I know it may sound hard to believe, but I don't ever remember baking a cake. Because of that severe lack of experience, I put it on my list of 39 goals to achieve this year. Perhaps a simple task to most. For me, it seemed like something I would have to mentally gear up for. I didn't specify that I was going to achieve this by baking a cake from scratch, so I did it the easier way...by way of a box mix.
The cake was a gift for my best friend's birthday. Earlier in the week, I asked him what his favorite flavor of cake was. He said German chocolate cake so I was relieved to find that exact flavor at the store. A bonus was that they sold frosting for it on the next shelf! I studied the box to learn that I also had to buy oil and eggs. Remember, first time...
I had a day to mentally prepare for the cake bake off.
Today I was ready to make the magic happen. I got all of the ingredients out and read the directions over and over. More like, step 1,2,3...back to 1...then 2...
I was thrilled to see the photograph of a child and mother having such a wonderful time together on the box making this cake. They look so happy.This is going to be fun!
I searched and searched for a measuring cup. I swear that I had two at some point. Today, they are nowhere to be found. I know that I need exact measurements and couldn't just guess what a third of a cup looks like in a coffee mug.Low and behold I found a blender with measure lines. That'll work! I measured, threw everything in a bowl and mixed it up.
Glancing back at the photograph of the child while I was mixing...I didn't feel that excited in the process as she was. Maybe because she had measuring cups.
What are they so happy about?
Anyway, I poured the mix in a pan and baked it up. I didn't have a toothpick so I used a match to test to see if it was ready.
I am not sure if it was ready (a small amount of batter was left on the stick) but I just assumed it was. I'm sure the happy little girl had a toothpick.
The box told me to cool it for 10 minutes. I let it cool for 4 hours. There is no way it would be cool in 10 minutes! Not even close!
I spread the frosting and used some cocktail animals I found in the garage to decorate.
Voila!
A cake is born.
It was tasty. Glad I put that experience under my belt. I am so proud that I can hold my head up high and say, "why yes, I have baked a cake" in conversation in this highly discussed topic. On to the next experience...
