Many Happy Returns to Tesco

by Iwantthatcoat

It's Mrs. Hudson's birthday, and Sherlock *will* bake a cake. After all, it's basically chemistry, right? A gift to a Nonnie who tried and tried to make a cake for her mum's birthday. "One of luminol's chief ingredients is Na2CO3, sodium carbonate, better known as baking powder, close in composition to lye, and particularly good for pretzels, and known as jian..."

3. Video

Video. I'll watch the video and see what went wrong. Even she says it couldn't be any easier. Eggs, caster sugar (different), baking powder, self-raising? Self-raising flour in a sifter? Mixer. Don't overbeat...did I overbeat?...maybe I overbeat. 25 minutes, not 20, and there's the cooling rack. I need a cooling rack. She didn't use paper. Do I still need paper?

Sherlock did another inventory, and was off to Tesco for caster sugar, self-raising flour, a sifter, a mixer, two perfectly sized pans and a cooling rack. And the optional cream. It was about this time when John texted again.

How's it going? - J

Fine. -S

Fine? -J

Fine. - S

After watching the video two more times, he paused it as he completed each step. He sifted the flour. He didn't overmix it. He weighed the batter into two equal portions using his balance (even though it was the original recipe that suggested that, not the video). He baked it again, pulled his chair up to the oven and watched through the oven door as it cooked for the entire 25 minutes. There was no way it wouldn't be done right this time.

And yet... it made a better weapon than a cake. It might make a splendid murder weapon for Mary Berry.

[Thumbs down.] What the hell was my sign in name anyway? Did I ever even have one? [Cancel].