DIY comes in many flavors: home improvement, crafting, auto repair and more. I'd also throw cooking and baking into the mix. These are the two I find most intimidating - terrifying in many ways.
So when I volunteered to bake a cake (from scratch!) yesterday for my wife's birthday, it was kind of a big deal. I would be stepping outside my comfort zone. Way outside. See, my previous attempt was a very simple lemon cake topped with powdered sugar (frosting was too far out of my comfort zone). Not only did it look a bit sad, but it came out a little drier and heavier than it should have. To her credit, my wife (who’s an excellent cook, by the way) was complementary as she choked it down. I could see in her eyes, however, that it fell way short of expectations.
Until yesterday morning, I still had no idea what kind of cake - and frosting - I'd make. My choice, a classic two-layer white cake with some kind of berry frosting, was reminiscent of our interior decorating philosophy: simple basics (walls) with color used as an accent. Even though I'd set the bar low in the past, I was determined to wow her this time. On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give the self-inflicted pressure an 11.
When it comes to home improvement, I'm very comfortable with a little creative improvisation. With cooking/baking, not so much. Without a recipe to follow, forget it. I found a great cake recipe at Epicurious. Finding one specifically for berry frosting (without shortening or lard) turned out to be a challenge. I was able to find a vegan buttercream frosting recipe that included instructions for adding berries. Then I found a non-vegan version (thank you FoodNetwork.com) and decided to - gulp - improvise.
Granted, that's not much of a stretch, but for me it was a huge leap of faith. Not only would my wife and daughter be eating this cake, but so would my in-laws. Did I mention that my wife comes from a long line of great cooks?
With the exception of missing the step that said to add vanilla extract to the batter (I tossed it in at the very end), the cake was pretty quick and easy. Surprisingly, so was the frosting. My biggest moment of panic was when said frosting turned out a little soupy. A little more powdered sugar (improvising again) worked to thicken it somewhat. After our almost 3-year-old daughter added some pink sanding sugar to the top, and the cake was finished.
Even though the cake batter (can anyone resist licking the beater?) and the frosting tasted good on their own, I was incredibly nervous about the final product. My heart raced as I cut into my creation after dinner. The moment of truth was at hand.
The result: rave reviews, and not the polite I-know-you-did-your-best-and-I-appreciate-the-effort kind. Phew.
So while I'm no cake boss, I'm no cake intern either.
