Imperfection

This year for Derek's birthday we are having two cakes:

The dismal failure...















... and the actual cake.


First, let's focus on how great my Apple logo cake turned out -- made out of love by me for my adorable, amazing, caring, hard working, funny, loving, albeit increasingly computer nerdy husband who will celebrate his 29th birthday tomorrow.
I love you honey!!!

Now for the failure cake.
Really, it was all originally one cake. The destroyed portion was, at one point, the bottom layer of a two-layer Apple Mac cake that -- had it turned out the way I envisioned -- Steve Jobs himself would have been proud to eat.

I blame several things.

First, a lack of time to allow the cake to adequately freeze prior to icing.

Second, the requisite white color of the current Apple logo and my decision to use red velvet cake, which Derek enjoys.
White icing leaves too little room for error and inevitable cake crumb transfer.

After doing the "dirty frost" layer first (thank you "Cake Boss," I believe) and starting on the finishing layer of icing it was clear there was no way to avoid SERIOUS crumb transfer.
I'm talking huge chunks of cake and icing that was now looking more and more pink.

The problem seemed to be stemming from the bottom layer mostly so, after taking many deep breaths to avoid tossing the entire thing in the trash can, and eating gobs of cream cheese frosting off my fingers to calm my nerves (I'm totally sick now) I decided on one last attempt to save the cake.

I needed to separate the layers.

Has such an attempt been made before? I don't know but let me assure you it is a difficult process, considering the two layers of moist, delicate red velvet cake were now fused together by sticky, creamy frosting. However, I rationalized that it could hardly make matters any worse, so with the aid of two metal spatulas and a knife I peeled the top layer away and plopped it onto a new pan.

Success!

A little more icing and I was home free. Happy birthday my love! And happy night for me.