Regarding softened butter

Every baker would have been confronted with this very toublling situation at one time or another.

Imagine.

Perhaps you were flipping through a magazine, or, like me, just before the thunder strike, watching television. Suddenly, without any warning, a gorgeous cake appears before said baker's eyes. It is a magnificent creation, raised and tall, [usually] deeply chocolate and covered in a luscious frosting you know is just perfect along with the fluffy interior of that darkly chocolate cake. Anyone else would probably have picked up their wallets and head out to the nearest bakery in the hopes of finding something just as satisfying, but not a baker. A baker is immediately gripped by the need to create her very own cake. And then tragedy strikes; the butter every baker has sitting in their fridge needs to be softened before any cake-baking can commence.

To non-bakers this might sound ridiculous, but any baker in the world would understand the dilemma. Cold butter straight from the fridge takes at least an hour to soften, and with that gorgeous vision of a cake clouding one's judgement, an hour is wayyy too long. And so, this baker has decided to take it upon herself to find a solution to this tragic problem, despite Martha Stewards' belief that there is no solution, much to my despair. You would think that if any one had a solution it would've been Martha, wouldn't you?

Today, I was gripped with the very same condition. Any reasonably experienced baker knows there are more than one way to incorporate fats into a product, not to mention the different kinds of fats available. Today, I attempted to get around the problem by using melted butter in the chocolate cake batter. Unfortunately, I have to report that it did not work out. The cake was dense and heavy, and though perfectly edible, was hardly delightful, even smothered in chocolate glaze.

Still, know that this baker will continue in her search for the remedy against softened butter.