Two Cakes part One

Two cakes diverged in a yellow wood..... 

Fall is here!  The finest season of them all! The cool breeze, the changing leaves, the start of another holiday season! There is so much to cherish, most of all Pumpkin Rolls! I first tackled one a few years ago, fully expecting failure. Although I was pleasantly surprised when Libby and I made a perfect roulade on the first try.  I've had some luck with jelly rolls in the past, but it was laborious and not as satisfying as it promised to be.  Yet pumpkin rolls, I've found are far less burdensome, and far more captivating.  It is a treat only to be enjoyed two months out of the year however, so I am making it count!

Over the next two weeks, I have two cakes.  Both somewhat familar territory with some unfamilar twist, or rolls.... Plain ol' pumpkin roll is my first cake, and an 'ice-cream sundae' is my second.  For the moment I'm working last to first so ice-cream it is!

I envision a drippy, sticky bowl of ice-cream, topped with sprinkles and a cherry! I'm not a fan of the fanciful cakes filled with fondant everything.  Although if that is what the eating public is after, then I must add it to my list of do's!  So here is my somewhat sketchy first attempt.  I plan on making a chocolate roulade (I'll save the pumpkin for next week) with cream cheese filling; slicing and lining a bowl, without filling it. Instead I'll build my cake inside of it.  To give it structural integrity a layer of vanilla ice-cream, in theory, will help hold it's shape. Scoops of 'ice-cream' will top it off.  A regular Ice-Cream Sundae!

Attempting the 'Scoop'
(I wanted to spend my time on building and decorating the cake, so I took a box mix shortcut! Having 'Just add Water' mix on hand is great for experimenting without a lot of cost, or time)

The suspects:

An individual soup crock,

a glass measuring cup, 

and a small glass bowl.

These were the three best attempts at a rounded 'ice-cream scoop'.....The winner.....

The individual soup crocks!  I thought I would have to cut the cake and sculpt a scoop, but these little crocks made a somewhat perfect shape!  So without hesitation I ran to the store, got cake mix for $1.20 and made 4 more!

My thoughts are changing a little from ice-cream sundae to strawberry shortcake.  I have strawberries in the freezer to make a puree and strawberry buttercream frozen from a past cake. My next steps are to slice, fill and frost the individual cake scoops then try my hand at stacking, filling and finishing the shortcake sundae!  Oh yeah and the chocolate bowl!

Stay tuned!....
Part Two coming soon!