A baking disaster and a lovely surprise

So, my Mum's two-tiered birthday cake ended up as a small, single cake (18 cm in diameter) because the lower part, the really big one, fell apart when I removed the cake ring. Literally. I tried to glue it together with a layer of fondant, but the pineapple jelly filling kept seeping out, so I had to cut the whole thing in pieces and put it into a bowl before it would flood the entire fridge. I'm very unhappy about it, it looked so good during the making, but in hindsight I can't imagine that the recipe would work at all. Putting hot custard onto jelly just can't produce the right consistence, IMO.

But the day wasn't entirely lost. After I've dealt with the cake disaster and collapsed on the bed, someone rang. It was H. (Little Emma's grandmother), her daughter (Little Emma's mum) and her son, whom we haven't seen for years. They didn't come in any further than the front door and waved at Mum and delivered their birthday wishes and a big bouquet of flowers from the other end of the corridor (I was the one to take the bouquet), and Mum was so very happy. It wasn't a party, true, but at least they came in person, even though they kept safe distance, and it was better than any gift could have been. Alas, the little ones were sleeping in the car, but perhaps it was better so. You can't explain two-year-olds not to come and hug the oldest family member. ;)

So, we'll have a tiny cake tomorrow, plus something reminding a collapsed trifle in a bowl(*), but the best part was today already.

(*)A friend of mine created the term "spoon cake" - means a disastrous cake you have to eat with a spoon, right from the baking tin. Well, mine did come out of the baking tin in one piece, but that didn't last long. *g*

Oh, and Mum says a heartfelt "THANK YOU" to anyone here for the birthday wishes!

A baking disaster and a lovely surprise

So, my Mum's two-tiered birthday cake ended up as a small, single cake (18 cm in diameter) because the lower part, the really big one, fell apart when I removed the cake ring. Literally. I tried to glue it together with a layer of fondant, but the pineapple jelly filling kept seeping out, so I had to cut the whole thing in pieces and put it into a bowl before it would flood the entire fridge. I'm very unhappy about it, it looked so good during the making, but in hindsight I can't imagine that the recipe would work at all. Putting hot custard onto jelly just can't produce the right consistence, IMO.

But the day wasn't entirely lost. After I've dealt with the cake disaster and collapsed on the bed, someone rang. It was H. (Little Emma's grandmother), her daughter (Little Emma's mum) and her son, whom we haven't seen for years. They didn't come in any further than the front door and waved at Mum and delivered their birthday wishes and a big bouquet of flowers from the other end of the corridor (I was the one to take the bouquet), and Mum was so very happy. It wasn't a party, true, but at least they came in person, even though they kept safe distance, and it was better than any gift could have been. Alas, the little ones were sleeping in the car, but perhaps it was better so. You can't explain two-year-olds not to come and hug the oldest family member. ;)

So, we'll have a tiny cake tomorrow, plus something reminding a collapsed trifle in a bowl(*), but the best part was today already.

(*)A friend of mine created the term "spoon cake" - means a disastrous cake you have to eat with a spoon, right from the baking tin. Well, mine did come out of the baking tin in one piece, but that didn't last long. *g*

Oh, and Mum says a heartfelt "THANK YOU" to anyone here for the birthday wishes!