull their punches when giving their opinion.

"This croissant is a mushy mess, it's meant to crackle when you bite into it."

The second judge agreed, "I think the worst part is there is no rich buttery flavor, you're meant to taste it in every bite as the butter has to be enfolded into the crust."

Humphrey not having a clue about how this pastry is made just added in, "A poor excuse for a croissant indeed."

Our next offering is from Granny's Cakes. Placed before the judges a delectable Kouigan Amann.

"Beautiful!" said the first judge, "the sugar has caramelized into a crispy crust that crackles delightfully between your teeth."

The second judge took her bite and added, "Light airy, croissant texture and rich buttery flavor. Perfection!"