Katakuri frowned at the lumpy cake and tilted his head, jabbing a fork into it before taking a bite. He softly grunted and swallowed, drinking some water. Another unsuccessful cake into the trash it was.

He softly sighed and looked over the recipe again. It was a simple chocolate cake, it shouldn't be so complicated. And, no, he was not asking for help. He was doing this on his own.

He grabbed a dried bowl from beside the sink and looked over the recipe again, softly mumbling as he used mochi tendrils to add in the delicate ingredients. His hands were not exactly suitable for teaspoons or other small measuring utensils. Well, small to him at least. They were otherwise properly sized.

He gently mixed the ingredients and carefully scraped the excess off the sides, mixing it into an even consistency. He had watched Alice make many desserts and it wasn't hard to reimagine her in the kitchen with him. She usually pinned her hair back so it would stay out of her bright eyes whenever she cooked. And she wore a cute apron; black with purple hearts. She made it herself and while the hearts didn't quite match, it was very cute.

He blinked when some batter spilt over and frowned, looking down at the new small splatter of batter on his pants. He softly sighed and pulled over the empty cake pans. His pants were in need of a serious wash once he finished this.

He almost perfectly poured an even amount into both pans and slid them into the oven, dusting off the mochi tendrils and cleaning off the utensils. He watched the clock and glanced at the bin of failed cakes. If this one didn't come out perfect he would accept defeat and call one of Alice's friends living in Totto Land to make a cake for her.

It wasn't just any day to cause him to kick all the chefs out the kitchen and bake a cake himself. It was in fact their anniversary. Not their wedding anniversary, but of the day they officially met. Almost two years ago now, they were introduced and their marriage was announced.

Alice was out and about, spending time with his sisters and her friends. She was more than likely shopping or getting a proper haircut and her nails painted. It had been quite a while and her hair was getting longer than she preferred; he could tell by the way she kept tugging at it and pouting whenever a longer piece fell in her face.

Smiling to himself, he rested his cheek in his hand. He wasn't quite sure what to do for their anniversary yet, but Brulee was offering ideas already. Granted, it was still a couple months away and he had time to properly plan something out. There was time to find something for her.

He glanced at the timer and peeked into the oven, slipping an oven mitt on the small mochi hands to pull the hot pans out. He gently poked one with a toothpick and nodded firmly at the clean stick, setting the pans on the cooling tray. While they cooled, he could make the icing. Pudding provided the recipe for the chocolate French silk cream and chocolate drip while the base cake was a simple chocolate cake.

Carefully following the instructions, he gently mixed the cream and smiled slightly. Pudding gave him clear instructions and promised not to tell Alice if she did see Alice. She then proceeded to say a few less-than-warm words after he patted her head in thanks.

He chuckled softly and prepared the drip. She was a good sister, if a bit shy when shown affection. Momma was planning a marriage for her soon, with one of the Germa members. However, that plan was still in the works and would take some time before being acted upon.

He carefully cut the layers to even them out and added some cream on top of one before perfectly placing the top layer on. It only took a few minutes to spread the cream on and gently pouring the warm drip on. It was just warm enough to pour easily without being too hot to ruin the cream.

He nodded firmly as he emptied out the bowl and grabbed the bowl of whipped cream. He had prepared it much earlier in hopes the first cake would be perfect, but it ended up sitting in the fridge until now. He carefully topped the cake with whipped cream and chocolate shavings, looking up when the familiar sound of the front door homie welcoming Alice home.

He stood up and carefully slid the cake onto a proper plate. He smiled slightly as Alice called for him and stepped out. She set her shoes on the small rack and smiled as she prattled on about her day, "...so Poire found this super cute dress and I had to try it on. It was so cute, Kata! I just couldn't take it off and that's why I changed. Oh, and then we saw Praline and talked to her for a while. She's doing really good, she loves Aladine and he's very polite with her. He's really nice, I hope they visit more."

He smiled as she walked past him to set her bags in the bedroom, following after her. She was wearing a new dress, this one a dark purple with black lace over the skirt. Her boots didn't quite match, but they were still quite cute. She smiled widely as she hung her clothes in the closet and finally turned to him, softly squeaking when he pulled her into a gentle hug.

She hugged his neck and smiled widely, kissing his cheek. "I missed you too, babe."

He smiled slightly and gently kissed the top of her head. "I'm glad you had fun. I made you something."

She perked up and smiled as he held her up, carrying her to the kitchen. "What is it?"

He smiled proudly and opened the door, setting her down beside the cake. "It's a chocolate French silk cake. Pudding gave me the recipe."

She smiled widely and lightly clapped, bouncing on her heels. "It looks so good! I love the little curls!"

He chuckled and kissed the top of her head. "I'm glad you like it."

She hummed happily and blinked at his spotted pants. "Did you have a few mishaps?"

He felt his cheeks warm and glanced away, his blush growing as she laughed. "I may have spilt a few things"

She smiled widely and squeezed his hand. "It's alright. Come on, let's dig in. I bet it tastes as good as it looks."