I was so ready.
I sifted the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt for a grand total of three rounds through the sifter
I beat the batter for the exact times specified.
And then I put those filled cake pans in the oven, expecting cakes deluxe.
I cockily licked the batter, expecting grandiosity.
And then, this is what I found after the timer went off, allowing me to check the oven.
Dammit. Yes, I said it. Epic fail. It's a blinkin' swimming pool, for cryin' out loud. Oh, how my heart sank, how it sank to the bottom, how it sank as low as my cake. I called Grandma, and I may or may not have used a couple of mild expletives in my venting.
I took as stiff a drink as I could.
However, I resolved to try again, this time implementing the high-altitude adjustments. Both Emily and Grandma had told me that they didn't think I needed to worry about that, and being a lemming--justifiably so, may I add--I didn't think to double-check that information. So this morning I woke up early (early for a Saturday, anyway) and tried again.
I felt greatly vindicated.
10 comments:
I'm glad you were able to get some redemption- and delicious looking redemption at that!
Your cake is beautiful! I hope you had a great birthday celebration with Josh!
this is the best.
really.
xoxo
e
Hooray for redemption! Nothing makes me quite so mad as a baking failure.
I can't blame you for taking Grandma and Emily at their word. But really, I have no idea why they led you astray in that manner. I adjust everything for high altitude here...
Baking failures make me want to give up! I'm so glad you tried again!
I'm impressed you tried again. Way to make Josh's birthday special.
I liked reading your post about his birthday and how you celebrated it.
I think birthdays are big too, I mean how many days are there that we just get to celebrate us!
I don't want to minimize the travesty that is your baking "failure," but I would like to point out that your first cake--while not as aesthetically pleasing as the second--would have quite happily found its place in my stomach.
I certainly hope you didn't throw it out.
Since there are a few master bakers who read this blog (and one who writes it), here are a couple of cake questions:
-Does freezing a cake after you bake it adversely affect the flavor, moistness? Does it depend on the type of cake? Freezing them makes it easier to saw them into fun shapes for the kiddie birthdays...
-When baking multi-layered cakes, I'm always bugged that the raised round tops interfere with creating uniform sides. Is it best to saw off the top for asethetics, or could you swirl the pan and have the batter go up the sides (thus reducing the round top). Or should I just get over it and use more frosting?
anybody, anybody...
Hannah, my mom and I often freeze cakes after baking them. I think they're easier to frost and have not found them to be dry, if wrapped properly and not kept too long.
As for the humpy tops, I usually compensate with frosting, though I don't typically make cakes into shapes. My mom always taught me to frost the flat sides together (for a layer cake, that is).
Come to think of it, I did bake a tent-shaped cake once for a camping birthday party Emily had when she was about ten. . . .
I would've been disappointed in you if you didn't include dammit in there. Well done.
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