June 20-21, 2014

#42- Deliciousness. I really like sugar...it's kind of a problem. So I was probably looking forward to this one way too much which made the following experience even more heartbreaking...and glorious.

Imagine this: it's Friday night, your plans just fell through (ugh), but it's too early to go to bed and you've already finished all the seasons of your favorite show on Netflix. Solution: bake a cake, of course! First, you look through the mass of recipes on the internet until you find the perfect combination of sugar, butter, coconut, sugar, chocolate, and sugar. Behold: the Martha Stewart Chocolate Cake with Coconut-Pecan Frosting.

http://www.marthastewart.com/316151/chocolate-cake-with-coconut-pecan-frosti 

You race to the store, get lost twice because of construction, and finally make it home to start your culinary journey. Unfortunately, it is 11pm at this point but you remain determined to stand as Martha's equal. And you just really want sugar. Real bad.

Everything is going perfectly. All the ingredients are coming together in a swirl of delicious chocolate perfection. Your self control falters and....to heck with salmonella! You have to try some. It's heavenly. Your expectations rise even higher as you gently place your creation into the oven. 

It's now 11:45pm. And something is burning. 

All your fears have come to life. The Pandora's Box of baking has been opened! WHY?! You hurriedly remove your overflowing pan and silently (or not so silently) curse Martha Stewart. She set you up. She always has to be #1. That monster. There's nothing you can do until the oven cools down. You just have to wait. And stare. Stare and mourn the cake that could have been. 

  Finally, you clean the oven. And as you remove all the crusted cake bits, they start to become your baking doubts. You scrub at them until nothing remains and you can start anew, learning from your mistakes, letting nothing stop you from gaining the 5 lbs that is undoubtedly awaiting you after eating this cake.
All the sudden: EUREKA! You can save this cake! You WILL save this cake! You gently remove all the batter that can be saved and instead of making a three-layer beauty, you make a two-layer warrior who defied all odds and came out tasting of chocolate and victory.

She is finally ready to be dressed in her armor of glory a.k.a. coconut and pecans. She came out even more delicious than you imagined and you can finally sit and enjoy the spoils of your battle. Take that, Martha Stewart.