Cake and Cake!

The other day we found ourselves in need of a cake.  That, in spite of the fact that our kitchen was not fully functional.  But when you need a cake what can you do.  You make a cake. I was tasked with making the cake so I gathered up the ingredients and a very capable and willing helper and got to work.  I am one who likes to get out all the ingredients right up front, along with anything else I might need.  Like the pan, measuring cups and spoons, bowl, and utensils.  All that stuff. So we got it all out and laid it all out on the counter and were ready to start.

We began putting stuff in the bowl and everything was going well until we came to the eggs.  My helper was a little uncertain about doing the eggs.

Nevertheless, she was willing to tackle the job and by the third egg was an old pro at it.  She did the last one with just one hand.  I was impressed.

After a few minutes we had everything in the bowl and were ready for the hard part - the stirring. This was complicated by the fact that our kitchen was still a bit in disarray and we had no idea where the electric mixer was.  Yup, hand stirring.

My helper took a turn then I took a turn.  Then Miss C took another turn and then I took another turn.  After several minutes of taking turns we finally had it done. Then came the best part.

With all the "tasting" that took place as we worked our way through the recipe, I had to wonder if that was the main reason I ended up with such a willing helper. At any rate, the cake got mixed, the bowl got licked, and the batter ended up in the pan. Unfortunately, we ended up so focused on working the pan, which was soft plastic, to help it keep its proper shape that we completely forgot to get a picture of it before it went in the oven.

However, we got one after it came out!  We ended up cooking the cake for about 45 or 50 minutes - I was sure it was going to burn!  But, despite getting a little dark in spots, it came out just fine.  I think it took so much time because it was so thick.  About twice as thick as a normal cake pan.

I was also worried about how it would come out of the pan, what with all the corners, nooks, and crannies and all in it.  But it came out very well indeed!  That was Heidlebeere's doing. It didn't look bad at all!

Heidlebeere also did the frosting - it was pink by request.  Yellow cake and pink frosting?  Yeah, it worked pretty well.

The finished product!  Birthday candles were another item lost in the kitchen chaos.  What can you do?  You improvise.

In the end, the birthday boy was pretty happy with it!  And it tasted every bit as yummy as birthday cake should!  Not bad at all for a not-fully-functional kitchen, even if I do say so myself.