Today I Took Some Recipes for a Test Drive.

I wanted to taste Ash's birthday cake before her birthday party.  The day of the event is really not a good time to be trying out a new recipe.  I opted to go with a cake box recipe because....well...hard to mess those up, you know?  I wanted to do a fancy Neapolitan cake, but as we get closer to the party, the more stressful that sounds. 

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So how about a vanilla cake with strawberry frosting and chocolate ice cream?  I got the cake recipe from Bakerella.  And it turned out great in cupcake form (though a bit flat on top) so I have no doubt it'll be great as a layer cake (as Bakerella intended it to be). 

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For the frosting, I tried was a recipe that had good reviews, but when I made it, I found it to be a bit too runny, too sweet and not strawberry-ish enough.  So I added shortening and more strawberry puree and that made it much better. 

(i really need to get a camera like the ones the bakers above have.  there's something to be said for a nice, clear shot with all the details.)

So we're all set!  The cake, frosting, and ice cream are gonna be good!  Yay!