Let there be Cake!

Occasionally, when you're seven months pregnant, someone will mention cake and you know immediately that you have to have it.  This happened to me a couple of Sundays ago.  I meant to write about it then, but things happen.  I have the pictures, so I thought that I would still write about it.  

 

It was early on a Sunday morning, and I was texting my sister while watching Phantom Gourmet with Guinness.  She mentioned that she had bought a little piece of cake for herself at Grant's Bakery the day before.  Grants bakery is a little sweet shop/cake store in Lewiston, Maine, which is basically where I grew up.  I love their cakes (especially the strawberry cake that my mom will get them to make for me for my birthday).  If you are ever up there, or live up there, you should check them out (http://www.grantsbakery.com/).  Cake sounded so good to me at that moment.  I decided right then and there....a cake needed to be made. 

 

Now, at 11am when I first had this idea, I intended to go search my favorite cooking blogs for an all from scratch cake or cupcake recipe.  This never happened, and I totally should have known better.  The Suzy Homemaker I intended to be marched her butt over to Stop and Shop and bought a cake mix.  Hubs and I settled on a chocolate cake with strawberry filling and strawberry icing.   I think we bought a Betty Crocker cake, it was delicious. 

 

I made the cakes quickly after arriving home from the store.  Tragically, I discovered that my five dollar hand mixer from Wal-Mart no longer worked and had to mix the cake by hand.  I made a quick note to buy a new one, and started mixing.  Two minutes later the cakes were in the pans and in the oven.

 

When I was little, my Grammy lived with us.  She used to bake with us a lot.  Every time we put a cake in the oven she would tell us not to jump around, because if we did, the cake would fall.  I have no idea if this is true but, I always think of it immediately after putting a cake in the oven.  This time, I decided to tell Hubs not to jump in the house or the cake would fall.  He just looked at me really strange until I explained to him.  I guess I had never mentioned it to him before.  I've been thinking of my Grammy overtime lately with this baby on the way, so I wasn't really surprised.

 

Once the cake was done, I took it out of the oven and let it cool.  When it was still warm I trimmed a little off one of the layers so it would sit straight.  I don't know if I was supposed to wait until the cake cooled or not to do this, but I was antsy for cake.  The rejected pieces were put on a plate and became Hubs and my pre-dessert snack.  It's really too bad you can't frost warm cake, cause it would be soooooo delicious.

The one on the right is the one I cut :)

 

When the cake was cool I really got down to business.  Between the layers I put strawberry jam.  This works as a filling in a pinch, but really isn't the most delicious fruit filling ever.  If I had been really ambitious, like I had meant to be, I would have made something creamy and fruity.   But, I was lazy and Strawberry Jam is what I got.

 

Next, was the frosting.  Upon coming home Hubs and I realized what we had in the counter wasn't at all strawberry frosting.  It was pink funfetti frosting.  Whatever,  I would have liked strawberry frosting...but pink did just fine.  At least it was the same color as strawberry, so I could make believe.

You bet I used the whole can of frosting!

 

Honestly, the cake was delicious.  Exactly what I wanted.  You can bet we ate every morsel of that thing.  Thank god I am way too lazy to do this every time I get a craving :)