Monday, March 29, 2010

The Birthday Cake

So my mom turned 63 today. They brought my grandma over last Saturday, since she's been staying with them for a few weeks. And Grammie was super excited to see where I live. She likes to picture where people are when she talks to them, and I was so pumped to see her. I talk to her all the time - knowing that each interchange might be our last, but for heaven's sake, she is vibrant and ALL THERE in the head, which I am supremely grateful for.

In the meantime, I wanted to make a birthday cake for my mom. I originally thought of Boston Cream Pie cupcakes, but couldn't find a recipe that didn't say in the comments that it turned out "dry," so I went for springy lemon! The recipe I had started with a lemon cake mix. You added a couple tablespoons of lemon zest and 1/4 cup substitution of lemon juice for the water the mix recommended. Done and done.
Then onto the frosting. This had a ton of ingredients in it. Powdered sugar and cream cheese. Then you fold in some cool whip.
Then you make instant lemon pudding to go along with it. But I followed the directions on the box and not the directions from the recipe. One called for 2 cups of milk. The other called for one. Sigh.
I knew it was a disaster when I stirred it all together. It just wouldn't get thick. I added another WHOLE bag of powdered sugar when I re-read the recipe and noticed that I'd added a whole cup of liquid that it didn't call for and I was out of powdered sugar. But I was on the phone with my dad at the time and he said, "Just freeze it! Maybe it will make ice cream." Which I did, because seriously? There were lots of ingredients in there and it seemed a shame to toss it out.
So I layered the cakes with Cool Whip.
And went to the store the next morning for a tub of lemon frosting.
But lo- and behold! The lemon "cream" ice cream was a hit! Mistakes happen, but this was one of the better mistakes I've made. It went perfectly with the cake. Whee!