Saturday Cake Baking; Why can't things turn out like the picture... and always have a Plan B

So it was another spring weather weekend here in SLC which means anything from sun to snow... and all in between. It was going to be an indoor project weekend since yard work is best left to days when it isn't hailing. I had seen a recipe for a Chiffon cake that look interesting and appealing (translation super yummy looking) in a random newspaper flier insert and decided to give it the good ole college try.

yea... mine DOES NOT look like that 

I had yet to acquire a "tube pan" aka an angle food cake pan in all my years of amateur baking so it seemed that this was a good enough reason to get one so I ran to T.J. Maxx and found a decent enough one (read: cheap) and set about to gathering the ingredients.

The directions seemed easy enough and they give a helpful hint about mixing in 1/4 the fluffed egg whites before folding in the rest, helps keep the cake light and airy (apparently). One modification I made which I'm not sure how it affected the cake but instead of Veg Oil I subbed in Vanilla Greek yogurt. (also omitted the Vanilla extract) I've been on kick of subbing Greek yogurt anytime I can, makes me feel a little better about stuffing my face with baked goods like it's somehow healthy for me, hey whatever works. The cake bakes for almost an hour and then when you take it out of the oven you're supposed to turn the pan upside down and rest on a bottle of sorts to help it cool consistently. I was a little worried that it'd slide out of the non stick pan but it hung in like a champ.

once cooled it actually took a little work to get the thing out in one piece... one spatula and a butter knife later it slide out no worse for the wear.

The frosting also seemed easy enough... boil the ingredients together cool then chill... basic. Here's where things went awry. I either cooked it too long or chilled it too long either way when I went to beat it to a spreadable consistency I might as well have been pulling taffy. The first go of it was a bit of a train wreck. The frosting was too think and sticky, frosting the cake became futile. The cakes outer layer is crumbly in nature and I might as well have been trying to frost a sand box. Discouraging is an understatement. So after getting as close to a coat on it as possible I stuck it in the fridge and proceeded with frosting plan B.

it was a travesty! 

I took what was left of the frosting and beat it with a little more butter, a ton of powdered sugar and a lil milk to make basically a caramel buttercream and went about and re-frosted the damn thing. It definitely looked better and having tasted the frosting all the while knew it would at least taste good to. For good measure and to disguise the less then quality-looking frosted cake I melted some Chocolate chips I had in the cupboard and drizzled that over the top of the cake. EIGHT.HOURS.LATER. I could call the project finished.

The tin foil really makes it shine

All in all it looked pretty good and surprisingly enough made it till the next day where it was enjoyed with friends as a belated birthday cake. #willpower

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream for the win

I have the dearest friends and they were kind enough that after seeing that I didn't own a cake stand and my poor cakes were regulated to a tin foil covered pizza pan brought one as a gift. Thanks Diana and Ryan it was too kind and super thoughtful and you will always be first on the list to enjoy any creation that gets to call it home.

pretty things taste better. It's a scientific fact. (I'm almost certain)

There are plenty of things I think I would do different foremost being the frosting, it was thick and maybe too rich. I'd find a way to tone it down, but all in all I think it turned out pretty good, definitely edible which is always a plus when making something for the first time, so I'll take the win.

Happy Baking!

xxoo
Adria