It's the Thought that Counts!
Call me Martha Stewart!
A friend of mine had a birthday today at work and so I wanted to bake her a cake. Normally when I am in the kitchen it will appear as though I have magical powers. I literally float about the kitchen 2 to 3 inches off of the ground spinning and twirling, slicing and dicing, and making Emeril look like an uncoordinated baffoon.
Enter the round cake.
I never make round cakes and last night I thought round would be a nice option. I pulled out my two cake pans, greased them generously with Pam (the spray, not my next door neighbor even though she is pretty greasy!), preheated the oven, whipped up my mix, poured said mix into the pans and popped them into the oven. The box stated to bake at 350 degrees for 33 to 38 minutes. After approximately 17 minutes my nose started to smell something burning. I raced to the oven to find that my cakes were indeed starting to burn. How pray tell was this possible?
1. I never over bake anything
2. I followed the instructions
3. Did I mention that I am like a wizard in the kitchen?
I removed the pans from the oven and dumped the cakes out of their pans quickly so they wouldn't continue to cook anymore. The edges were indeed slightly overcooked but the entire cake wasn't a loss so I let the cakes cool while I consumed a Starbucks Orange Mocha Frappacino and the extra pint of caramel frosting I bought for the cake.
Apparently I'm no Martha After All...
Icing the cakes once cooled proved to be much more complicated than I thought possible. The center of both cakes had risen way above the edges and therefore I couldn't cut the top of the cakes off to make them nice and flat and so I just stacked them on top of each other thinking that I could just fill in the gaps with icing. People - this tactic just doesn't work. Long story a little less long - the cake ended up looking like some sort of genetically mutated mass of caramel and chocolate. Lopside, over-frosted, sides gaping, Eddo's round cake debut was quite the debacle.
When I arrived at work with the cake people shrieked and ran away in fear. You would have thought that I was wearing a large yellow decontamination suit carrying an enormous petri dish with the words "Ebola Virus" stamped on the side.
I gave the cake to my friend Sandy and she just looked at it like "Am I being punished for something?" That is when I yelled out, "Happy Birthday!" with my best smile. She forced a smile on her face and I nervously said, "Apparenlty round cakes aren't my thing", she laughed and replied, "You are right about that!" And then she let out a wicked little cackle that resonated with fear and subtle note of desperation.
But you know what they say about gifts, it's the thought that counts.
24 Comments:
Eddie it is always the thought that counts.
Awesome! Even if the cake didn't turn out the way you wanted, I'm sure she really did appreciate it. I would've been happy with just the pint of caramel frosting. o.o
It is indeed the thought that counts. I'm sure she took it home to her children, who we all know, will eat anything. (Not her children in particular, but children in general)
And it was a box cake?
You're a kind soul--I make cakes with my kids all the time that often come out looking like a pet rock covered in slime--but they taste pretty good!
You should try a bundt cake. If it comes out bumpy, it's supposed to! No one will notice!
Great story though. Tell us more about your greasy neighbor!
Thank you so much for sharing your everyday stuff. I read this to my daughter because she doesn't (yet) understand the "thing" with blogs. She laughed out loud, my mission complete. We did not laugh at your short commings, NO, instead we laughed because we now know that this stuff happens to other people too! Your daily visitor~Theresa
oh, eddie. you tried. next time just make her your delicious lasagna and stick candles in it!!
Sometimes it's the thought that counts... unless of course it is a cake that ends up "looking like some sort of genetically mutated mass of caramel and chocolate."
I am sure it tasted good though.
"your delicious lasagna"???? Yummy..I'm getting hungry just reading that!
Ok - describing someone as greasy means what exactly? (eeww, I feel for Pam, no matter what it means.)
Have a great weekend Eddo! :)
Round Cakes are my thing... that's half the problem Eddo, you didn't have me there to be your Sous Chef.
The secret to the round cake:
-No matter what the box tells you, you must watch it like a hawk while it bakes. The slightest change in outside atmospheric pressure will change the whole layout of your round cake.
-Also, add 1 to 1/2 extra egg white to the mix. This will keep your smaller cake moist.
-When icing, don't cut off the tops, just flip one of the cakes over and use an icing bag to fill in the gap at the bottom with a nice decoration. The flat side at the top will be much easier to ice. If you don't have a bag, a ziploc filled with icing and one corner cut with two small slits will work just as well.
Anyway, I've gotten pretty decent at round cakes over the years... ask anyone who's had one of mine.
funny story.
I made a round cake once, my co-workers actually told me how terrible it was (it was bad, I must admit) but I had put a lot of work into it - I didn't use a box mix though. It was from scratch. After the brutal honesty from my supposed friends I've never cooked again, not even for myself.
how do you add HALF of an egg white? is there a special measuring utensil for that?!?
Jes, actually there is, but I can't afford anything at Williams and Sonoma... ((G-d I love that place.)) so I just use the shell of the egg to seperate the yolk and half the white.
Next time if you need to cut the top off just get some thread or dental floss. Cut a piece bigger than the cake and start on one side and then just pull it thru the cake to the other side and this cuts easier than a knife. Then the sides you cut put them in the middle and ice the other side. And for the best tasting ones ever email me and i'll tell you some great secerts. Remember Aunt jan and a friend use to have a shop. I can tell you how to have the most moist cake there is and what to do that people will be begging you to bake again. Love ya Aunt Jan
better to get a cake at the store...:)
dad played college football with Tommy Nelson.
*LOL* If it happens again, you can shave the bump off to flatten the layers. And, if you ever run out of frosting, a quick fix is jam filling on the inside, frosting or whipped cream on the outside.
My worst creation was when I was a young newlywed. My ex husband fondly dubbed it 'hamburger egg goo.' I had eggs, hamburger, and spices. So, I fried up the hamburger, added the spices (all were GREEN spices) and scrambled the eggs. I poured them over the hamburger mixture and got this weird gray-green mess. My ex took one look at it, and said "I'm taking you out for dinner."
That was very sweet to cook your co-worker a cake. I would have bought one at the store. :)
I loved the comment about Pam the neighbor.
Are you going to bake me one of your famous cakes for my birthday? Is it safe? lol
That was very thoughtful of you to bake a cake for your friend. That's a rarity!
Also, it's easy to frost a round, 2-layer cake:
1. Place the first layer upside down, so that the flat side it upright.
2. Load that sucker with frosting.
3. Place the second layer right side up, so that the two flat sides meet. Then proceed to frost the remainder of the cake.
Voila!!
I don't think she will complain about the look of your cake if it tastes good.. plus sometimes it's the thought that counts.
Sounds like me when I attempt to "cook" anything! Great blog, I enjoyed reading.
I bet it was still good eddo- you're the best cook ever!
This post has been removed by a blog administrator.
Eddo you poor sweet thing! Don't let anyone tell you that your cake was strange! lol I would have gladly eaten a piece with you! :) Who complains about cake? lol No matter how weird it looks!
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home