* Hummingbird or Bummingbird Cake?

I promised I'd post a blog revealing my Hummingbird Cake adventure..so here goes.

And I can make this snappy and to the point.

 My enchantment with The Bummingbird...er Hummingbird Cake began here:

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/35th-anniversary-hummingbird-cake-50400000127091/

(We southern girls consider Southern Living magazine the "go-to" place for great recipes.)

I read about the HB cake for years...so I thought..."How hard can it be?"
And after all, it was its 35th anniversary!
The most sought after and requested recipe in Southern Living history.

I decided to make the cake layers Friday since they needed to be refrigerated. 

Tip: a wise decision.

(I was slightly "ticked" when I realized I needed another cake pan and the hubster

had ruined a perfectly good one by Pamming it to death for his biscuits.)

So I used a slightly larger aluminum throw away pan I had on hand.

Tip: Do NOT make one layer a different size from the others.

Plus, it called for 4 layers and I crammed it all into three.

That was a very big NO NO!

Early Saturday morning I made the "custard" filling.

It was delicious...how do I know that?

I ate all the leftovers..

I then proceeded to layer and ice with custard and got so

carried away that I forgot and iced the top layer.

Which BTW was the oddly sized layer and kept sliding toward the back.

Tip: Do NOT ice the top layer. The real icing will slide off.

No problem: I just took off that custard and ate it too.

Sometime before 6 a.m. Sunday:

When I began getting the table ready, I decided I needed to go ahead and ice the cake...

with Browned Buttercream Frosting.

Sounds great....omgosh.

Centerpiece in place: "Check".



China, silver and placemats ready. (Triple "Check")



Now, on to the icing (time: 6:00 a.m. Sunday).

Browned Buttercream Icing...hmmmm, never done anything like this before.

Oh, well...how hard can it be? Fast forward...

Time lapse: 9:30 a.m.

Burned the butter the first go round...did it say Burned Buttercream or

Browned Buttercream?

Next try:

Stir 1 cup butter until it turns light brown..

is this like golden brown, light "burned" brown,

how light? Uh, oh...guests arriving at 11:15 a.m.

Stir constantly for 8-12 minutes.

Tip: When it says light brown that's what it means.

When it says stir 8-12 min.on medium heat,  it doesn't mean 5-ish on high.

When it says to pour into a SMALL bowl and cover and chill,

it does NOT mean large bowl, uncovered in the freezer.

(I laid down only for a second to rest my aching knees...

but when I woke up the browned butter was frozen.)

I pulled out the big guns...my Kitchenaid mixer

and beat the living daylights out of that frozen blob....all the while

adding powdered sugar alternately with 1/4 cup milk...ending with sugar.

When the husband walked in he remarked,

"Looks like a bomb went off in that side of the kitchen."

Tip: the cake must chill for 1 hour before serving...oh, no.



I know, I know..you are being kind...saying "It doesn't look so bad."

However, if you zoom in, you will see that those pretty yellow flecks

are NOT pineapple, but rather frozen browned butter...ugh.



Everyone raved, but I was too tired to notice.

I went back to Southern Living's website this afternoon, following my 2 1/2 hour nap
and guess what?
The original recipe was really quite simple...
it  had Cream Cheese Frosting.

Then I read the comments on this year's cake...they were hilarious.
We should have been on a conference call...
they had some pretty awful comments.

Anyhoo..
My Unconventional 2013 Easter Menu

Rotel Chicken
Deluxe Green Bean Supreme
Green Salad with Mandarin Oranges and Almonds
Brianna's Blush Wine Vinaigrette
Texas Toast
AND
The 2013 Anniversary Version of
Southern Living's
HUMMINGBIRD CAKE!

Yes, I think I will just have a carrot tonight...nibble on.


A joyous Easter to you,