Anonymous wrote:OP here -

I ended up just slicing the cake and putting some powdered sugar on top. I also had brownies, which I cut up on a platter and a plate of choc covered strawberries.

It was fine and no one cared that it wasnt perfect looking.

Thanks for the suggestions though!

OP here -

I ended up just slicing the cake and putting some powdered sugar on top. I also had brownies, which I cut up on a platter and a plate of choc covered strawberries.

It was fine and no one cared that it wasnt perfect looking.

"Too much chocolate" cake from www.allrecipes.com
"My orange bday cake" from www.cakemixdoctor.com

Both have gotten me rave reviews from some true DC dilettantes

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous



Seriously? Basque cake for someone whose baking mojo is temporarily off.

We get it, 16:07. You iz a gourmay and are generally perfect.

It is a simple cake with ingredients most people have in their house.


It's three in the afternoon and she's got a dinner party that evening. The cake takes 50 minutes to bake. I don't think the madcap whimsy of spreading pastry cream rather than piping it is going to get her were she needs to be in time.

Maybe for you

Sorry, a different PP here. I agree. I looked at your recipe and while I might try it on a day when I had plenty of time and no deadline or commitment, the list of ingredients and several of the instructions made me write this off as something as a last minute fix. If I got your suggestion at 16:07 and had guests coming over at 18:00, then I'm not even going to finish reading your instructions, but will put that aside for experimenting with on another day.

Ideas that work have less than 10 ingredients, not 18. They also don't include instructions such as warming, but not scalding milk, tempering eggs, whisking custard constantly until it boils, thickens and then butter is completely incorporated...and that's only for the pastry cream. Your cake instructions also including piping the batter in two layers while spreading the pastry cream between the layers without touching the sides of the pan. Nothing hard, but many instructions including ones that requires some precision and care. If you haven't made the recipe before, the assembly is going to take you 45 minutes plus the 50 minutes of baking. It's easy enough to you because you're familiar with the recipe, but this is not a last minute, rush fix for a ruined dessert with a couple of hours before guests arrive when you've never seen the recipe before. Too many accidents waiting to happen.

It may be a good recipe, but your contention that this was at all a feasible solution for OP was completely delusional.

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous



Seriously? Basque cake for someone whose baking mojo is temporarily off.

We get it, 16:07. You iz a gourmay and are generally perfect.

It is a simple cake with ingredients most people have in their house.


It's three in the afternoon and she's got a dinner party that evening. The cake takes 50 minutes to bake. I don't think the madcap whimsy of spreading pastry cream rather than piping it is going to get her were she needs to be in time.

Maybe for you

I always keep the ingredients for one of Paula Deen's "Gooey Butter Cakes" in the house -- usually the pumpkin one which is the tastiest, IMHO. The recipe is something like a box of cake mix, eggs, pumpkin, butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar. You pour a stick of melted butter over the cake mix in the bottom of the baking dish, then combine the pumpkin, eggs, powdered sugar, cream cheese (and maybe more butter -- I forget off hand) and pour it over the top. Bake. Tastes good warm, so if you don't have time to cool it all the way it's fine. I cant remember whether the recipe says to use a yellow cake or a spice cake, but I use the spice cake mix. And in all of her dessert recipes, you should cut the sugar by 1/3 at least.

It's not the ritziest cake in the world, but it's quick, easy, and really delicious.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous



Seriously? Basque cake for someone whose baking mojo is temporarily off.

We get it, 16:07. You iz a gourmay and are generally perfect.

It is a simple cake with ingredients most people have in their house.

It's three in the afternoon and she's got a dinner party that evening. The cake takes 50 minutes to bake. I don't think the madcap whimsy of spreading pastry cream rather than piping it is going to get her were she needs to be in time.