My first challenge.

Well, when i received the challenge i have to admit i was a little disappointed. I was hoping that it would be a fruit cake. Something that i wanted to try but cant seem to find the time to make my own. I have never seen a yule log as it is not a tradition that has ever been mentioned in our family. But i was up for the challenge.

I built my mushrooms first and then i procrastinated for the cake itself so my mushrooms sat out on the counter for a week while i baked cookies and squares around them. My husband has been more interested in baking this christmas than i have an i cant seem to keep him away from my kitchen-aid long enough to use it myself.

I have been putting it off so long that i planned to do it today, friday the 21st. So i got up this morning at 5:45 so i could hit wal-mart, finish the christmas shopping and get the last few supplies for the cake. As i hit the last stair going out of my house, i stepped on something the dog dragged up and fell, spraining my ankle. Serves me right for procratinating on the whole thing. So i dragged my butt back into the house and after a couple hours and a threat that he would phone my mother.. i went to the doctor for x-rays. Everything was fine and i was prescribed ice and advil. So i came home and rested.

Every time i thought about starting my cake my husband, again, had the kitchen-aid busy doing something, or he was doing dishes. When he went outside i jumped at the chance and started the cake.

It went really smoothly. I didn't think that i would be good at doing it. I did overbake my cake and it cracked in rolling. I didn't have parchment paper so i baked it right on the pan and it stuck a bit when i took it off. I used a technique i learned in home ed about the rolling and just used a clean, dry dish towel and it turned out lovely.

I had refrigerated the leftover buttercream and so it was difficult to spread. I am use to making the cake decorating buttercream so it was a bit of a challenge to work with something that you are not use to doing. But that is what the challenges are for.

I am looking forward to the next challenge. This time i promise not to wait till the day before posting to do it.

Sandra K.

(rookie daring baker)