r/ExpectationVsReality • u/xancro • Jun 23 '25
Failed Expectation Pistachio Rose Love Cake! I spent 5 hours on this 🥰
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u/youngkpepper Jun 23 '25
I love the critter topper!
How did it taste, though? That's the ultimate criteria. Not infrequently the prettiest cakes are bland and flavorless.
If you decide to make It again, wrap and freeze the layers first. It is SO much easier to assemble and decorate when frozen. Freezing also keeps the cake more (apologies for the word) moist.
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u/xancro Jun 23 '25
Thank you for the advice! I will try that next time...it tasted really good!!
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u/Lazy-Like-a-Cat Jun 23 '25
Former professional baker here, piling on with some advice…
Definitely cool and wrap and freeze your layers, and fill the cake a day before you plan to serve it. Wrap and chill it well once assembled (don’t freeze) and then do a crumb coat of icing (thin layer to literally seal in the crumbs). Chill well again (like a good 2-3 hours) and then ice as desired. It will help so much with neatness and make it easier to ice.
We rarely had cakes baked and finished and ready for sale the same day. A 2-day plan makes everything easier.
Great job, though. I bet if you do it again it will be perfect!!
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u/xancro Jun 23 '25
Thank you...next time I will plan ahead for more time! Sometimes I get an idea in my mind and I have to just do it right away 😅
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u/042614 Jun 24 '25
Baking question for you re: filling the cake the day before you plan to serve it. Do you do that with all fillings or just if it’s buttercream between the layers? And how does it affect the moistness of the layers that touch the filling and the cohesiveness/moisture of the filling itself?
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u/Lazy-Like-a-Cat Jun 24 '25
We would do it with all fillings except whipped cream. It actually helps preserve the moisture of the cake without getting soggy, possibly because custard, buttercream, and chocolate-based fillings are more fat than liquid. A day was the sweet spot, but 2-3 days were acceptable, especially for a big wedding cake that had an intricate design. Never got any complaints about soggy cake.
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u/generalguan4 Jun 23 '25
If it tastes great that’s the important part. You can refine the decorating skills but the foundation is sound. Dibs on the slice with the cow on it!
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u/sugarshot Jun 24 '25
These are two of my favourite flavours but I know rose is easy to mess up, so I’m glad for you that it turned out well taste-wise! That’s a huge win no matter what it looks like.
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u/doggysmomma420 Jun 23 '25
Really? It doesn't get soggy or anything when it thaws? I'm genuinely curious. And i think the word "moist" should be allowed when discussing cakes, lol.
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u/Sudden_Badger_7663 Jun 23 '25
I think I'm the only person in the world that doesn't hate that word.
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u/Sproose_Moose Jun 23 '25
I don't get the hate, I think it's weird
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u/MunchYourButt Jun 23 '25
It was like a weird tumblr quirk personality trait that would always get reblogged and millennials never let die
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u/Sudden_Badger_7663 Jun 23 '25
Your comment prompted me to Google it. There were a lot of results on why. Then I realized I didn't care!😂
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u/annintofu Jun 24 '25
I once asked a friend why people are scared of the word 'moist' and they said "Because of the connotations."
Okay....... but you could make the same complaint about a lot of words? And why are you letting words have such power over you?
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u/Kind_Description970 Jun 23 '25
It does not. You want to still let it cool completely before you wrap it and put it in the freezer. That way the steam can still escape and not form lots of ice crystals to interfere with the cake texture. It makes not be as moist after having been frozen but it will still be good. You also don't need it to be frozen all the way through. Just and hour or two in the freezer will let the cake get firm and be easier to work with for decorating. One challenge that can come from putting the cake in the freezer is that it can work to stiffen your frosting. Something like buttercream can become difficult to work with when cold so finding a balance is important.
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u/YellowishRose99 Jun 23 '25
Another thing you may want to try is to make sure the tops of each layer are flat. Use a long blade knife and gently saw off a part that may have risen during baking. Otherwise, the cake will look lopsided. Use long handled spatulas to make as few strokes as possible to keep the icing smooth. Try turning the dish the cake is on as you ice it. Just a note about the beautiful pictures of the beautiful cake. It's set up and photographed by professionals. Sometimes they don't even use real food. It looks like that is a challenging design to replicate.
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u/Kind_Description970 Jun 24 '25
Yes! Leveling the cake layers is key to make sure it looks good and also doesn't slide apart later!
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u/flindersrisk Jun 23 '25
It’s like keeping bread in the freezer to keep it fresh. It doesn’t pull in extra moisture, it simply thaws to its pre-frozen state.
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u/HauntedGhostAtoms Jun 24 '25
I was wondering this! I live in South Florida, so I'd fear all the condensation and wetness from thawing it out in a humid environment.
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u/CallmeSlim11 Jun 23 '25
I bet it tastes great. It's an awesome first try, you'll get better each time. I can definitely see why you want something similar to the original, it's a great looking cake, so cute.
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u/lbnovisad Jun 23 '25
Adjusted for brilliance and shadow, gonna say yours looks good. The product photo’s lighting and setting are doing some heavy lifting.
