Fatty Friday || Chocolate Raspberry Forest Cake [Birthday Edition]

so, it was my birthday a couple days ago, and I decided I wanted to make that cake I'd pinned earlier this year. (Pinterest button to the top right if you're curious.) why did I make this cake in particular? well, first, it looked yummy. second, I am too ambitious for my own good. third, the fridge is currently in a rare state of emptiness (we never fully stocked back our food since Sandy messed with the power) and I actually have a place to refrigerate the thing. and fourth, because I could. so I did. 

I am a freakin' ambitious girl. this was the first cake I'd ever made on my own, and I thought, "HEY, LET'S MAKE A THREE-LAYER ONE."

I mean, it couldn't be THAT hard, right?

WRONG.

well, considering how I am always trying to be an optimist and perfectionist, I think this cake was half-successful. let's go over the pros, shall we? well, according to my bff, Allison, I have leveled up in my baking skills which is totally a good thing. (leveling up in baking skills reminds me of Runescape for some reason. does anybody still play that?) I also practiced lots of patience. nearly called it quits when the buttercream frosting turned into grainy bits. WHY IS IT ALWAYS THE FROSTING THAT RUINS MY PRODUCT?! (well Ariel, you need to practice more and probably on a less ambitious project.) I pushed on through and thankfully it came out alright. I now have a new found respect for all bakers. not that I didn't respect them before, but man, I FEEL for them. and last but not least, I have abandoned all hopes of ever losing any weight before the holiday church potlucks and family dinners come rolling in. oh hang on... that's a bad thing, isn't it?

yes, that is an extremely fat tree. 

 it took me two days to make the whole thing. the recipe was easy-peasy. I mean, it only took me four hours to do the baking alone, that's totally normal right? bah, who am I kidding.. but in my defense, I only had one cake pan. who the heck has the money for three 9" cake pans? not I. (note to self: in retrospect, that would've saved me a ton of time. AND TIME IS MORE PRECIOUS THAN MONAAYY.) 

the recipe was from Chocolate & Carrots. don't even try comparing my cake to hers, 'cause if you do, I will karate chop you down before you can even cry mama. I am not going to walk you through how I made it 'cause frankly, it is a bore to read about (if you want the recipe, click on the link.) I just took a bunch of pictures because let's be honest, that's the only reason you're reading this.

who can deny the richness of Ghirardelli? who can deny the beauty of my face?
hint: the answer to both questions is none. 

spring form pans are lifesavers, I tell ya.

attempting to remove the bottom of the pan before the cake has cooled. bad idea.
 ftr, those hands are not mine.

I enlisted Papa bear to help.
"Dad, I love how you're so focused on everything you do."
"who cares about that?! all I wanna know is DOES MY HAIR REALLY LOOK LIKE THAT IN REAL LIFE?!!11!"
good one, Pops.

UGLINESS. DON'T JUDGE. thank goodness the trees covered the sides a bit.

in your opinion, do I look more like dad... 

...or mum? 

here's a refresher for the filling: raspberry preserves, strawberry slices, and a scrumptious chocolate ganache

so, I know you're all thinking: WHAT WAS THE VERDICT?! yea or nay?

well, the cake was scrumptious, if I do say so myself (technically I can say this without sounding like a show-off since this wasn't my recipe hehehehe). it was slightly dry but that was because our oven hates me. I cut down the bake time from one hour to forty minutes, and it STILL came out slightly on the dry side. poop.

in case you're wondering, the cake isn't actually as sweet as it looks. there is not that much sugar in the cake itself. the raspberry jam is perfect because it brings a bit of tartness to the cake without adding too much sweetness. I may have gone overboard with the frosting though. that's really the only thing I'm unhappy about. the texture was weird, the color was weird, and it was too sweet. frosting and I are forever sworn mortal enemies.

also, my parents and I decided this cake was enough to fill up twenty people in one sitting. seriously, I don't know what I was thinking to bake such a huge cake for three people. we ate only an eighth of it. the rest will stay in the freezer like ice cream cake for the next two weeks. feel free to stop by, and I'll hand you a two-hundred calorie slice. I guarantee you may die of happiness from the richness of the cake. unless, of course, the carbs get to you first. should that be the case, I will only take responsibility for the first.

Happy Fatty Friday&have a swell weekend! xo