Happy Birthday Meryl! And do tell, which cake did you choose to make?

Thank you, one and all! Ang, you're such a doll for remembering my birthday! ....

A big thanks to you and everyone else for all the great birthday wishes. It was a bittersweet day for me, so I really appreciate all your positive, warm thoughts!

I haven't tried the cake yet, so I'll post all the details later tonight or tomorrow. I really don't know if it turned out as well as expected, so I'll be cutting the first slice with trepidation. Don't worry, it's not from any of your recommendations, although, I'll probably regret not using any of your T&T's!

P.S. Lisa, I'm so sorry I missed your birthday on the 15th. I hope it was a great one!

 
Thanks again, everyone! Here's my birthday cake report...

Well, first of all, after all these years of baking, I should have known better than to use a NESTLE'S recipe! Yes... Nestles's! - the only one I've ever used, and certainly the last. What was I thinking????!!!!! With such great ingredients and a name like "Chocolate Rhapsody," what could be bad, right? WRONG.

It was such a PITA to make, took forever, and the instructions and method were faulty in too many ways to recount. It was two thin layers of a simple yellow cake, which luckily came out fine. The bottom layer was spread with a little chocolate ganache, then topped with a pseudo raspberry mousse which was basically raspberries, whipped cream and white chocolate, then topped again with the second cake layer, then topped with chocolate ganache. The original recipe actually only used one cake layer, then topped it with the "mousse," then ganache on top, which would have been more of a disaster, since there's no way the ganache would have been able to spread on such a soft "mousse," so I made another cake layer.

After the thin layer of ganache was spread on the bottom cake layer, topped with the "mousse" and the second cake layer, it was then topped with the remaining ganache, with nothing left for the sides. Big mistake, and I was too tired to make more ganache. So, of course, when I finally cut into the cake, the "mousse" squooshed out all over the place, and the plating wasn't too great looking, to say the least. Good thing it was only for my husband and myself.

All in all, the assembly was a problem from beginning to end. The bottom cake layer was sitting on the metal round from a springform pan, then after it cooled, the sides were greased and reattached, (a hassle), then spread with the rest of the stuff. It was quite restricting to say the least, to spread the ganache and mousse within a collar. Nestle's probably did that because the "mousse" was so soft, it would have slipped out all over the place without the cake collar to hold it in. After the mousse was applied, it went into the freezer to firm up, then the final cake layer and ganache were applied. It sat in the refrigerator overnight.

Then, when it came time to serve, the pan collar had to be released, and of course, it wouldn't release. I thought it was stuck forever, but after a struggle, finally released it.

All in all, the cake tasted delicious. Every component was good, and the combination even better, but it just wasn't worth the hassle. Of course, the "mousse" could have used some gelatin to stabilize it, etc., etc. I'm sure there's a better way to do this whole concoction, but I'm not about to figure it out now!

Meanwhile, I've learned my lesson - stay away from Nestle's recipes, unless making chocolate chip cookies, and even theirs aren't the best - I have much better recipes for chocolate chip cookies.

I've copied and saved many of the recipes you all posted for me, and I'm sure if I choose one of them for my next birthday, I'll have a much better experience and outcome!

Thanks again for your birthday wishes, and listening to my rant!

 
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