Читать книгу Mariella Mystery Investigates a Cupcake Conundrum - Kate Pankhurst - Страница 10

5:30 PM

MYSTERY GIRLS HQ (2 DAYS UNTIL THE BAKE OR BREAK FINALS START!)

We’ve been watching past shows of Bake or Break after school and I’m starting to see why Violet is so nervous. She is going to face four different baking challenges over four days, and they don’t look easy.

1. THE CUPCAKE CHALLENGE: Bake the most exciting and unique cupcake you possibly can. One past contestant actually managed to bake hovering cupcakes with little jet packs in them.

That’s just crazy.

2. THE PICNIC BASKET CHALLENGE: The judges pull a random type of picnic food from a picnic basket that the contestants must bake. In the episodes we watched, this was where loads of contestants experienced “breaking.” One girl realized she’d forgotten the jelly layer in her trifle. Trying to block out the extreme embarrassment of the incident, she stuck her head in a bowl of whipped cream and refused to move. (It sounds funny but it was really serious – she almost suffocated!)

3. THE CHILDREN’S PARTY CHALLENGE: The judges will be looking for a really complicated birthday cake. If it’s not exciting enough, contestants get cream pies thrown at them while they bake.

Pressure!

4. THE SHOW-STOPPER CHALLENGE: This is a chance for contestants to bake a cake that shows off their talents. Violet told us she is planning a new take on the award-winning and famous Maple Marvel cake (with a secret and mysterious edge).

“How am I going to find time to practice making my Show-Stopper recipe on top of everything else?” said Violet, biting her fingernails.

“Relax,” said Poppy. “The Show-Stopper Challenge is the last in the competition – you’ve got a lot of time.”

“But what if the judges hate it? What if they think I can’t bake? What if … what if …”

“Violet, pull yourself together. The judges are going to love you,” said Poppy, shooting me a worried look.

I know why Poppy is worried. After watching Bake or Break, I’ve realized the judges are tough – very tough.

HARRIET BLYTHINGTON: Has been a Bake or Break judge for years and years. She’s hard to please and is famous around the world for her meringue-whipping.

She insists on whisking by hand and thinks electric mixers are for wimps. One year she banned them from Bake or Break, but nearly all the contestants ended up “breaking” due to severe arm cramps. She is one of Violet’s all-time baking heroes.

SPENCER SPOKES: Famous for thinking of weird recipes you can cook using vegetables.

He’s only been a judge on Bake or Break for three years (the last one quit because of the extreme stress of the competition) but he’s already well known for saying exactly what he thinks. He doesn’t care that he is talking to kids. Mom’s got his new recipe book Parsnips and Me. (A whole book about parsnips? Sounds BORING.)

It’s up to me and Poppy to make sure Violet is ready to face them on Monday.