The title of the chapter containing last week's cake recipe is "Science Is Not a Cake Walk." Truer words have never been spoken. We've been subject to some bad science karma in the lab lately, and right now, when all I want in the world is to graduate and move on with my life, failed experiments and unnecessary delays seem even more frustrating.
Thankfully, we can find reasons to celebrate. Chris' birthday was last week, and in observance, we went out for Mexican and margaritas. This week's cake was not a tower of magnificence, but was easy to transport and easy to eat, and it was impressive all done up with candles.
The recipe was Chocolate-Pecan cake, inspired by New Orleans pralines, confections full of pecans, chocolate and caramel. It was supposed to be simple, the "cake walk" that the past week's science had not been. The cake itself actually was; it was essentially a glorified cookie, and making the batter was as easy as whipping up a batch of slightly fancy chocolate chip cookies. The caramel sauce, however, proved to be a challenge. I'd never made caramel before, and apparently there are all sorts of rules, the most important being: once the sugar is dissolved, DO NOT TOUCH IT!!! So while I stirred and waited for my sugar to turn "a medium-amber color," my sugar water slowly boiled away, and I ended up with... sugar. Who would have guessed that when 
you dissolve sugar in water and then boil off all the water you end up right back where you started? I was, of course, out of sugar after that, so I had to run to the store to buy more sugar, and after extensive research on caramel-making, my second attempt yielded a much better result. Slightly darker than it should have been, resulting in a nuttier flavor instead of just sweet, but it worked on the cookie cake, and everyone enjoyed it, no complaints. And now I'm an expert caramel maker. Or something like that.Mexican, margaritas, company, and cake made for a fun birthday celebration and a welcome way to forget a long week.
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