The survival of the fittest means that only the strong may survive the apocalypse. Sometimes, it literally means the strongest, while sometimes, it means being the smartest.

This means that those who know how to adapt and use their resources to the maximum can live on to repopulate the earth, while the weaklings are subjugated and enslaved to be saucemakers, or something.

You, the apocalyptic chef, are the creme de la creme, the top honcho, the leader of the bunch. You can adapt to any situation, no matter what, using your culinary know-how and quick thinking.

What if you are found unarmed in the middle of the forests, and a Grilled Bear tries to eat you? What if you sustain damage and need to absorb the blood before going back to your bunker? What if you need an antiseptic or a cold pack to last you through some nasty burn?

The answer is, of course, pastries. Those sweet, sweet treats are so much more than a simple snack for a long journey. In the right hands, they are life-saving tools that would make any journey to the wasteland so much better. Never again will you be caught off guard!

POUND CAKE

The most basics of cakes. Named after so because the quantity of each ingredient used is exactly one pound. This cake is perfect in the wild, as it is very dense, perfect to use as a bludgeoning weapon in a pinch.

Like many cakes, this cake gets its volume and fluffiness from whipping eggs, sugar, and butter. Since it is very dense, it can be eaten as if, or with some light whipped cream.

Mise en Place:

- 2 Cups Flour

- 1 Cup Butter, at room temperature

- 1 Cup Sugar

- 4 Eggs

- A Pinch of Salt

- Vanilla to taste.

- Chocolate chips, berries, zests, or whatever extra flavoring you want(optional)

1. Grease and flour your mold. This is an important and crucial step, so don't skip it! Just like with bread, we flour anything in touch with the mix to avoid it sticking to the mold, and therefore helps with even baking and unmolding. To grease a pan, simply grab some butter and coat the interior of the mold. All of it. Don't dare leave a spot. We are greasing it because it makes it easier for flour to stick to the pan if its greased. Now, put some flour into the pan and move it around for it to stick to the pan. When everything is coated with a thin layer, shake the excess off.

2. Cream the butter and sugar until soft. Add the eggs, one by one, beating softly, along with the vanilla. You want to have a frothy, airy mix.

3. Add the flour and salt, little by little, making sure you don't overmix. You will have a rather thick mixture by now.

4. Transfer to the previously floured mold, and bake in the oven at 180°C/350°F for about an hour. To see if it's ready, simply stick a knife ornament toothpick into it. If it comes out clean, it's ready. If some batter clings to it, it's not.

5. Once ready, take it out of the oven and let it rest for 20 minutes. As the cake cools, it will slightly reduce in size, so it will be easier to unmold.

6. Turn it over a plate and you're done!

SPONGE CAKE

While arguably having fewer ingredients that the pound cake, it is certainly the most delicate of the pair. Every motion, every ingredient, must be carefully integrated, as the whole backbone of the cake is the air that is beaten into the eggs, which gives it a crumbly, airy, and delicious texture.

In the wild, you can use the sponge as a gauze, as it has the capability to absorb any liquid, like blood. As such, it is usually paired with whipped cream and fruits, and in cold preparations, like Tres Leches Cake, which also gives us a chance to practice our milk products!

Mise en Place:

- 1/2 Cup Flour

- 1/2 Cup Sugar

- 5 Eggs

- Vanilla to taste.

1. Grease and flour a pan.

2. Beat the eggs, adding the sugar little by little, until you have a creamy, airy mixture.

3. Adding the flour little by little, we are going to fold it into the batter. Since there is so much air inside the batter, if we mix it, it will be released, and we don't want that. To fold it, with a Baker's lame, or a spatula, or whatever, scrape the bottom of your mixing bowl, and fold it over itself in a folding matter. Do this until all the flour has been absorbed.

4. Transfer to mold, bake at 180°C/350°F for 30 minutes, test with a toothpick or knife, let cool, and unmold. And you're done! But I wouldn't recommend you unmold it just jet. Because...

TRES LECHES CAKE

Mise en Place

- 1 Sponge cake, in its mold.

- 1/3 Cup of Milk

- 1 Cup Condensed Milk

- 1 Cup Evaporated Milk

- Whites of 2 eggs

- 1/3 Cup of sugar

- The Juice of one lemon

1. Whip the egg whites into a meringue, adding the sugar little by little. Finish with the lemon juice. We don't want that salmonella, don't we?

2. In a bowl, mix the milks and condensed milk together, and slowly pour it over the cake.

3. Frost the cake with the meringue, and cool the whole thing for an hour.

4. Done! You now have a delicious Tres Leches cake!

MOUSSE

What better improvised cold pack that soft, fresh mousse? It is basically whipped cream or meringue with additional flavors mixed in for a tasty, airy treat.

Mise en Place:

- 1/2 Cup Cream cheese(If you want a chocolate mousse, simply exchange this for melted chocolate)

- 1/2 Cup of Sugar, divided into two

- 1 1/2 Cup Of Heavy Cream

- Vanilla to taste

1. Beat the cream cheese in a bowl with half of the sugar until creamy.

2. Beat the heavy cream with the rest of the sugar until you achieve stiff peaks.

3. Fold the heavy cream mixture into the cream cheese mix, until incorporated. Add the vanilla and give it a final mix.

4. Transfer to cups or any receptacle, refrigerate for two hours, and done!

And that's it for pastries! It is an enormous world, filled with danger and twists. I merely showed you the basics...from here own, it's your duty to experiment, like the apocalyptic chef you are.