After last weekend, I felt like I needed a "yellow cake re-do". Why, you ask? Well, after digging into that first bite I quickly discovered that it just wasn't THE one. You know, the one that makes you forget about all others. Its flavor was actually pretty ok but the texture was not at all what I like. In fact, I often find homemade cakes to be a bit dry and crumbly which is what lead me to turn to box mixes in the first place. I'm determined to find a recipe that combines superior flavor and texture though. I suppose that I should also add that although I find the so-sweet-it-hurts-your-teeth Coborn's buttercream to die for, my husband does not. So, my re-do consists of a completely different yellow cake recipe and my homemade buttercream (that my husband does approve of).

Ok, so it's already not lookin' good. As you can see, when I flipped the cake layers out of the pans they sort of started to crumble. Noah and I did rather enjoy popping the crumbs in our mouths. Leave no cake behind, you know? Anyway, I decided to go with it. After the layers cooled I popped them in the freezer before applying the crumb coat in order to, hopefully, avoid any more cake damage. Worked like a charm.

I began frosting the cake with a ribbon or ruffle technique.  This is my first attempt.  Ever.  So don't judge too harshly...

I got half way around the cake and had to take a break. My piping hand was cramping up. Apparently I need to focus less on jump squats and more on hand strengthening exercises. Who knew? I popped the half finished cake in the freezer for safe keeping and dug this out of the frig for lunch...One last slice of Domino's pepperoni and onion pizza. Yumm-o!

My hand felt much better after my brief lunch break (coincidentally, so did my stomach) and I was able to finish putting the ruffles on the cake.  The top is not as neat as I would like it to be but, remember, this was my very first attempt. Ever.

Piping bag aside, it was time to get down to the real business; taste testing.

The verdict? I actually really liked the cake. The texture was far more pleasing to my mouth than last week's yellow cake. It was especially yummy with vanilla ice cream. But, although my homemade buttercream is delish, I didn't care for this particular paring. Don't get me wrong, it's not bad by any stretch of the imagination, it's just not quite THE one. I get the feeling that this cake with either a rich chocolate frosting or a smooth whipped cream frosting would be the ticket.


So, until next time...