Remember when I told you I had a baking disability.
You thought I was exaggerating, didn't you?
Now, I'm no professional, but I can cook. Cooking, to me, is more of an art. I get to mix and match flavors. Adjust spices to my tastes. Add a dash of this and a splash of that. No recipes, no boundaries. Just do as I wish and make it worth it. But baking is much more of a science. Things must be in correct harmony – liquids to dry, baking soda to milk, eggs to flour. And just because I can make granola, raspberry muffins, and occasionally banana bread, does not mean that I can make a double layer chocolate cake. Apparently.
Exhibit A. View 1.
Exhibit A. View 2.
I tried. I really, really wanted to make a beautiful cake. Sigh. It was not beautiful. It looked like the cookie monster threw up on a glass pedestal plate.
Not that there isn't a lesson to be learned from this experience…
Lesson #1: Buttering a cake pan is not sufficient. I have since learned that one must grease, then flour, then parchment paper the pan. Note to self.
Lesson #2: Sometimes, life just doesn't go as planned. Sometimes, things just plum don't work out. Sometimes, things fall apart. They crumble. They have big giant cracks in them and despite my best efforts, they cease to be what they were meant to be. However, I would like you to note that despite all of this cake's deformities, it still tasted like heaven. Like buttery, chocolate, wheaty heaven. Sometimes, even when things don't work out as planned, they still end up surprisingly delicious.
Sunday is a great day for baking. Maybe I'll give this sucker another go-round. Is anyone out there an incredible baker? Do you want to give me baking lessons? Maybe I should travel to France and live in the country and work at a bed and breakfast. Then I could learn to make croissants and delicious pastries from an old french grandmother. How sweet dreams…
Step by step. Egg by egg. Butter by butter. And cup of flour by cup of flour. I shall master this baking. I shall hand craft delicious scones. I shall mold cinnamon rolls and create flaky croissants.
And dang it. I will make a double layer cake.
A triple layer cake.
A quadruple layer cake!
And it will look better than this.
And if it never does, than I shall still enjoy eating the failures. Because life is still oh so sweet.
May your Lord's day be full of goodness, my friends.
I’m thinkin it still looks pretty dang yummy!! Mmmm…. chocolate….
If it didn’t take me ALL DAY to grind 4 cups of stinking flour, I’d go make a chocolate cake myself right now!!
It was delicious! No fair blue ribbon winner based on its beauty but we ate every morsel on top of REAL sweet yummy vanilla ice cream–hot coffee and tea as well. Topped off our Friday night dinner luciously. But keep practicing and keep your eye on the blue ribbon darlin.
with chocolate it does not matter how it looks!! it just matters how it tastes!!
when I was pregnant I made a chocolate torte and then, in a fit of pregnancy klutz, dumped it onto the floor….didn’t change the flavor, but TOTALLY looked like dog food!