For those of you who were wondering how my Thanksgiving Day TurkeyCake turned out...
I had seen an interesting recipe online and figured that it was worth a shot. Since we don't exactly go with a lot of fancy tradition at our house, it seemed like a fun experiment that would be sure to please my picky-eater-4yo.
Here's a picture from the website:
A cake with layers of deliciousness. Stuffing, cranberry sauce, potatoes, and ground turkey loaf in cake shape, frosted in mashed potatoes, topped in sweet potatoes and marshmallows. Every bite was sure to have the perfect mixture of flavors. And let me tell you, 4yo was stoked at the idea of TurkeyCake. Cake? For dinner?? Seriously???
I didn't get the grand idea of documenting my progress in picture until halfway through the morning. By this time, I had already prepared the sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, and ground turkeycakes. I started layering mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce. Mine isn't as pretty as the one online (compare below), but I figured that the final frosting of potato would cover any minor aesthetic issues.
And, just as I am about to get some stuffing started (from scratch? HA.) I am alerted to the fact that nobody in my family likes stuffing. So, I get to cut a few steps from the process. I'm a little bummed that my middle layer will be missing from the cake, but I'm the only one who will know what it was supposed to look like. Back on the shelf, stuffing mix.
So far, so good. 4yo was hogging the iPad, so I didn't have access to the recipe, but what the heck... How hard can it be to smear some potatoes on this thing and heat it up?
See? Isn't it gorgeous? Just like the picture on the website. Pretty much.
A few minutes into baking, I peek in to make sure all is well... What the heck?!?
I've got potatoes sliding off the side of the cakes here. I don't think that is supposed to happen. Sorry, 4yo, but I need the recipe. (Go outside and play!)
OHHHHH... Okay, I was supposed to heat the cake up for 30 minutes BEFORE frosting it, then add the frosting for a final few minutes at the end. No biggie. Let's just de-frost this thing.
Note the pan in the back, full of de-frosting. Yum.
Okay, at this point, nobody has seen anything I'm doing in the kitchen. I can still pull this off and be SuperTurkeyCakeLady. I'll just re-frost it later, make it all smooth and pretty.
1yo wakes up and gets to be a taste-tester. He is wildly impressed. I'm lucky he can't talk yet.
Okay, I need to put this TurkeyCake back in the oven for half an hour. It's go time. This is gonna be great.
Five minutes later, I check on progress...
Ahh, I see. Where the potatoes were sliding before, now the whole freaking cake is sliding off the edge of itself. How is that possible?
Okay, whatever, I'll deal with fixing it after it bakes. After 30 minutes is up, I remove the cake from the oven, glue it all back together, frost it with potatoes, top it off with the marshmallows and it's GORGEOUS!
At this point, I've almost gotten back on track and you can hardly tell the difference between my cake and the original inspiration (below).
Well... close enough. Let's pop this into the oven for the final two minutes and then ring that dinner bell.
2 minutes 30 seconds later:
Wow. When they said two minutes, they meant two minutes.
It's okay. Scoop that layer off, throw it in the trash. I am still enjoying the privacy of the kitchen. Nobody has to know about this. As long as they don't notice the smell of burnt marshmallows.
Re-mallow the cake, re-toast it and this time it comes out Freakin' PERFECT. Or close enough. If I don't show my family the pics on the website recipe, they'll never know what it COULD have looked like...
Ta Daaaa!
Well, I don't really want to bring this to the table on an upside-down cookie sheet, so I've got to get it onto my pretty plate. The recipe says this can be done using two spatulas.
Ready?... One... two... three... LIFT!
Fudge.
Hmm. Okay. I have gotten over other obstacles. I have leftover potatoes, I can glue this thing back together, right? And if I have to glue it together anyway, I may as well finish the transfer to the plate.
Ready?... One... two... three... LIFT!
Super fudge.
At this point, smooshing the cake back together was pretty much the final step. Smooth out the frosting. And... TA DAAAA FOR REALS!!!
My family is kindly supportive at this point. Good, positive attitudes. Willing to try anything. We cut into it to admire the beautiful layered effect.
Yum. Almost like that original recipe online (see below).
At this point, I let my family off the hook and didn't require them to make "mmmm" faces for the camera. But they made them anyway (I just don't have them to share). They even seemed a little honest when they took seconds.
So, in the big picture, it was a success. I had fun, at least. And the leftovers were gone within a day or two. And no, they weren't fed to the dogs.
As the next round of holidays approaches, I am on the lookout for more cooking adventures. (Let me know if you have any recommendations.) Also, I'm wishing all of you the kind of fun days and sweet family that I have. Happy Holidays!
For those of you wanting to try it yourself (I promise, it actually is tasty!):
