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July is an exciting time in our house. Not only do we have the opportunity to go to the beach or take the dog on long walks around the city, it is also my husband’s birthday on the 3rd. His idea of a perfect celebration is heading with our friends down to Block Island, RI to partake in the annual 4th of July beach fest known as “Rock the Block.” This is an opportunity to spend the entire day on a remote island off the coast of Rhode Island soaking up sun and drinks. It is a rite of summer, a celebration, and my husband loves nothing more. Unfortunately, schedules do not always align appropriately. This year was one of those schedule snafus and we knew we were not going to be able to make it to ‘the Block.’ I knew this meant I needed to do a little something special to help ease the sadness associated with the missing birthday trip.
Several months ago, when out and about with friends, the name Carvel came up in conversation. For those not from New England, Carvel is company that makes ice cream and, more importantly, ice cream cakes. These cakes are not your DQ variety cakes. The Carvel ice cream cake characters are legendary…at least to people from the Northeast. There is a 3D butterfly, a bear named “Hug Me,” and a strange ice cream alien with a sugar cone nose named “Cookie Puss.” However, it was “Fudgie the Whale” that took over the conversation on this night. This layered ice cream cake is shaped like a whale, complete with a huge smile. It was this cake that my husband got excited about. I decided that” Fudgie the Whale” would be the special guest for this year’s birthday. I was disappointed to find out that the nearest “Fudgie the Whale” was located in Connecticut. Without a car or way to get out of state, I knew that if I wanted Fudgie I was going to have to make him.
I do not bake. This is for a multitude of reasons. One reason is that baking requires a certain amount of science; an unprinted, passed down from Grandma, known because “your ancestors perfected” it kind of science. Sure, a recipe will give you the proper amounts of ingredients needed, baking time and temperature, etc. However, baking has the additional stress of knowing that using one grain of sugar or pinch of salt too much will completely ruin a cake. In addition, there are a plethora of ‘secrets’ to baking…like using ice water for pastries or only baking with room temperature eggs. I know these things matter, but I don’t know why and I certainly don’t know when to use these so called ‘secrets.’
The real reason I don’t tend to bake is because the end result is a sugary, sweet, decadent treat that sits around the house for one purpose and one purpose only…to be eaten. Working from experience, when foods sit around the house for the sole purpose of being eaten, namely sugary foods, they get eaten. That means that the 5 miles I ran today can be negated almost immediately should I decide to bake something tasty and let it sit around the house. For these reasons, among many more, I shy away from my Artisan stand mixer.
Birthdays warrant a bending of the rules. Besides, there is no baking when it comes to ice cream cakes…right? Well, ice cream cakes require time and I did not give myself very much of that. By the time I realized I wasn’t going to be able to acquire a “Fudgie” cake, I basically had 24 hours to come up with an alternative. I decided that the next day I would bake a layered cake and form it to ‘look’ like “Fudgie”. Sure, it wouldn’t have the cool yummy qualities of the original “Fudgie”, but it would look the part and stir up the nostalgic emotions associated. The next morning, he left for work around 8am. I knew I had to leave for work by noon, giving me 4 hours to make two cakes, cool them, split them, cut them into the correct shape, and ice it to look like a replica of the beloved whale. To assist me, I turned to Betty Crocker. (You didn’t think I could make it from scratch as a novice baker in 4 hours did you?!)
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| My version of Fudgie the Whale |
Fast forward 4 hours. Even using boxed cakes and icing, the kitchen looked like a bomb might have hit it. There were crumbs of cake on every surface imaginable. One huge chunk of unfrosted cake, what had been cut out to create the whale’s tail, lay off to one side. Icing was smeared on the counter, the wall, the faucet, and my face. Knives, measuring cups, empty boxes, and used cake pans littered every inch of open space. Mayhem had certainly taken charge of this situation. Despite it all, “Fudgie” sat smiling up at me from the counter. I could see in his frosting expression why so many found him a happy piece of their memory. I looked down and hoped he would bring a smile just as large and meaningful to my husband’s face….and he did.
drufoodie 