Ok...I realize it has been a bit too long since my last entry. I have several topics to update everyone on...so I'll just devote this entry entirely to my newest venture: cake decorating. Other news in another entry.
Ugh. I wish I had uploaded pictures of my first cake! I also wish that I knew how to change the settings on my camera so my pictures would be smaller and would take less time to download onto my computer. I want a Nikon D40. ANYWAY.
During the first cake decorating class, we didn't do any decorating of our own. We watched the instructor do some basic things and she gave us some pretty helpful tips. She told us that we should go home and practice making our own cake using the things she'd taught us. So, my mom helps me buy a lot of new supplies for the class, as I was pretty lacking in kitchen essentials (especially ones that have to do with cake making/decorating.) The Sunday before my class started, I was very confident that I could do what I was asked to do...I mean, I love baking! What could go wrong?
My first step was to make a big batch of "Pan Paint," a mixture of Crisco, oil, and flour that we're supposed to coat our cake pans with to prevent sticking. I'm using the old stand-up mixer my mom gave me, which I'm not very familiar with, and it slings flour all over my counter. Nice. I finally get the stuff mixed and proceed to pour it into a plastic container with no problem. Then I somehow knock the container over and at least half of this greasy stuff pours onto my counter, cabinets, and floor. I fall apart for a second, but then use about half of a bottle of 409 and probably a quarter of a roll of paper towels and finally get the stuff up. The cabinets don't feel slimy anymore, but there is a nice sheen to them and my dog still occasionally licks them. I guess he's a fan of Crisco.
Next, I start mixing up some red velvet batter. Everything is going fine, it seems...I follow my recipe guide and pour five and half cups of batter into my pan and put it in the oven. I check on it fifteen minutes later...the cake is overflowing and dripping onto the oven racks. I realize that I put too much batter in, but do not yet attribute this to the fact that I've bought the wrong size pan. Wow. I salvage the rest of the cake batter by making one more regular cake, then some cupcakes.
I then try the homemade buttercream icing recipe...a snowstorm of confectioner's sugar forms when I'm mixing it, coating every kitchen appliance we have with it, and then I add too much water to the icing. I try to spread it on the new red velvet cake. It's too runny. It tastes good, but it's not thick enough to spread. I mentally note to try to fix this later.
Next, I start on some golden butter cake. I still do not realize I have the wrong size pan. I mix up the batter, fill the pan halfway up, bake the cake...I take it out to cool and realize it's not perfectly flat like my instructor's cake. NOW I realize my pan is the wrong size. Time to make more cupcakes.
I go back to the icing. I add more butter and Crisco to try and thicken up the icing. It thickens up. I am happy. I try to spread it on the butter cake, even though it has a crater in the middle of it...the icing is STILL too thin. I have two good cakes with good icing, lots of cupcakes, and I can't use any of it for my class the next day. I help myself to some of the cake and then give the rest of it away. I tell myself that everything will be better the next day.
The next day, I make more icing and I do everything right this time. YAY! I buy some pans (the right size) and some devil's food cake mix. I go home to make the cake...the batter is delicious and I have the correct pans. I put five and half cups of batter in the pan and start to bake the cake. Fifteen minutes later...STILL too much batter! Another overflow. The stupid recipe guide is WRONG. I try again. I take the new cake out of the oven, it's beautiful, I'm in awe...I put it on the cooling rack and it falls apart because I forgot the Pan Paint! Small breakdown on my part. I then make a classic white cake, let it cool, and ice it. All before my class starts.
I finally get to my class. No one knows what I have suffered to make this poor cake. I learn how to write on a cake, make decorative borders, make trees, leaves, bird nests, and pumpkins. I finally have a pretty cake.
Tomorrow, I am to show up with a two-layer round cake and be prepared to learn the basketweave technique. I have the cake baked, it is intact, and I have some icing. I hope that I don't have anything interesting to tell you about my cake experiences this week.
All of this from someone who thought she was a pretty good baker and was also a pretty big fan of cake...until now.
