Let Them Eat Cake

I finally began the cake section - the one section that I have been dreading the most.  "shudder"
For those of you who you do not know why, go back through some of my earlier posts and look for the one where I describe the cake that my sisters and I made for our parent's anniversary.  Go ahead...I'll wait.


See what I mean?   Since then I have attempted a few other  cakes with varying degrees of success.  The bundt and coffee type cakes are not too much of a problem, it's those darn layer cakes...birthday cakes with luscious frostings that hurt your teeth because they are so sweet.  The ones that you separate so that you can eat the frosting first, yes those cakes.  


Martha must think that everyone is as talented with an offset spatula and piping bag as she is, so she begins the chapter with a classic yellow butter cake with dark chocolate frosting. She had me at dark chocolate, but I digress.  So I say to myself - classic = relatively easy.  Right?  
Right!  It really was not hard at all.  I read all her tips and tricks before hand and now understand that to make a perfect layer cake, you have to have perfect layers.  Therefore, you need to trim the tops with a serrated knife to make them perfect. Ohhhhhhhhh.  I see now.  I also learned by reading lots of baking tips on the internet that you DO NOT open the oven during baking. Not even to rotate the cake pans as Martha insists.  Opening the oven door lowers the temperature which in turn makes the middle of your cake sink - something that used to happen to me consistently. Not this cake - it was perfect. 


So guess where the "yellow" from yellow cake comes from?  You got it - the "B" word.  Half a pound of it for one 9" layer cake.  But that is nothing compared to the frosting!!!  To make enough frosting (there was some left over, I admit) for that one cake the ingredients include:
ONE HALF POUND OF BUTTER - ONE ENTIRE POUND OF CHOCOLATE AND 1/2 CUP OF ICING SUGAR.   Yes, I am shouting to be heard over the angry mob of health conscious vegans pounding on my door.  Oh look - Bill Clinton is out there.

Putting all that aside, and being thankful that I am going out of town this weekend and will not be baking, my cake was both beautiful and delicious.  In the second photo it looks a bit crumbly, but it really was moist and delicious.  I can now look smugly at  those people in the grocery store who are picking out Betty Crocker cake mixes and canned frosting.  


Until next time...stay sweet.