I made a birthday cake. I had never tried the recipe before, but considering that it came from Smitten Kitchen and Deb (the blogger) had convinced me that it was "The One", I had all the confidence in the world that it would work. And not only would it work, it would bring smiles to all THREE of the birthday boys (argh, the pain) and I would feel mighty chuffed.
It LOOKED awesome. The ganache buttercream had whipped up a treat (how can one ever go wrong with chocolate, cream and butter?) and I had indulged my decorating bug with lots of piping. But inside, now there's another story.
I had given the two layers of yellow cake so much love. I even bathed them in syrupy macerated strawberries for a marbled effect. But I should have known better when the layers collapsed coming out of the oven.
The cake was as dense as a foam yoga mat and there was virtually no crumb. Like two giant crumpets sandwiched together. Only it was even more disappointing than two crumpets because at least they would offer vertical tunnels for the chocolate frosting to seep into (idea - crumpet cake?).
The worst part is, I didn't know the extent of the failure until I cut the cake open IN FRONT OF FIFTEEN PAIRS OF EYES.
I had given the two layers of yellow cake so much love. I even bathed them in syrupy macerated strawberries for a marbled effect. But I should have known better when the layers collapsed coming out of the oven.
The cake was as dense as a foam yoga mat and there was virtually no crumb. Like two giant crumpets sandwiched together. Only it was even more disappointing than two crumpets because at least they would offer vertical tunnels for the chocolate frosting to seep into (idea - crumpet cake?).
The worst part is, I didn't know the extent of the failure until I cut the cake open IN FRONT OF FIFTEEN PAIRS OF EYES.
This photo says it all.
So there I was, feeling incredibly embarrassed about the shocking state of my cake. See, cakes are my thing. And although I am a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to sharing baked goods with others, I usually find that a "mediocre" creation in my mind is still nom-worthy in everyone else's.
But not today. I sat there and ate it as quickly as I could and prayed that everyone would as well so I could scurry away and hide under a rock (or in my case, a giant walk in fridge next to the lab).
But not today. I sat there and ate it as quickly as I could and prayed that everyone would as well so I could scurry away and hide under a rock (or in my case, a giant walk in fridge next to the lab).
Yes, you're right, it's not the end of the world. So instead of being defeated I'm going to make this again and again until it works, because dammit, the last thing I need is a cake complex!
Maybe I overmixed it or didn't cream the butter well enough or used the wrong cake tin. Or maybe my oven temp is not what it says it is (I'm really hanging out for this reason, since it would mean it's not a "me" problem). Time to put those PhD-learned problem solving skills into practice!
Maybe I overmixed it or didn't cream the butter well enough or used the wrong cake tin. Or maybe my oven temp is not what it says it is (I'm really hanging out for this reason, since it would mean it's not a "me" problem). Time to put those PhD-learned problem solving skills into practice!
