I just baked my first cake ever.
 

Was a carrot cake.

Dunno how I've gotten this far in life without making a cake... but I've somehow managed it.

The cake part was fine, and easy enough... professional brewing prepared me well for such matters... it was the icing that was a bit problematic. Almost didn't have enough... think I wasted too much between the layers... also didn't have one of those icing spatulas... so it looks a bit like a 9th grader's Home Ec. project.

Shoulda taken a pic before I put it in the fridge... but after getting that Aluminum Foil delicately wrapped around it, there's no way I'm opening it back up until serving it tomorrow night.

I have a new respect for chefs that work with icing.

from scratch?

My favorite .... now I want a piece!

No. First go was the kit-type... figured I'd learn to walk before I run.

Still, it was an advanced kit... requiring extra ingredients like raisins, and canned pineapple, and nuts going into it... Next time, it'll probably be from scratch. I'm a slow food kinda guy whenever possible.

I did a scratch cake back when I was 10 or 11. Too much shortening. Will never forget that result.

Yeah... my favorite, too.

It leaves a bit to be desired visually, but I'm sure it'll taste great.

If you're local this weekend, I'll save you a piece. :)

Did it collapse? It'd seem that too much fat might do that.

Before I iced the cake, I googled "how to ice cake" just to get some feedback... and up came a number of "how to" articles... a couple even with instructional 2 minute videos...

I think that was part of my problem... the chef in the video obviously had more icing to work with than I did.

Still, gotta love the internet. Just about anything's doable.... I went from having no clue to being a seasoned novice in about 7 mintues of reading/watching.

Thanks, but I don't think I'll be even close. What's interesting is watching an experienced cake person apply the icing and having exactly enough.

Collapse? I have a feeling it never rose. It was pretty dense.

Giant cookie, then? heheh.

OK, not just a bit too much... but _too_ much. :-)

lol... about time!

Hehe. Congratulations! So what are you gonna bake next?!

:winkwink:

Good question.

I've made bread before... but I'll probably do another cake... this time from scratch. :thumbsup

Not for a bit, though.

It was a long time ago, but I may have read TSP and TBSP wrong.


Or cup and quart.

really not a spacecake?

Invest in an oven thermometer...a good one. I've rarely found an oven that preheated to 400 when it was set to 400. 25 degress can make a HUGE difference, especially when baking. Dammit!...now I want cake.

Not for tonight's crowd. :winkwink:

Good advice, thanks. I've often thought my oven could probably use some calibrating.

I plan to hit the Studio City Farmer's Market tomorrow morning... if you're local, and able to make it there, I'll save ya a slice. :)

There's a kick ass dark chocolate cake recipe on the back of Hershey's special dark cocoa powder.
And yeah for sure, old fashioned in-oven thermometer a must for baking. I set mine to 350 and it'll go to 375 every time. Pain in the ass, but the only way to know.

You are selling slices of your carrot cake at a farmer's market?

You could probably make more if it was a spacecake then.

Tooth picks on top w/ plastic wrap works best. :thumbsup

Make one from scratch! Carrot cake is really easy, specially if you start with pre-shredded bagged carrots. I make mine in a large brownie pan, cause I've never been good with frosting layers.

For sure.

Only meant I'd be there as a consumer, though... like most Sundays. Let's see how the trial run here goes before I build my cake-selling empire. :winkwink:

I broke down and picked up more icing on the way home today, so that the cake wouldn't appear bare... looks much better now.

I remember my mom doing the toothpick/plastic wrap thing... good call. :thumbsup

I get the feeling I'm gonna try making one from scratch sooner than later, after all... especially since I just learned how easy the icing is to make from scratch, too.

Before anything like that, though... I'm getting the oven thermometer... and one of those spatulas designed for icing. :)

Next will come cookies in shape of animals and muffins :)

Aluminum foil? Go buy a plastic cake container. They are cheap and might encourage you to bake more often.

not enough icing???
































Bukkakke!!!!! :1orglaugh

This thread could have been mine last year. I think I did post one like it in fact. And mine was also a carrot cake... great minds and all that. :D

Mine turned out pretty good, was from a kit as well. Good ol Betty Crocker.

And I'm a god with the icing. I do have the spreader tool thingy, and bought extra cans of icing ahead of time because you can't have too much as far as I'm concerned.

Congrats.

i want some cake..

Pics or it didn't happen :)

the first real home made cake i had was a space cake by my brother... i never forget that result either - i was fucked up for about 3 hours straight :Oh crap

I've actually made cakes from scratch (please don't tell anyone as I need to keep my "I don't cook/bake" image in tact so I don't have to do any of it....). One time I made a cake THREE TIMES and it came out flat. Couldn't figure it out. By that time I had run out of baking powder and had to buy more - perfect cake #4. So....don't use old baking powder ;)

I think that's 1 more cake than I've ever made.

~Alli

that is beautiful

:drinkup:drinkup nice!! what next you will going to bake?? :1orglaugh

I prefer to buy rather than to make my own :):):)

good for you...congratz...do you have any pics? maybe you've had the time to take picture before serving...as a remembrance of your first baked cake...:D

Congrats..I always find the icing/frosting easier than the actual cake.

yay, how fun! now i am craving carrot cake. :) thanks a lot. :)

Carrot cakes are YUM YUM

ahaha still nice to know that at least you tried it! :1orglaugh

"practice makes perfect man!" :winkwink:

FYI: Beer is not an ingredient..

Did you eat it too?

Sure... as long as we stick to _cooking_ recipes. :winkwink:

Another good idea! :thumbsup

Yeah... I hear those offset spatulas make the task considerably easier. You can't have too much icing - ain't that the truth? :-) Cake ended up tasting great, btw.

Here's a pic of the cake... only _slightly_ photoshopped to protect the innocent (had a name on it).

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...andom/cake.jpg

It can be!

And beer can be easily made out of cake! I've made several beers that have used a cake as part of the recipe... and a bit of trivia for ya: some ancient societies would make their beer _exclusively_ from bread and cake (usually bread, though). They'd first prepare the bread or cake, and then cook it in hit water in order to kick off the brewing process.

It can be - especially good for today :)

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/107105

I want a piece!

Please :winkwink:

fuck an A...nice cake:thumbsup

Congrats :thumbsup

Carrot- beer cake.

I may have to try making one.

I'd try using either a pumpkin ale, chocolate stout, or molasses porter with carrots, I think.

I have a killer pumpkin ale recipe, if you're interested in brewing your own. :winkwink:

Actually, I remember when my daughter was in grade school we had to do a report on her Irish heritage. As an addition to the written portion we baked a cake that had Guinness as one of the ingredients.