Mabel Ohene on the Ten-Minute Dessert

Why turn against the techniques you trained so hard to learn?

I didn't turn against them, I just stopped assuming they belonged in every kitchen. A perfectly ripe peach with a little cream doesn't need a technique. It needs someone to leave it alone.

What's a dessert people overcomplicate?

Cookies. People chill the dough for hours, weigh every gram, and then wonder why baking feels like a chore. A good cookie forgives almost everything.

Is frosting really optional?

Almost always. A cake with good crumb and a dusting of sugar is not a lesser cake. It's just a cake that trusts its own ingredients.

What would you tell someone who says they 'can't bake'?

That they've probably just never made something forgiving enough to prove otherwise. Start with a dessert that has three ingredients and work up from there.