We are having guests over for dinner tonight and I already spent 3 hours cooking. Sheesh. It'll be worth it as most of the prep work is done and dessert is ready, but still. I feel like I lost my saturday.
But I didn't sign on to whine.
I made my very first ever not from a box cake today! I've had a block about cakes. I had never made them not from a box and I like making things from scratch so it seemed like a cop out to make them from a box, so I just didn't make cake. We have dinner parties and I make pot de creme or creme brulee or mousse or souffle or anything but cake.
For some reason I decided this weekend I was going to make a cake. I found a recipe
here - Praline Pecan Cake - YUM. Also, I don't like chocolate cake. I like chocolate everything else, but not cake, so that was another challenge. Then I tried to buy cake flour, which they don't sell in Philadelphia apparently. DH went to the store yesterday and came home with pastry flour, which said it was good for cake, but then I realized it was whole wheat and that seemed suspicious, so we went to the other store and still nothing.
It made me nervous. I know what happens when you put more garlic into a dish, or extra cayenne, or more diced tomatoes, or use zucchini instead of broccoli. But I have NO idea what happens when you start swapping out flours in cake baking!
But that was my only choice, so I went with it. I made two cupcakes with the batter so we could try it and verify that it wasn't gross before serving it. I made the cakes, held my breath while I turned them over and they fell right out of the pans. I made the cream cheese icing. I made the brandy syrup to brush on the cake. I made the pralines to put on top of the cake...I am thinking maybe I could have just made a plain vanilla cake and that would have been okay too, but it's too late now. And really, why start small?
Then I put parchment paper under the cake so I didn't get icing on the plate. Heaven only knows where I saw that, but it's a Bad Idea. How are you supposed to center the cake on the plate while removing the paper???? mmmmmhmmmmmmmm???? That's what I thought!
DH was documenting b/c I was freaking out b/c I'd never iced a cake before, here is my cake adventure.
Ta-da!
okay. it's not perfect, but I am pleased nonetheless. it was hard work! I blame the brandy syrup and pralined pecans for the extra hard work. And as long as it tastes like the cupcakes it'll be darn good!
this is what icing the cake looked like from Pixie's point of view.

awww, cute little thing. such torture!