Chooooocolate Caaaake (s)

Ok Ok Ok, I'm late on this blog... But here I am, so, better late than never, eh? So I made that cake that i mentioned in my last post for my friend, Holly. Oh WOW was THAT an experience. Everything that could go wrong TRIED to go wrong... So let me start by saying that I was using all new recipes for the cake AND for the frosting. (Because it was a new recipe I cant just make this cake and send it out without knowing if it tastes good or bad- so thinking ahead- I made a miniature version of the cake, also.)  So, I mix everything up and make the cake. The kitchen is smelling orgasmic.... **twiddle my thumbs** Hmmm... Cake smells done. But wait- there is still 20 minutes left on the timer. (?!?!) It's fine.. **twiddle thumbs some more** NO- this cake DEF smells done. If I leave in in there its going to burn. So I take the cake out. Test it with the handy dandy toothpick test... Oh yeah- it is DEF done. Whew- I seriously avoided a catastrophe there... I mean, I wouldn't want to have to start all over and make a WHOLE other cake, now would I? I mean.... would YOU? LOL

3:30 am : Time to make the Ganache and the frosting...  OK, crap. I don't have heavy cream. No, no, it's OK... I know how to make a substitute. So I add 3/4 cup of milk and 1/3 cup of butter and heat it up and let it cool... SUCCESS. OK... *reading recipe*... Sweetened Condensed Milk. Alright, no problem. *Opens cabinet* UGH! I have No Sweetened Condensed Milk. Seriously??? Alright, I can make a substitute AGAIN. No problem. So I make my Sweetened Condensed Milk substitute. All good. Whip up the frosting and the Ganache. (*yawn* I'm sleeeeepy.)

By now its about 5:30 am. I'm tired, but i need to finish this cake so that i know if it turned out well or if i need to have an emergency baking session... So I make the frosting, which was DELICIOUS. It was a Butter cream to rival any store-bought butter cream frosted cake. In fact, it was a Chocolate Fudge Butter cream. Mmmmmm.... Sooooo freaking good. I'm STOKED. Since I've been up all night- I think it's time to take a lil nap while this stuff is chilling....

Fast forward two hours... So I assemble my cake. Frost it up... Cut into the little "taster cake." OMG IT TASTES AWFUL! What happened? Ohhhhh, this is what I get for not trying the recipe out first. Craptastic! I have.... ohhhh.... 6 hours or so before she needs this cake. What do I do? What do I do?? Whaaaat do IIII dooooo??? What now, you ask? NOW, I start from scratch and make a WHOLE nother cake. **SIGH** **Panic Panic Panic**

I make another cake. With a recipe I know and trust. My mom comes home and asks "What happened?" I tell her and she says "Where is it? Let me try it, maybe it's not that bad..." I assure her- it IS that bad. LOL So she slices a piece of the taster cake..... Wait for it......wait for it.... waaaaaaaaait....

.....SHE FREAKING LOVES IT!!!!!! "It's FANTASTIC!" She raves. HUH??? So I take another teeny slice and give it another try. Would you believe that after chilling in the fridge for a while, it truly does taste amazing?!? **ROCKS BACK AND FORTH** Now, I'm not about to waste a cake. So i finish making Cake #2 anyways. No problem, My friend will have her choice of cakes. LOL So I finish decorating the second cake. Worried tho because in my haste to make the second cake, I really hadn't decorated the first cake with anything other than some chopped dark chocolate on top.

So, Holly comes to pick up the cake, I explain that she has her choice of cakes and why. I let her taste a slice of the taster cake. "OMG. Either cake I choose will be delicious. OMG" she says... OK, I feel better. Disaster avoided. AND she chose the first cake. LOL So weeeee had a delicious cake for dessert. WHOOO HOOOO.

I have NEVER been so frazzled while baking. EVER. But this whole situation taught me some priceless lessons.

1. If you are going to try out a new recipe and it is for someone else- TRY it out first. Make it way ahead of time to allow yourself time to make a new one if it doesn't turn out well. (Yes, I already KNEW this- hence making it the day before. However, if it would've been done a bit sooner, I would've tried it a while after its sabbatical in the refrigerator and would've known it was awesome BEFORE making a whole nother cake.)
2. Pace yourself AND get some sleep. Long into my baking session, I'm telling myself jokes. Literally. OUT LOUD. Telling myself jokes out loud AND laughing at them. HAHAHA Really. I'm so glad no one was around to see that. But it was my way of.... ummmm... blowing off stress? Staying sane? idk, but I'm telling you-  they were some funny frickin' jokes. 
3. DON'T STRESS OUT! Even if the cake hadn't of turned out amazing, it would STILL have been leaps and bounds better than what you could go get at a grocery store. (Thank you, Teresa, for that reminder. <3 )

Soooo.... With all of that... Here they are. (I will post recipes later for them, as I ...am...tired!)

CAKE #1

CAKE #2

MY DESSERT THAT NIGHT:

OK.... I can breeeeeathe now. :)