Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Pink Lemonade Bundt Cake Fail

When I asked for help deciding which sweet treat to make next, the overwhelming majority of people picked the Pink Lemonade Bundt Cake (Sugarcookie Cheesecake came in a close second). I had found the recipe on Pinterest, and like so many other people have discovered after making recipes they find on Pinterest, the cake was a total disappointment. The recipe is from a site called Sugar Baby Aprons, and it was supposed to look like this:


Gorgeous, right? Instead, my cake ended up looking like this:


I'm going to vent for a sentence: Recipes like this, the ones that don't work, really frustrate me because I think they are why some people are convinced they can't cook.

I really wanted to give the recipe a chance and followed it as it was written, but I should have known that the recipe would not have produced the cake in the picture. Take the color alone: the recipe calls for a lemon cake mix and lemon pudding mix, both of which have a lot of yellow food coloring. The recipe also calls for the addition of a little bit of red food coloring. What happens when you add red to yellow? You're right! You get the nasty orange color of my cake, not the beautiful, summery pink of the cake in the recipe picture.(In fact, I'm positive that the picture shown with the recipe is not a picture of what the recipe makes. How on Earth could it be?)

Here are some other disappointments: The cook time was too long. My cake didn't come close to the end of the 60 minutes before I could tell it was over-cooked; between the lemon cake mix, the lemon pudding mix, and the pink lemonade concentrate, the lemon flavor was very artificial and cloying; the texture was heavy, dense, and gummy; the glaze was a disaster, and I even used half the amount of concentrate called for and 3 times the amount of powdered sugar called for.

We were all disappointed, me, my husband, my kids (though my husband did manage to choke down a slice--he's a trooper!).

So, what to do now? I love the idea of a Pink Lemonade Cake, it sounds so wonderful and perfect for summer, so I'm going to take the challenge: I am going to come up with my own recipe for Pink Lemonade Cake. It may or may not be in the form of a bundt cake, so stay tuned--and wish me luck! 

13 comments:

  1. Oh, I totally agree with you! Experienced bakers know when something doesn't look right in a recipe, but if you're like me, I always think that maybe this is one of the quirky things that sound wrong but actually work. I always have the hope that I'll be surprised!

    Sorry for your disappointment, but your blog is evidence that you have many more successes than failures, and it wasn't your fault. The picture of the first cake does look good, and I'm sure you'll figure out a way to get it.

    Years ago I made a pink lemonade layer cake that had ice cream or sherbet as the filling, and the cake was stored in the freezer. I think I ate most of it myself, because it was "hidden" in the freezer! I remember it as being very good and refreshing, and will look for the recipe to share with you. And I will keep my eyes open for a REAL recipe for strawberry lemonade pound cake just for you.

    Thanks for your awesome recipes and wonderful blog!

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    1. Thanks for your sweet words--for sure keep your eyes open for a good recipe :)

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  2. The best of luck with the cake! I know you are going to succeed! Cheers!

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  3. I was just telling my mom tonight as we watched Garrett's soccer game that my friend was going to post a recipe for Pink Lemonade Bundt Cake! (That was the recipe I voted for.) Please let me know when you find something you're happy with!! I am super excited to try it! It just sounds so yummy and perfect for summer after a salad and a BLT.

    Take care......Tanya P.

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    1. No worries, you'll know when I do because I'll be banging the pots and pans together ;)

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  4. I can't wait to see what you come up with! It looks and sounds good.

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    1. Doesn't it sound so delicious? There must be a way :)

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  5. How timely this post is!! I had a very similar experience just yesterday, with a recipe I found through Pinterest! It should have been a gorgeous "Strawberry Swirl Cream Cheese Pound Cake," but it was actually an unmitigated disaster! I bake cakes all the time and, after reviewing the recipe and all my steps, I am positive the problem wasn't something I caused. The recipe is flawed. Disgusted, I ended up tossing the whole thing right into the garbage can. I agree with you completely that experiences like that probably do an awful lot to discourage novice bakers. It's a shame!

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    1. I hate it when recipes don't work...such a sad waste of time and ingredients! The "Strawberry Swirl Cream Cheese Pound Cake" sounds so lovely...how disappointing :(

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  6. Cheater !!! That's all I can say about the Sugar Baby Apron !!! I went on the picture, right click (as if to save it ... and what do I find ... a Neiman Recipe !) so click click click
    http://www.neimanmarcus.com/p/Pink-Lemonade-Bundt-Cake-Gourmet-Food/prod115490129/

    That's why it doesn't work because it is NOT the cake that goes with the recipe !!!

    this recipe CANNOT be done with the yellow cake ! but Cherry Chip or Vanilla mix from Betty Crocker would probably do the job ... as for the icing ... white sugar for icing ??? confectioners sugar, milk, butter (that's for the softness ...) would work much better. Forget the lemonade in the icing !

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    1. Wow! I *knew* that picture couldn't possibly go with the recipe. I feel so vindicated now ;)

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  7. I am so thankful I found your post. I was going to make this cake for a reunion. I wanted to find the recipe in a better layout then what was on pinterest. You have saved me from much disappointment and wasted time.

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