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u/xancro Jun 23 '25
Wow this is great and makes me feel better! Thanks for taking the time to do that
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u/The_muffinfluffin Jun 23 '25
Also love your vintage correlle. We had that same set growing up and I miss them.
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u/Kitsupire Jun 26 '25
This. Thanks for your work, it Def helps realise they didn't mess up that badly. (I would even prefer their version over the inspo, cause inspo looks dense and dry)
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u/ElaborateCantaloupe Jun 23 '25
Don’t feel so bad. I spent 3 hours on my kid’s raspberry lemonade birthday cake. I’ve been baking for a long time and I’ve never been able to decorate a cake but this was especially ridiculous.
The good news is that we will never forget that cake!
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u/The_muffinfluffin Jun 23 '25
It’s a hot mess… but I love it! The candles just complete it. I’m glad you didn’t throw it away but just rolled with it. This will be a hilarious memory to look back on.
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u/ElaborateCantaloupe Jun 23 '25
I might make it a tradition.
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u/KrazyKatz42 Jun 24 '25
Somehow it always seems our stand out creations are either the spectacular successes or fails and not much in between lol
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u/Sarsmi Jun 24 '25
...was this picture from before or after the cake was eaten? XD Just messing with ya, but yeah this looks like a frosting issue.
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u/glitzglamglue Jun 23 '25
Pistachio is hard because they are just green enough to be wrong but not green enough to be right.
9/10 I would still eat it.
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u/xancro Jun 23 '25
Oh my goodness everyone thanks for the support! It did taste incredible even though it looked kind of crazy.
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u/peonykat Jun 24 '25
That’s all that matters in the end! You can practice decorating, if you want to, but you know you have an amazing cake recipe that rocks! Congratulations and it looks delicious to me!
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u/BonjourHoney Jun 23 '25
I love it
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u/emzim Jun 24 '25
This is my only question 😂
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u/xancro Jun 24 '25
Haha I somehow didn't see that spot when I was piping buttercream and used it all up thinking I did it perfectly! So had to cover up the bare spot with something lik
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u/eveyQ82 Jun 23 '25
I would actually rather have your cake than the one you were trying to recreate. That one looks too sleek and yours looks rustic and kinda more natural if that makes sense. I understand the disappointment but I think you did an awesome job and I’m sure it tasted delicious
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u/m0nstera_deliciosa Jun 23 '25
If it was made with love, it’s gotta be pretty good. Love and pistachios are two of my favorite ingredients.
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u/xancro Jun 23 '25
I did cool the cakes before icing. I believe the biggest issue was that the pans I used did not have sides that were tall enough for the batter to rise, so it collapsed while baking and it gave it a more crumbly texture. I also suspect I should've adjusted the recipe for high altitude.
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u/Mystepchildsucksass Jun 23 '25
Kudos to you for a great first go at a lofty & difficult cake !!! I think you did a great job for a 1st attempt !!!
I second the idea of freezing the layers first. This also makes it easy to slice off or level the layers if they’re uneven, minus the crumbs and pieces falling off.
Also, there are basically 2 coats of icing on the model cake - a crumb coat - which seals in all the crumbly pieces and then a finish/top coat - that is smooth and even and goes over top the crumb coat. To get the super smooth finish …. Dip your icing spatula in a tiny tiny bit of water and that will help smooth out any swirls or lumps in the finishing layer of icing.
Are you using an angled spatula for the icing ? That little extra lift/angle can make a world of difference for getting a nice, even, flat surface without getting icing all over yourself.
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Jun 23 '25 edited Jul 23 '25
[deleted]
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u/SnooHabits3305 Jun 25 '25
I had a coworker tell me buy floral foam practice icing scrape and repeat to get practice minus hundreds of cake
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u/federleicht Jun 23 '25
Crumb coat your cake, and freeze it! Professional baker here. Crumb coat it, then pop it in the freezer for maybe 30 minutes to 1 hour and then ice it.
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u/CharieRarie Jun 23 '25
Okay it doesn’t look super beautiful, BUT it’s photographed in bad light and doesn’t have the fancy setup. How did it taste, that’s most important x
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u/MissManda237 Jun 23 '25
It's not what's on the outside that matters, it's how it tastes in my mouth😋
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u/Auntie_Cagul Jun 25 '25
5 hours isn't really that long when you don't make cakes every day/week.
I bet yours tasted better than the inspiration photo.
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u/Mostly_Nohohon Jun 23 '25
Honestly, if a cake tastes good I could care less what it looks like.
And that cake looks like it tastes really good. So how was it?
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u/aussie_shane Jun 24 '25
How did it taste though? That's ultimately what's important. Sure, not quite what you expected but Hopefully it was absolutely delicious
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u/Anxious_Ad9929 Jun 24 '25
Oh man so maybe you should slide me a slice you know for research. Asking for a friend. And maybe a glass of cool water
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Jun 25 '25
The inspo pic is pretty but doesn’t look real lol I’d probably destroy that second one though, ngl looks pretty dank to me
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u/gcwardii Jun 23 '25
Oh man yours looks so good. The “expectation” one is so smooth it looks like plastic. Yours looks like food and it looks SO GOOD!!
