What do I do now?

I bake.  In fact, I love to bake.  Sweets mostly.  It's my stress relief.  I lose myself in food photos and fabulous-sounding recipes, and then I relish in trying them and feeding my friends and family the results.

What happens, though, when your dessert doesn't come out exactly how you had planned?  I have a habit of wanting to add one more splash of this or that to see if it'll make my dish the coveted one at the office or family gatherings.  I usually end up with something that tastes good, but has a serious flaw.

Take, for example, the recent pound cake I tried making.  I added a bit too much heavy cream and BAM...after it was done baking, it disintegrated when I turned it over to release it from the pan.  It was too moist to hold it's form, but far too delicious to just throw away.  So, what can you do when your cake falls apart?  Here are some easy but tasty ideas.

XYZ Trifle

A trifle is simply a dessert made with layers of cake, custard, and whatever else you'd like.  The possibilities are endless.  I've provided a simple recipe below, but you can make substitutions or additions to your liking.

Cake Layer
1 box of yellow* cake mix + ingredients to make the cake (i.e., eggs and oil)
 
Custard Layer
8 oz. (1 pkg) cream cheese
3 cups cold milk
2 small pkg instant vanilla* pudding
1 16-oz tub of whipped topping

Soak
1/2 cup of hot cocoa*

Extras
12 oz milk chocolate chips*

*These are ingredients that can be easily substituted with whatever your little heart desires.  Alternatives are listed below the directions.


1) Make cake according to the directions.  Let cool completely.  Place into a bowl and break into very small, crumbled pieces (I like to use a large wooden spoon).

2) To make the custard layer, beat the cream cheese until creamy.  Gradually beat in milk. Add dry pudding mixes. Stir in 2 cups of whipped topping.

3)  In a trifle dish or a 2.5 qt+ glass bowl, start your layers:
          Drop in 1/3 of your crumbled cake
          Drizzle on your 1/3 of your soak
          Spoon on 1/3 of the custard
          Pour 1/3 of the chocolate chips
          Repeat 2 more layers or until your ingredients reach the top of your dish.
          Cover with the remaining whipped topping and chocolate chips

Voila!  You've just turned your failed cake into a delicious trifle.  If you need some inspiration for alternatives, try these suggestions:

Bananas Foster:  Yellow cake mix, banana cream pudding, cherry cola, and dark chocolate chips
Tiramisu:  Angel food cake, vanilla pudding, coffee and cocoa powder
Fruity:  White or angel food cake, vanilla pudding, rum and strawberries

The combinations are limitless.  Still have cake crumbs left over?  Melt 1/4 cup of chocolate chips and 1 tablespoon of shortening and pour onto the crumbs.  Combine them together and roll it into balls for a nice brownie-like treat.