Wif

Yes, yes, I know I just baked a cake two days ago. Is it pardonable if it's part of a scientific survey of a book? My goals are entirely academic, I assure you.

Yesterday was the beginning of March Madness, and in an ode to a long-standing tradition of my dad's of making a special batch of brownies to mark the event, I was looking to create our own quintessential NCAA championship dessert. This is the Basic Yellow Cake from this book, with the Basic Quick Buttercream Frosting. The whole thing didn't take too long to put together, which was a relief as I spent the earlier part of the evening making and then cleaning up from making this and this. I had a little bit of trouble with cooking it--nothing major, but by the time the edges of the cake were done, the center was still uncooked, so the sides turned out to be just slightly more done than one would like. I think the recipe maybe made too much batter, I don't know.

Overall, the cake was good, and the frosting was okay, but I don't think either one of us thought it was great. Personally I thought the cake smelled eggy (is that a word?)--I am not familiar with cake recipes--is 5 eggs a lot for a standard yellow cake? I have no idea. I'm so used to Duncan Hines cakes that I don't know what to expect from a homemade one. I didn't love the frosting. I'm not sure what I'm looking for from a frosting, but that one didn't hit the spot.

So, would I make it again? Eh, probably. But in the meantime, I guess I'll just have to keep searching for the perfect cake. *sigh* It's tough work, but somebody's got to do it.

Labels: food