Episode 2: The Missing Ingredient

Hi there, and welcome back to Classes with Cass—the podcast where you learn English through stories! I’m your host, Cass, and today, we’re heading to the kitchen.

In this episode, you’ll hear a mystery story filled with common kitchen vocabulary—words for cooking, appliances, and ingredients. But there’s a twist! Listen carefully and see if you can figure it out before the end.

Are you ready? Let’s get started!

---

It was a rainy Sunday morning, and Lena had one mission: to bake her famous chocolate cake. She tied her apron, rolled up her sleeves, and got to work in the kitchen.

She gathered all the ingredients: flour, sugar, eggs, butter, baking powder, vanilla extract, and cocoa powder. She preheated the oven and grabbed a mixing bowl to start.

Just as she was about to pour in the cocoa powder, she stopped. It was missing.

Lena searched everywhere—the pantry, the cupboards, even behind the microwave. No cocoa powder.

"That’s strange.”

Just then, her little brother, Rafa, walked in, holding a spoon and licking something dark and chocolatey.

"Rafa… what are you eating?" Lena asked.

Rafa froze, then quickly hid the spoon behind his back. "Uhh… nothing?"

Lena sighed and opened the fridge. Inside, she saw an empty container with a tiny bit of cocoa powder left at the bottom.

"Rafa! You ate the last of the cocoa powder!" 

Rafa grinned. "It tasted good!"

Lena groaned. "Now I can’t make the cake! What do I do?"

She glanced at the counter. There was a bag of cinnamon next to her measuring cups.

A crazy idea popped into her head.

"Maybe… just maybe… I can make a cinnamon vanilla cake instead."

Rafa’s eyes lit up. "Ooooh! Can I help?"

"Fine," Lena said. "But no more eating the ingredients!"

The two got to work:

• Lena measured the flour while Rafa cracked the eggs.

• She poured the milk into the mixing bowl, and Rafa used a whisk to stir.

• She added butter, vanilla extract, and a big spoonful of cinnamon.

• Finally, she greased a cake pan, poured the batter in, and carefully placed it in the oven.

Thirty minutes later, the smell of warm cinnamon and vanilla filled the kitchen.

Lena pulled the cake out and set it on a cooling rack. She and Rafa waited.

Finally, the cake was ready. She sliced a piece, added a sprinkle of powdered sugar, and took a bite.

Her eyes widened. "This is… amazing!"

Rafa grinned. "So… you’re welcome for eating all the cocoa powder."

Lena rolled her eyes, but she had to admit—Rafa had accidentally helped her discover a new recipe!

---

Did you catch all the kitchen vocabulary? Let’s go over some important words from today’s episode!

Oven – Where you bake food.

Mixing bowl – A big bowl used to combine ingredients.

Whisk – A tool used to mix liquids or batter.

Pantry – A storage space for dry food and ingredients.

Fridge (Refrigerator) – Where you keep cold food.

Measuring cups – Used to measure ingredients like flour and sugar.

Cooling rack – A metal rack where baked goods can cool down.

• "I am mixing the batter."

• "I need to preheat the oven."

• "I will slice the cake."

Or, if you’re up for a challenge, write your own kitchen story like Lena’s!

That’s all for today’s episode of Classes with Cass! I hope you enjoyed today’s kitchen mystery and learned lots of useful cooking words.

If you liked this episode, don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a story! And if you want to practice more, listen again and repeat the phrases out loud.

Until next time—keep learning, keep practicing, and have fun with your English!

See you soon!