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ā12-09-2017 11:51 PM
@on the bay wrote:I guess what I thought were spectacular and imaginative "cakes" were in my mind only, because we started calling them avalanche cakes!šµ-
They were big, colorful and I thought tasted pretty good
Sometimes I would put ice cream in between the layers. I always tried really hard to make them look pretty but somehow they always started to turn into what looked like those long ago volcanic science projects.
Finally, one year when my sweet daughter was about 12, she said in her sweet voice:"Mom, could I have a store bought cake for my birthday this time?"
Well, bless her heart, of course I bought a store bought cake. You've never seen such a relieved and happy child on her birthday with her friends lol!
And that is the true story and the end of my avalanche cakes!
They looked kinda like this one-
@on the bay I know a few chocolate lovers in my family that would gobble this cake down, it looks yummy even though off kilter, lol.
ā12-09-2017 11:58 PM
Once by accident I sprinkled cinnamon on large pan of broiled scallops instead paprika. It was a couple of pounds worth. My family owned the restaurant and they were on special that night.
They got great reviews. Everyone loved them and asked what made them taste so different and delicious. ( I lucked out that time).
ā12-10-2017 08:53 AM
You mean like adding an extra cup of flour to that Birthday cake you made your Dad? and watching as he gamely ate Two bites before you tried your own piece and burst into tears?! Or coming to the understndint that there's a reason why the brownie recipe says you still want it moist in the center when you take it out of the oven? Did you know that If you don't butter the pan and then cook 'em real good well...I still have the pan with the gouge in it from my brother chiseling the brownie brick out of that pan! In true Big Brother fashion he just grated the block and added the brownie meal to his ice cream. Victory snatched frow the jaws of defeat!
ā12-10-2017 12:56 PM - edited ā12-10-2017 12:57 PM
Yep. I'm attempting a fruit cake as I type and I don't know how it's going to come out. We might have fruit cake blobs instead of a cake, lol.
To me, if I learn something from it, I'm good. If it's because I did something stupid, I'm REALLY made at myself and the day is ruined. Immature maybe but yeah...not a good day when that happens.
Editing to add: if it's still edible, eh, that's ok. But...if it's horrible and no one can eat it,....not good. Especially if it was the main course or for a special event (B-day cake, fancy dessert, etc).
ā12-10-2017 01:21 PM
When those divided brownie pans first come out, my (young at the time) son gave me one for Christmas. On my first attempt, those brownies weren't coming out of that pan at all. The more I tried to get them out, the bigger crumby mess. I threw the whole thing, pan and all, in the garbage. Over ten years later, he still "yells" at me that I threw away his Christmas present lol
ā12-10-2017 06:22 PM
My favorite botched baking diaster story happened to someone else, and I've always remembered it because I was so impressed with how she handled it. She was throwing a special surprise birthday party for her dearest friend. I happened to be in the kitchen helping when she took her Rose Bundt Pan cake out of the oven.

She said she had made the cake a dozen times before, but this time it came out of the pan in pieces. I felt like crying for her, but she seemed totally unfazed. She put the pieces on a platter, cut them into cubes, and stacked them into a sort of pyramid. She heated a couple of cans of frosting (one was cream cheese, and I think one was chocolate fudge) and poured them artistically over the stacked cubes.
The dessert was a big success with the group, and no one ever knew it was supposed to look any different. (Since then, I have made a Cube Stack Cake a couple of times -- on purpose -- just because I was so inspired by her resourcefulness.)
ā12-11-2017 10:08 AM
Yes @RinaRina I sure have.
And yesterday my mess was edible but still disappointing.
My daughter who lives out of town came home. Thought she would love an an apple cake with caramel icing. Well, the cake was delish, but I guess I let my caramel get too hot and it was way too thick- more of a fudge than icing....very disappointing.
I hate it when I am cooking for someone else and screw it up.....
ā12-11-2017 11:34 AM
Been there, done that !!!!!!!
ā12-11-2017 02:14 PM
oh pleeeeeezzzeeeee this is a very sore subject with me after yesterday's total baking failure, including how does one mess up chocolate chip cookiesš¬š³š”š”
I bake dozens of "perfect" cookies every year.
Well not yesterday - it was a chilly day so my spouse put heat on - maybe that was it - too warm & humid ....all I know is whatever cookie I attempted was a disaster!!! After trying & trying I put the doughs in the freezer for another time & not trying again!!!
No cookies this year - I tasted my favorite Ricotta cookie & yuck they didn't taste right, tasted cookie bars - hard too well done...
Too frustrated to even think about the $$$$ wasted on ingredients since I dumped several dozens!!!! A first time for me!!!!
Maybe it was something in the air!!! Lol
Hope your baking dilemma goes better!!!
ā12-11-2017 04:25 PM
LOL
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