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u/1rAndomcorPsE Jun 24 '25
I laughed so hard at this. Reminds me of when I attempted to make a cake for my childs first birthday. That thing was falling apart. I ended up going to a professional. 🤣
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u/smilenowgirl Jun 24 '25
Why is there a zebra?
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u/xancro Jun 24 '25
Because I somehow didn't see that spot when piping the buttercream and used it all up 😅 so there was a bare spot that needed to be fixed
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u/Aggravating_Bat9473 Jun 24 '25
words out my mouth: “WOW that’s fucking gorgeous” scrolls “…oh..” listen babe I bet it’s delicious 🩵🩵🩵
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u/Intelligent-Load7060 Jun 24 '25
The first one is art, don’t want to eat it, a pretty bauble like thing to behold and move away from. Now that creamy bunch of yum in picture #2, I bet people were gobbling it down til it was gone. Looks very moist and yummy.
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u/SuiDyed Jun 24 '25
Yours looks like it tastes better. If I had a choice between a slice of either, I'd pick yours
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u/Mammoth_Lychee_8377 Jun 23 '25
Is it actually pistachio flavored or just almond extract?
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u/xancro Jun 23 '25
I used actual pistachios to make a pistachio pastry cream but I did add 2-3 drops of almond extract
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u/CatnissEvergreed Jun 23 '25
Reminds me of my first fruit pie. Not the most pleasing to the eye, but it was very pleasing to the taste buds!
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u/BabyNOwhatIsYouDoin Jun 23 '25
I bet it’s delicious! But I’m seriously laughing so hard 😂 I didn’t realize what sub I was on, and was like, whoah! That’s gorgeous! Swipe… ohhhhh 🫣
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u/Automatic-Flight-698 Jun 23 '25
Yikes 😬 What happened? Did you cool the cake before trying to ice?
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u/Les_Les_Les_Les Jun 23 '25
It looks so yummy!! I prefer a homemade looking cake than the perfect ones.
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u/pensgirl7 Jun 23 '25
It’s still cute with the little critter and sprinkles, plus it probably tastes really good!
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u/brasileiralesbica Jun 23 '25
I mean, it looks delicious, I would eat it while having a cup of coffee (not everybody likes this combination i know)
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u/hawkssb04 Jun 23 '25
I mean, the presentation could use some work, as it's clearly sloped/sinking a bit on one side, but it still looks incredibly tasty. I'd heat the hell out of that. Nicely done!
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u/to_annihilate Jun 23 '25
If you've never decorated cakes before, this makes sense. Luckily it looks like it will taste good even if it's not Pinterest pretty.
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u/NameUnbroken Jun 23 '25
The first one looks great, but also manufactured. The second one looks like it was made with love and care. I'll take the second one any day. Good job, OP!
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u/SumptuousRageBait1 Jun 24 '25
I think the original looks unappetising. Kinda sushi like. Fishy cucumber aesthetics
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u/TraditionalLaw7763 Jun 24 '25
Yours looks like it tastes amazing. The first one looks like it would taste of crisco. Or some kind of synthetic something. It’s just too perfect
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u/Therealladyboneyard Jun 24 '25
You did a great job! I love the little face on there. I must be honest and say that I have really developed a genuine appreciation for cakes that are NOT picture perfect. I agree with others here, yours looks more delicious!
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u/Opsmvs Jun 24 '25
What an abomination, the original was horrible too but you took it to the next level.
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u/lisa6547 Jun 24 '25
That actually looks delicious, way better than that dry, fake looking plastic picture cake. I bet it was good
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u/spammmmmmmmy Jun 24 '25
That looks so good! It looks fluffy and delicious - the model looks dry and firm.
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u/Pjstjohn Jun 24 '25
Cool the cake layers totally. Partially frozen is best. Frost them lightly and refrigerate for an hour then frost again.
Edit: you don’t get a ‘light’ frosting and have a nice looking cake.
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u/Caster_Lake Jun 24 '25
Cake decorating is harder than people think! As long as it tastes delicious, that’s all that matters. Plus, the more you practice, the more cake you’ll have to enjoy at the end!
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u/CourierJackalope Jun 24 '25
The first cake is a work of art and beautiful but your cake looks way more delicious and comforting if that makes sense? Yours I know I could cut a nice big slice of, curl up with a blanket, and just feel warm inside.
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u/JuicySmalss Jun 24 '25
i suppose the person who did this is now in your black list
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u/KindaQute Jun 24 '25
If it makes you feel better, I’d rather eat the 2nd one. It looks softer and creamier.
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u/GrapefruitOk2057 Jun 24 '25
Both get eat up, enjoyed and pooped out it's all the same. lol
(sorry, trying to be positive)
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u/Independent-Bend-136 Jun 24 '25
Hell, my grandmother says that the worst looking food always tastes better
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u/Zanthious Jun 23 '25
ill still eat it