{"id":172,"date":"2008-09-12T19:37:14","date_gmt":"2008-09-13T01:37:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/carrieandben.benzinnecker.com\/blog\/?p=172"},"modified":"2008-09-12T19:37:14","modified_gmt":"2008-09-13T01:37:14","slug":"cake-catastrophe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hottie-biscotti.com\/blog\/2008\/09\/12\/cake-catastrophe\/","title":{"rendered":"Cake Catastrophe"},"content":{"rendered":"

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I’ve had a tropical carrot cake recipe marked with a bright pink sticky note in my Pastry Queen<\/a> cookbook for weeks now. \u00a0I bought the ingredients a week ago. \u00a0It was time to just buckle down and bake the cake already! I was really excited about this cake so I postponed grading 5th grade math papers and decided that there was no time like the present. \u00a0I kinda like carrot cake, but this recipe just sounded so much better than regular old carrot cake. \u00a0It has macadamia nuts, cream of coconut, lots of pineapple and is smothered in a coconut cream cheese frosting. \u00a0<\/p>\n

I needed 3 9-inch cake pans, but I only have two 9-inch pans…I should have seen fate trying to stop me! \u00a0I buttered and floured the two 9-inchers and one 8-inch pan. \u00a0The batter came together easily and beautifully. \u00a0When I filled the cake pans I didn’t think anything was off…the batter in each pan looked fine. \u00a0I baked the cakes for 20 minutes then checked on them, and rotated the pans in the oven. \u00a05 minutes later I took the 8-inch cake out as the “tester inserted in the center came out clean.” \u00a010 more mintes (we’re at 35 now, the max time in the recipe) and the cakes looked done on the outside edges and on top, but the tester inserted in the center was covered in batter goo. \u00a05 more minutes…goo…5 more minutes…goo is gone! \u00a045 minutes in all ladies and gentelmen…keep this in mind.<\/p>\n

\u00a0I’d been letting the 8 inch cake cool, so I decided to take it out of the pan. \u00a0It had fallen in the center…crater cake. \u00a0Ok. \u00a0No problem. \u00a0It doesn’t have to be pretty to be tasty. \u00a0The other cakes sunk a bit, but not too much. \u00a0I take them out of the pans and peel the parchment from the bottoms. \u00a0One cake was fine. \u00a0The other cake, however, upon removal of the parchment revealed a center of completely uncooked cake batter. \u00a0I cannot explain this. \u00a0It will forever be a mystery to me. \u00a0Obviously I didn’t bake it enough, but the outer edges were on the brink of burning…it just doesn’t add up. \u00a0I will not be bringing this cake to share with my wonderful co-workers. \u00a0I hate to waste food. \u00a0I had to do something. \u00a0Of course, some of the cake had to be thrown away, but some could be saved…<\/p>\n

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I decide to make the best of the situation. \u00a0I made a simple cream cheese frosting. \u00a0I put the OK cake on a platter. \u00a0It had developed quite a deep Manicouagan-like crater by this time, so I filled part of it with frosting, then used pieces of the half-baked cake placed in the center to make it even. \u00a0I inverted this onto another platter. \u00a0Ta-da! \u00a0It looked like a mediocre, even cake layer. \u00a0I frosted the cake and was fairly pleased with the looks of it. \u00a0<\/p>\n

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Maybe this cake wasn’t appealing to the eye, but it tasted delicious. \u00a0Moist, dense and full of carrot, pineapple and macadmia in every bite. \u00a0I like the plain frosting with this cake since the cake itself has so much flavor. \u00a0I didn’t try the coconut cream cheese frosting this time. \u00a0I think it would have competed too much with the cake. \u00a0I will defintitely make this cake again. \u00a0To redeem myself and to share its greatness with the world.<\/p>\n