How hard is it to follow instructions?

Chocolate Cake Recipe

Ingredients

• 250g butter, chopped
• 1 1/2 cup (375ml) water
• 1 cup (220g) caster sugar
• 1/3 cup (35g) cocoa powder
• 2/3 cup (100g) dark chocolate, chopped
• 1 2/3 cups (250g) plain cake flour, sifted
• 1 teaspoon bi-carbonate of soda (bi-carb soda)

Method:
1.Combine the butter, water, sugar, cocoa powder and chocolate together in a medium sized saucepan.

2.Place over gentle heat. Bring to the boil whilst stirring. You need to stir until everything has dissolved to stop the mix from burning. Be careful that the mix does not boil over.

3.Simmer gently for 5 minutes.

4.Remove from the heat. Cover with a lid and leave to cool to room temperature.

5.Whisk in gently the flour and bi-carb soda into the cooled liquid. Whisk until all lumps are removed. Do not over whisk; you are not trying to add air into the batter just remove any flour lumps.

6.Pour batter into the prepared baking pan. Remember the baking pan must be lined with non-stick baking paper. The batter will be quite liquid and will level naturally. Tap the tin on the kitchen bench three times to remove any large air bubbles.

7.Bake in a preheated oven set at 160oC (325oF) for 75-80 mins. The top of the cake will crack. Don’t worry the cracks will settle and will be hidden when you turn the cake out of the tin.

8.Remove from the oven. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 mins. Gently turn out onto the cake plate that you plan to serve your chocolate truffle cake on and leave to cool. This cake is quite soft whilst still warm which is why I suggest you do not turn out onto a cake wire to cool. Use a flat plate or board lined with non stick baking paper.
 

If you want this outcome then you should follow the above instructions

If baking is not a skill that you would like to brag about or if you are used to burning the cupcakes or having your cakes flop then its essential to follow the instructions step by step. However there is still no guarantee that you will get the desired outcome. You may add a bit too much sugar, too little cocoa powder, not enough water or you may not whisk the bicarb properly. In life it is very difficult to follow instructions because as human beings we all have areas of expertise or areas which we feel we know alot about therefore we forgo following instructions. The question which we need to take into account before deciding not to follow instructions should be if I dont follow the instructions will I still achieve the desired outcome and will I be happy with this outcome? If not, then is it actually worth the risk?

 

I am not the best cook around therefore I will follow the instructions given to me step by step until I feel confident enough to add a little more spice or try something new. If I have done something before then the likelihood of me following instructions are very slim, thats reality. However with that being said, instructions, guidelines or directions are a way of life, you either follow them or you dont but if you dont you risk possible failure or pure achievement or creation. Its up to you to decide if you prefer sticking to the rules or pushing the boundaries just one step further.

 

Recipe from: http://tinyurl.com/37lweyw

Picture: http://tinyurl.com/33w2gxm