氣質姐與可愛可

　　It is an art form nearly two centuries in the making —— or should we say baking? From the time Marie Antoinette spoke the famous phrase, "Let them eat cake," cake decorators have been upping their game year after year.
　　It is believed that cake decorating dates back to the mid-19th century, when baking powder and temperature1-controlled ovens first made cake baking a whole lot easier. Bakers then started making icing by putting sugary cream on top of cakes. They also found they could mold2 all kinds of shapes using marzipan3, sugar paste, and fondant4. Gradually, cake art began to become more and more detailed.
　　Today, the king of the cake-decorating world is Buddy Valastro. As the star of his own reality TV show, Cake Boss, the bakery owner has made some truly mind-blowing cakes. One such design was the full-scale replica5 of a NASCAR race car cake. Another re-creation was the New York City skyline, complete with its own Statue of Liberty. As Valastro likes to point out in the show, you can do a lot with a little bit of flour and sugar. Is there anything sweeter than that?

Words & Phrases

1. stretch vi. 延伸，綿延
   The lovely rose garden stretched across three city blocks.
   這座美麗的玫瑰花園延伸了三個街區。
2. phrase n. 措辭，片語
   A phrase I heard from the meeting has my mind wandering.
   會議上我聽到的一句措辭讓我思緒飄遠。
3. up / raise sb's game　　精益求精
   They have to up their game if they want to stay on top.
   如果他們想成為最頂尖，就必須精益求精。
4. gradually adv. 逐漸地
   My daughter has been suffering from a cold, but she's gradually getting better.
   我女兒患了感冒一陣子，但已經逐漸好轉。
5. detailed a. 詳細的，詳盡的
   Give me a detailed report about what's going on here.
   給我一份詳細的報告說明這裡發生了什麼事。
6. mind-blowing a. 令人興奮∕震驚的
   Sitting in the front seat of the roller coaster was a mind-blowing experience for me.
   坐在雲霄飛車的前座是令我非常興奮的一次經驗。
7. skyline n. （高樓大廈頂部所形成的）天際線
   It's best to view the Hong Kong skyline at night.
   晚上是欣賞香港天際線的最佳時間。
8. (be / come) complete with...　　附帶有……；有完備的……
   complete a. 完整的，完備的
   The car is complete with a great stereo and leather seats.
   這輛車配有很棒的音響和皮製座椅。

Extra Words

1. temperature n. 溫度
2. mold vt. 塑造
3. marzipan n. 杏仁膏
4. fondant n. 翻糖，糖果軟餡
5. replica n. 複製品

製作蛋糕 ── 或者我們應該說烘焙蛋糕？ ── 近兩個世紀以來已經成為了一種藝術表現形式。自從瑪麗‧安東妮說了那句名言：『讓他們吃蛋糕吧』開始，蛋糕裝飾專家年復一年都在精益求精。

　　據信蛋糕裝飾可以追溯至十九世紀中葉，泡打粉和溫度控制爐的首次出現，使得製作蛋糕變得更加容易。麵包師傅接著開始製作糖霜將其擺在蛋糕上面。他們也發現可以使用杏仁膏、糖漿和翻糖塑造出任何形狀。漸漸地，蛋糕裝飾藝術開始變得越來越細緻。

　　今日，蛋糕裝飾業裡的天王是巴迪‧瓦拉索。身為自己實境節目《蛋糕天王》中的明星，這個烘焙店老闆已經做出了一些令人驚艷的蛋糕。其中一個設計就是一個完全仿照納斯卡賽車尺寸大小的賽車蛋糕。另外還打造設計了一個紐約市天際線加上自由女神像的蛋糕。就像瓦拉索喜歡在節目裡面說：『你可以用一點點的麵粉和糖就能做出很多東西。』有什麼比這更甜美的嗎？

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