Red Velvet & Avocado Mudslide

After enjoying some delicious homemade Guacamole, I thought I would experiment with the left-over Avocados. So I baked one of my favourite cakes, Red Velvet, and to work I went...

Sixlets in silver and green were added to the top.

Sounds a little gross you say - not to worry. The only Avocado in this post is the one that comes in an Americolor bottle, used to colour the buttercream frosting! That does not mean I've ruled it out - Avocado mixed with a little almond extract, icing sugar and water, pulsed in a food processor would probably produce a consistency perfect of piping. I'd have to experiment with the taste, of course - but it could be the first 'healthy' icing/frosting. But I digress...

Ruffled cakes were a hit in 2011 and continues to be a popular choice for wedding/celebrations cakes this year according to the so-called trend experts. I have seen this particular style of ruffle cake on a number of blogs and Facebook pages and I was instantly drawn to it.

The perfect occasion presented itself in the form of my sister's visit. Her visit was mainly to focus on planning her wedding, but I took the opportunity to surprise her, as her birthday was the week prior. Remember, she is the baker in the family, so I was intent on making an impression.

A former U.S. president puts it best in one of his infamous quotes, "Good intentions aren't good enough."*

Home-made flag topper and cake board cover. Lighting in the basement was on dimmer it seems.

What began as a thing of beauty, quickly morphed into the above - an Avocado mud slide. I was heartbroken and embarrassed...but not for very long - a loving family, and great sense of humour have that effect. We went on to make wedding plans, sing, dance, eat and marvel at the disaster that was my ruffle cake. We scraped away the icing and a enjoyed massive slices of the treat that laid in waiting under the frosting-gone-wrong - a moist, delicious Red Velvet cake. Then we danced and laughed some more, all the while stuffing invitations.

The rows of ruffles began to fall away from the cake about thirty minutes after it was decorated. Boy am I happy I took the photos shown earlier in the post when I did. I am still not sure what caused this. Although, my gut tells me the cakes were not completely cooled. It's the only explanation that makes sense to me. If anyone thinks/knows differently, I am all ears - would like to avoid a repeat...

I was asked how I achieved such an intense red - beet juice and cocoa rouge are my not-so-secret weapons. And no, the beets don't alter the taste.

The cake, pre-icing, stood seven inches tall. I used three pans - 1 6x3 and two 6x2. Oh, and I got to use my fairly new toy, the Agbay Jr. Double Blade - it's the only way to torte or level cakes effortlessly in my opinion. Thank you, Maureen for being so extremely helpful and for putting me in touch with www.icinginspirations.ca in Kitchener. Maureen and her husband are the creators of these exceptional products!

Cake drama aside, I had a wonderful time!

ps -*I don't vouch for the accuracy of the quotes found on the site, only their humour.

Comments

Vionne says

March 06, 2012 at 2:24 pm

Looks amazing......I bet it was quite delicious....

Jessica Venters says

March 07, 2012 at 6:41 am

WOW!

01VanillaBean01 says

March 07, 2012 at 6:06 pm

We've all had baking/decorating disasters and it is the brave and honest baker that takes photos and posts about them. I can imagine how shocked and disappointed you were when all your hard work on the ruffles started heading south. No matter in the long run though, you were able to spend some lovely time with your sister and you all enjoyed a delicious cake. Just goes to show, you can never tell a book by it's cover or in this case, a cake by it's icing 🙂

I Sugar Coat It! says

March 08, 2012 at 2:13 am

Too bad you couldn't be there :-(. I know you love my RV cake.

I Sugar Coat It! says

March 08, 2012 at 2:15 am

Good to see you here, Jess!! I'll have to make you another batch of RV cupcakes - been a while...

I Sugar Coat It! says

March 08, 2012 at 2:21 am

Disappointment quickly followed by laughter and before you know it, the cake's gone!!

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