Tag: baking

Update: chocolate cake

I posted yesterday about how disappointed I was in a chocolate cake I made and how I was going to throw it out as soon as I got home.

So I got home and it was sitting on the counter, still in the tin the way I’d left it. And so I decided to cut a slice before I threw it away, just to see how bad it is and to remind myself never to use bad ingredients again.

Mmm, it was delicious! It may have been flat, but it was cooked through and through. The edges were a bit dry, but the middle was nice and warm, and leaving it for a day had made the top yummy and sticky. Sweet! Of course I’m exaggerating a bit since the difference between my expectations and reality was huge, but it really was a good cake. With a nice buttercream frosting it might even edge closer to fantastic. I gave a piece to anyone who would try it and we all agreed it was great.

So the moral of the story: don’t make dumb mistakes in the first place, but don’t knock something till you’ve tried it. The cake is all gone, btw. I might make another one this weekend and this time I’ll be sure to take a picture.

When comfort eating goes wrong

I’m even more depressed today than I was yesterday. In an attempt to cheer myself up and forget about the coming Monday, I decided to make a chocolate cake last night. This is the recipe I chose, Dark Chocolate Cake I. Looks delicious, right? And I had all the ingredients ready, no problem.

Or so I thought… It turns out there was a Judas in my food cupboard. Yes, I’m talking about the baking soda. I’ve had that thing for years, never thought twice about it. Until today. So I measured and mixed everything according to plan and put it in the oven. 30 minutes later, it was cooked alright, but it hadn’t risen an inch! Instead I had this hard, solid, pancake thing skulking at the bottom of the pan, looking up sheepishly at me. I almost took a picture of it, but then I’d have to mosaic it out, it looks so disappointing. I was so pissed off I didn’t even try the cake. I just covered it with a cloth and left it on the counter. It’s probably still there even now. When I get home I’ll throw it out. And how was your weekend?