Martha Stewart I am not…and that is ok

Ok…so we had some good friends over for supper the other night.  Truth is, it would have been far easier to skip having anyone over that day.  We had gone to visit my sister and her family in South LA and got  back into town that afternoon.  But we had been planning on having Chris and Sarah and their kiddos over for a while and Christmas break was almost over.  It is so easy to put things off.  It is so easy to say “oh forget it!”  “I am too tired”  or “another time”.  But we were committed.  I had promised Chris I would make him something good and that includes dessert.  So I got on Pinterest to find the perfect dessert.  I knew what I was making for the main dish so dessert was all that was left.  I got home and got to work on prepping dinner.  I was exhausted ya’ll.  But I was looking forward to dinner with our friends.  As parents of 4 kiddos…we enjoy downtime with just our family.  Just driving down the road with all of us in a vehicle tends to be a little chaotic, so of course we savor our version of calm.  I learned long ago though, that if we were to have any social life at all, we would have to open our home to others.  Is our home clean all of the time?  No.  Is our home a showplace?  No way.  Is our home serene and always pleasant?  Negative Ghostwriter.  Is our home full of energy, laughter and noise?  You bet.  So if you are going to roll with us, know that ahead of time.  Get ready for it and embrace imperfection.  Nothing about my life is perfect.  It is by all accounts…perfectly imperfect.  And finally, finally, I am growing comfortable with this.  I no longer apologize.  We are who we are.  So come on in, feel comfortable and welcome, and grow comfortable with the chaos.  We had our friends over.  We accepted what was and knew as long as everyone ended the evening with a full belly and a happy heart, our mission was accomplished.  We were doing this!!!

So, as the evening went  on, the chicken breasts were so dang big they took too long to cook.  (that is a recipe for tomorrow)  and the cakes I made for the whoopie pie cake were all broken up and I did not cool it long enough because I was in a hurry, so lots of crumbs got into the filling.  Yet, I persisted.  I was making this cake.  Chris comes over and says “Cajun Mama, that cake does not look perfect” (he was joking) and to this I said “this is not Cajun Mama bakes and I am not Martha Stewart”.  Funny but so true.  I hope that I am every cook’s cook.  I do not want to be an example of a cook who does everything perfectly or shows you all only the perfect side of things.  I am all about the imperfect side.  The real stuff.  Because I am real.  If I set that bar so high and make it all look easy, that discourages other and they put so much pressure on themselves.  There is far too much pressure on us as a society to be perfect as it is.  Who needs that?  So…my cake did not look perfect.  BUT, as many things go in my life, it was DELICIOUS!!!  Kiddos raved.  Big Daddy raved.  Our friends raved.  That was all that mattered.  We could have waited to have them over when everything was perfect and I could have made another cake.  That is not me though.  That is not us.  I am above all a realist.  And I know I could wait forever and nothing will be perfect.  There will always be a kink.  Life is busy, mommies get tired, cakes fall apart…but things can still be sweet.  As the saying goes, dip it in chocolate and it will be fine.  This cake is amazing and not too hard and everything good about dessert and life all rolled into one.  Layers of yum!!!  I hope if you make this cake that it turns out beautifully.  Picture perfect.  But in case it doesn’t, persevere.  It is so good, it can be ugly and everyone will love you more.  It is how sweet and tasty the cake is that matters.  Enjoy!!!

Please do not be intimidated by the 3 part recipe.  Every step is easy and painless.  Don’t be deterred by the word ganache.  I almost let this turn me away, but my friend, Sarah, whisked the 2 ingredient ganache together quickly and easily.  This is a delicious, seems as if you worked for hours, special dessert that is in reality easy peasy.  Just do it!!!

Being together is the sweetest thing of all…sweet friends making sweet memories

Whoopie Pie Cake (adapted from http://cookiesandcups.com)

Stuff you need:

1 box chocolate cake mix (I used Duncan Hines triple chocolate fudge), baked according to package direction plus add one more egg)

Filling:

2 sticks of real butter

2 cups of marshmallow fluff

3 cups of powdered sugar

Ganache topping:

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

What to do with the stuff:

In a mixing bowl, beat together the cake mix according to package directions, adding one egg.  Divide into 2 prepared (greased and floured) 9 x 13 ” pans.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Let cakes cool completely. (trust Cajun Mama on this one…)

Now make the filling while the cakes are cooling.  In a stand mixer, combine softened butter and marshmallow fluff until smooth.  Try to not stick your fingers in this utterly delicious concoction.  I…um…thought it looked delicious.  Ok, ok, I totally tasted it.  5 times.  MMMM!!  Ok, now add powdered sugar one cup at time, beating after each addition.  Once your cakes are cooled, spread the filling on top of one of the cake layers then place the other cake on top.

Now, make the ganache.  You can so do this.  In a small saucepan, bring the heavy whipping cream almost to a boil.  Remove from heat.  Whisk in chocolate chips until smooth.  Allow this to cool for about 10 minutes and then pour over the cake.  See?  Now matter if there is a crack or 10, pouring this over that broken up cake makes it all better.  Ain’t life sweet?

Layers of chocolate and yummy filling…how sweet it is