Caged Grudge Match - Man vs. Cake

Yesterday I made a Waldorf-Astoria cake for dessert. According to the legend, this cake was served at the luxurious hotel years ago. You can see a lovely shot of this premier hotel here ------->

Sometimes people also refer to it as red cake because the cake itself was a sort of blood-red color. Usually four layers of cake filled and topped with a thickened butter-cream frosting.

In any regard, I have my Mom’s old recipe for this cake – and I wanted to make it just as she used to.


Waldorf-Astoria Battle Royale: Red Cake = 3; Rev. Mr. Chris = nada

Against the insightful comments of my wife, I refused to line the pans with parchment paper. I said to myself, “it said grease and flour, so that’s exactly what I’m going to do, nothing more and nothing less.”

• Red Cake goal numero uno – One layer stuck to the pan, and broke as I tried to extricate it

I made the frosting, but waited too long before incorporating the thickening paste (it said to let it cool, grrrr) to the butter base.

• Red Cake scores again – Frosting separated and would not bind properly

As I was preparing the thickening paste for frosting batch #2, I got distracted with something to do with the salad for dinner.

• Red Cake scores a third time – thickening paste has become solid glue

Finally, on batch 2 1/2, the frosting came out correctly. I slathered it between the layers and on the top and threw the dang thing in the fridge to set up.

This is not how I remember it working out for Mom

I ate a piece tonight rather triumphantly, but I wasn’t very pleased about it. The cake itself is a sort of pinkish red, not blood red (even with two full thingies of red food coloring that wasn’t enough).

I noticed that the Waldorf-Astoria (a Hilton property) no longer serves the blasted cake – I wonder why?