Christmas Eve Baking Disaster Gone Good

[Sweetfudge]

So on Christmas eve, we were invited to dinner at the in laws. It was an "everyone bring your own dessert" (and me bring my own gluten-free food just in case, cuz grandma's cooking, and she's usually raunchy to me about my "diet").

So I was busy making a turkey, rolls, and stuffing (which all turned out great by the way!).

I also had to come up with something great for dessert to share with 15 other people. So I thought I'd do a flourless chocolate cake cuz I was feeling ambitious and craving something ooey gooey chocolatey!

So, I had planned it so I could decorate the cake right before we left. I was supposed to cook the cake for an hour, and it was still mush when I was about to take it out. So I ended up giving it an extra 40 minutes.

Pulled it out, and cut into the side a bit, and it was still wet. I figured it would harden up in the pan a little, as the outside was all nicely toastey and hard. Or maybe that it was supposed to be like that.

Anyway, I let it cool for about 30 minutes, and went to get it out of the springform pan. To my horror it was completely eggy on the bottom. I don't know what I did wrong to get that to happen.

Anyway, I fought off tears as I threw it in the trash, and frantically tried to find something else to bring. I had some russian tea cookies that I'd made a couple days before, but they were kinda dry. I grabbed my handy gluten-free cookbook, and looked for a fast recipe. Got out the ingredients, and made a cookie crumb crust w/ the russian tea cookies. Threw together some cream cheese, whipped cream, and chocolate pudding to form a chocolate cream pie in 10 minutes flat! It was still watery as we left, but after an hour and a half in the fridge, I busted it out, and everyone LOVED it!!! They all said it was amazing! I was so relieved.

And no one even noticed the smoky flavor to the crust that a fire in my oven caused (some of the cake batter oozed out on to the oven bottom, and when I started the oven up again, it burst into flames. I was in too much of a hurry to put it out and it was only a tiny fire!).

Shoulda gone with the chocolate cream pie to begin with!!!

How did everyone else do in the kitchen?

[blueeyedmanda]

Sounds like things turned out for the better!

So really burst in flames? Yikes!

[TrillumHunter]

Cooking is like that sometimes. Good for you for not giving up! Some of the best meals I've ever made have been substitutes for disasters--and I've been cooking a long time!

[melrobsings]

Everything turned out GREAT! I made a peach cobbler for my bf and he tried it and it was very chewy and hard. We laughed cause he couldn't cut it with a fork! He just stabbed the entire piece and tried to bite off it but it was like watching someone eating stale beef jerky!!! i have food and desserts for days so I'm calling all my friends to come over for a feast!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!!!!