Ergonomics: 2. Baking a chocolate cake

 There are lots of different ways to bake a cake, but the cake that I baked was a microwave cake. This is not the conventional way to bake, however it still turns out the same. I had to change the way I baked my cake as I did not have access to an oven at the time. First I went to the supermarket to purchase  the ingredients I needed to make the cake. I  went to the local supermarket to buy my ingredients which made me consider how this related to the use of ergonomics in my chosen activity. As stated in Caulton and Dickson, 2007, part of a good ergonomic system involves direct exchange in goods and services. For my chosen baking activity I exchanged money for the ingredients I needed to do my baking and was limited by the money I had to exchange for the food.   I then began putting all the ingredients together found in the recipe and continued making the cake using mindfulness. I use ergonomics again while baking by making slight adjustments to the activity so I was able to bake the cake using a microwave instead of an oven.


Baking  this cake  required an environment that had specific equipment and features such as a microwave and cooling rack. This cake  can be baked all year round as seasons do not effect this activity. My baking is usually done inside in a kitchen. To bake for example a chocolate cake you need an oven or microwave, baking trays, cooling rack, mixing bowel, spatula, measuring cups and spoons, a knife and all the ingredients listed below.  Baking can be graded in difficulty as some baking tasks will be easier to do such as a microwave  chocolate cake. Baking a cheese cake or gateau requires more skill and more steps to complete which have to be considerd.






Chocolate cake:
1 1/3 cup flour
 3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 Tablespoons cocoa
2 eggs
130 grams butter


 1. Combine butter, sugar and egg in a mixing bowl until fluffy
 2. mix together in another bowl the flour baking power and cocoa
3. Add baking soda to milk
4. Combine dry ingredients with butter mixture
5. Make a well in the center, pour in milk and stir.
6. Put cake mix into microwave proof dish
7. Microwave for 7 1/2 minutes on high
8. Cool for 10 minutes




 Ergonomics can be broken into interrelationships between the person, activity and environment (Caulton and Dickson 2007). This balance creates a area where productivity is at its greatest. 

Caulton,K., & Dickson, R. (2007). What is going on? Finding out an explanation for what we do. In Creek, J.,& Lawson-porter, A. (Eds.), Contemporary issues in occupational therapy. (pp. 87-112). Chichesten John Wiley & sons Ldt