The art of baking

So, yesterday I got through cake baking and icing without testing any of the batter or frosting. I suppose this doesn't sound all that amazing but it is if you know what kind of cook I used to be in the past. I love baking, and I was always the one making elaborate cakies and cookies. I prided myself on being a good baker and that meant testing recipies before they went into the oven, a little taste here and a small bite there just to make sure it tasted right. This I suppose is a trait most good cooks have, the ability to alter a dish based solely on what it tastes like and not some cookbook requirements. It is also a lovely way to eat tons of extra calories just because you are testing the desert to make sure it is okay and I certainly took advantage of that aspect of baking. Thus, not testing the taste of my cake or frosting yesterday made me feel almost lost, I had to rely entirely on the cookbook, my sense of smell, and visual cues to tell me how I was doing with the cake. I felt rather lost actually, but the end product looks pretty good actually and hopefully will taste good to the people who end up eating it. Also, my kitchen was far cleaner than it is normally when I cook, ingredients disappeared back into cabinets as soon as they were used and bowls were washed immediately so there was no temptation to eat any of the batter or icing. Overall, I was proud of myself, especially because I wasn't really tempted to try it because it was desert rather it was just to ensure that I had made it correctly. Another food demon faced and partially vanquished and now I can get on with my day and that is definately satisfying.