Day 2 Full Tilt Mode

Ok so I did the chocolate cake and turned in into a Chocolate Boston Cream Pie with banana pudding in the middle. It was really good. The cake was the right texture and taste and the banana pudding was really good with it but I need to find a much thicker less slippery pudding for the middle. I used a small instant pudding with just half the amount of milk of 1 cup instead of 2 and it was still way to slippery. Even after pinning the cake together with toothpicks it was hard to handle after being refrigerated. It worked but not as good as what I like. I may have to try a cooked homemade ( not as fast) pudding with extra cornstarch in it. I don't have time to play with it now. At least I know the cake was the way I like the texture and flavor. Took 1 whole cup of coffee for extra flavor boost. Called for 2 but I'm glad I didn't now since it was strong enough.

  

      The other half of cake I made a caramel frosting that poured over the top like a ganache. It was really good. I have to wonder if I made it thicker if it would have been too sweet. Sure was ugly. Nice flavor combination though! If it was 2 layer and had a thicker middle of the caramel and a thinner pour over it all it would be good but going to have to find a way to make the over all look of it prettier. I can sprinkle chocolate curls on top, pipe the thicker frosting around the edge and decorate with Chocolate drip maybe or maybe Hershey kisses with a caramel middle or something? I don't know but it needs help in the pretty department for sure. I tried the 8" and the 9" sizes. I like the 8" thickness and it just looks a tiny bit better. Depending.... if slicing in the middle the 8" for sure. If stacking in 3 or 4 layers the 9" would be nice.

( see what I mean about ugly!)

     Today is the clean up the mess and make another chocolate cake day. Leave it plain, wrap really well and freeze for putting together quickly at the last minute with the Cherry booze, fresh cherry's from this summers freezing I did. I can't decide to leave them whole as is or make into a cherry pie filling. I think the filling will give it better flavor. It calls for whipped cream but I can't do the milk so thinking of trying this really really like fluffy shortening icing recipe I have and putting a cream cheese extract I ordered in it. I have never done this extract but if it works it should taste pretty good. I can use maraschino Cherries and shredded chocolate on top for pretty I think. Going to have to hustle because I don't have that long to experiment and play to get it right. I always tell folks at the party they are my experimental test subjects on some of these recipes! LOL
  If I have any umph left I need to put together one of the cookie recipes and freeze to cook later.

Love
Ranchmama