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Sunday, April 25, 2010

I don't think Ace of Cakes will be hiring us any time soon!

So you know how last night was the "un-surprise" birthday party for Mac? And you know how XRay Girl and I were going to make a Mad Hatter cake? And you know how I spent Friday night making seven different cakes so the layers could be made?

XRay-Girl and I worked on the cake for 5 hours and it just didn't work out right. Here is the experience, in pictorial.

Here is XRay Girl prepping our first cake with the buttercreme icing.

Here is the first layer of the bottom section.


Here is the bottom section before we shaped it.

Here is the bottom layer after we built it, sculpted it, and "dirty iced" it. After this is where things sort of fell apart... If we could've had a Mad Hatter Cake with one layer, this wouldn't been perfect. Did I mention that we were going to only use buttercreme icing on the whole thing since XRay Girl nor I had ever used fondant? That could've been our first fatal flaw in our plan.


In the background you can see that we are starting to layer the second part. And you can see the butter creme icing on the "done" layer starting to run-- because it was about 75 degrees with nearly 90% humidity. Yes, it was really hot and the icing was MELTING!!!!

This was supposed to be the second layer. The cake was too moist even though it was chilled. And the icing was melting so instead of helping hold it all together, it was causing the cake layers to slide apart. And about fell on the floor. So I caught it. So we decided to trim it a little bit more, so the whole second layer isn't going to really be six inches around. More like 4. But we kept trimming and got this:

three big piles of scrap cake. And that plastic pitcher in the background held the margaritas we started drinking when it all fell apart. And I have no idea where the Comet came from; I swear it didn't get in the cake or icing.

We then got out some more cakes and cut them up differently and made a second layer- sort of. But it was a small second layer. It was supposed to be six inches--- not even close as you can see.

The up side is that I made 2 of those little 3 inches ones, so we decided to cut one of those up to be the top layers.

XRay Girl is icing the second layer in green.


We are icing the top layer in orange. We were going to do the bottom layer in all buttercreme stars but the entire thing was melting so we left it iced in white.


This is the final product. I know... it looks NOTHING like the pictures. It was so hot the buttercreme icing was melting faster than we could ice it. We kept stopping to stick the frosting bags and the cake in the refrigerator and then taking it out to keep going.

We figured if we ever did this again- and we probably won't- we'll need to freeze the cakes and make the icing the night before and chill it. We're also going to make sure we cook in a cold room, as cold as we can stand it. We're also going to learn how to use fondant. Yeah... so...

Mac is the best sport in the world. Though it didn't look anything like it was supposed to, he thought it was a cool effort and he appreciated the tie into the Mad Hatter concept.

We had a good time and lots of laughs. The one thing I didn't show a picture of was then we opened the refrigerator and found the middle layer had slid off the cake and was laying on the floor. We just stuck it back on, after swearing a lot. We also had some icing slide off and I didn't photograph the blob.

I can say, though, we laughed hysterically!

And as Bragger pointed out earlier, it all involves cake so how can that be bad? We have tons and piles of cake, as well as the blobby cake. Can we still have an A for effort anyway?

Maggie

17 comments:

sam said...

Good morning!

The cake is cute. At least you guys tried!

The 7th picture looked a bit scary but at least you could still eat it.

I had a great Saturday. I really need to get out of the house more!

Have a good Sunday.

Later............p

Curley said...

Not bad for a first (and Only) effort. You're braver that I. I think I would have called the cake bakery and found out what they would have charged to make a small version of a mad hatter cake. Oh,well prolly to much. But cake is good no matter how it looks. I'd give you an A+.

The Tablescaper said...

This whole thing looks like a comedy rountine. I think the end result is a dorable and it looks like you had a lot of fun - but I agree that a gig with Ace of Cakes is not in your future. LOL!

- The Tablescaper

Maggie said...

Sam/P- thanks dear! yes, get out of the house more and come here to help us eat cake!

Curley- awww shucks, thanks. This is why I love you, girl! And i talked to a bakery, the new one out by you, and it would be around $50 to get one made- maybe more, because of the amount of labour!

Tablescaper- you know the episode of "I Love Lucy" with Lucy and Ethel at the chocolate factory? It was a version of that- only with tequila and the f-word.

Nan said...

Oh my gosh this actually looks like when I try and make a cake. But you were trying to make it off center. You girls did have a lot of fun, by chance did you girls have any wine to sip during this cake making event?

Maggie said...

Nan- yes we did have fun. Nope, no wine... uh, though, we did have tequila after the second layer fell apart- not before!

Anonymous said...

You are a hoot.. was there alchol involved.. your son will love you forever for trying... bet it tasted awesome

Maggie said...

TaDa- tequila became involved after the second layer incident...

And the left over scrap pieces of cake have tasted great and wonderful but we haven't cut into the failed hat. None of the kids at the party wanted any so there it sits in the fridge...

And he thought it was pretty hilarious! He's a good boy...

Evil Pixie said...

At least you tried. And, frankly, I think it was a bang-on success. Remember, Ace of Cakes guy has been at it for years. Lots more cakes, lots more practice. Besides, I always prefer what's inside the cake (and tastiness) to what it looks like outside. Sort of a metaphor for my approach to people too. :)

Bragger said...

It can't be considered a disaster at all if it involved both CAKE and TEQUILA!!!!!

Cheryl said...

That's an awesome cake!!!! So much better than anything I've ever been able to make.

PS - no Mac reaction to cake photos?

Duchess of Tea said...

Maggie darling with all that love baked into the cake how can it be anything but fabulous. Good week to you darling. . Sending you a huge parcel of love & hugs.

Sleepless
Duchess

Julie said...

I love your cake!! Great job!! I am taking a cake decorating class and it's so much harder than it looks!!

Happy Belated Pink Saturday!!!

Anonymous said...

I spent some time with a younger friend a couple years back, and I wanted to do something fun with her...we were just hangin' out....

anyhow long story short>>>>>
we ended up with the same cake...no matter what we did, it just fell over and slid everywhere...

we had a blast, and I'll say this, you never forget a cake like that...and it still tastes great! lol

Does that make us 'cake' mates? lol

ciao bella
carmelina

Maggie said...

Evil P- I do have to admit the taste is pretty darn good, even if it didn't "look" quite right! moist and tasty!

Bragger- see, there is logic to the cake and tequila combo!

Cheryl- thank you! And while Mac said it was a funny story he didn't want to be photographed with our edible masterpiece.... hmmmmm!

Duchess- thank you darling! I said it would be great because it was made with love and I think Mac agreed- only the way a teenage boy can when his mother says something dorky like that!

Julie- oh thanks!

Carmelina- cake mate we are! And it does just slide everywhere!!!! you can feel my cake angst! LOL!

Shan said...

What's the matter with those kids not eating your fabulously crooked cake??!! I mean really. You had me at buttercream I would have been all over that sucker. ;)

I'm proud of you for trying. Those things do tend to LOOK better with fondant but I'm pretty sure the taste of yours was better than it would have been.

Great job on the party li'l Miss!

Fifi Flowers said...

I've given up on making cakes... I'm strictly a cupcake girl!!!