Today was full of ups and downs, especially with this (stupid) cake. It started off great, so colorful and pretty...
Then...well...
Note to self: Self, next time use more (stupid) flour spray crap on the bottom of the (stupid) pan. I went to turn it out onto the cooling rack and half of it stayed in the pan. My heart broke right along with the cake. The daughter obviously saw it in my face and tried to reassure me that it was okay. (Moms can fix anything, you know.) This led to project-how much frosting will it take to make this thing look okay from the outside.
The answer? Two batches.
Now...back to the cake.
I followed the directions for the cake pop pan, just like the pin said to, using milk, an extra egg, and a box of instant pudding mix. I did, however, use NSA applesauce instead of oil. (I just don't use oil anymore.) The part I missed was where she said she used HALF of the cake mix to make the pops, hence the massive overflow out of the tops. Half, people. Half. Fill them to the rim. That's it. I used the excess to make a few cupcakes.
I used a Funfetti cake mix for the outside, thinking the colored sprinkles inside would look super cool...and, that's what I already had. They probably would have, had I not demolished the cake. (I still kind of want to cry.) I used milk instead of water in this batch, as well as the applesauce, but I didn't add pudding or an extra egg. In fact, I used only egg whites like the pin suggested. There were definitely two different textures in the end.
Warning: When I covered the colored balls with the Funfetti cake mix, I was quite afraid it wouldn't be enough. It was. Don't panic.
Now...back to the mess of a cake.
I bought the ingredients needed to make two different types of frosting, because I hadn't decided which kind I wanted to try. I was trying to think of which of the two would hold cake crumbs together better. What won? Impatience.
Recipe number one was a Jell-O recipe that would take exactly five minutes. Recipe number two was a cream cheese recipe that would require me to wait until the cream cheese and TWO sticks of butter...healthy...to come to room temperature. I pulled the ingredients for recipe number two, just in case, but decided to go with recipe number one. The pin made it look freaking awesome, and I hoped that with the Jell-O, it would hold up well enough to rescue the cake for my baby's birthday.
I was scared at first, since it took a couple of minutes for it to start looking like it was supposed to. I used a timer just like the pin suggested. (Thank you, iPhone.) It looked good enough, so I went with it. It turned out just fine, but I'm not sure I'll use it again. It didn't want to be smoothed like other frosting (thank you, sprinkles), and it set up pretty quickly. It turned out super sticky, and didn't want to stick to the cupcakes, but it was okay. I'm not sure if I'll try it again. It sure was easy, though. *UPDATE*-The frosting on day two was quite rubbery on the outside (which makes sense). By day three it was rather scary looking. By day three, it's just gross looking. Refrigerating it might help, but I think it would dry it out even more. Not sure, though.
Okay, so here's how I managed to salvage the cake. I think it turned out pretty good...on the outside...
Here are a couple of the better shots I could get of the polka dots. (Notice the difference between the top and bottom layers.) I didn't use a real knife for fear the people at the restaurant would be unhappy with someone bringing a weapon, so I used my frosting spatula to cut it. Big mistake. I basically just smashed it. Sorry.
I think I might try it again for the little boy's first birthday cake.
Next time, however, I'll use three times as much spray as I think I need.
