When Good Bundts Go Bad

We have our first write-in!  Jennifer in Maryland writes...

Literate Baker -- helpppppp! My family is coming tonight and I made a lemon bundt cake. Trouble is, the damn thing is in two jagged pieces -- I don't think I can even salvage the bottom neatly to place it on top. I thought of turning it into some sort of trifle -- like, lemon cake, cream or custard, and fruit. Do you have any ideas on how to execute such a thing?

Jennifer, I've so been there!  I do love a nice Bundt, but they can be so temperamental.  My solution is typically to piece it together and slather it with a nice glaze.  (You can get really nice coverage if you use a little cream cheese as your base.)  If you feel like you're beyond that, I definitely think you're on to the next best thing.  You can never go wrong with a trifle!  If you don't have a trifle bowl (clear glass with straight sides so you can see the layers), consider any pretty bowl or baking dish.  You could even make individual trifles in martini or margarita glasses.

As for your recipe, the traditional custard and fruit are tradition for a reason--they're so tasty!  If you're pressed for time, the "cook and serve" puddings are quite good, especially if you add a touch of vanilla or almond extract.  For extra fun, you can sprinkle the cake with a liqueur as you layer it.  For a lemon cake, limoncello or Grand Marnier would be lovely.  So would a raspberry liqueur as long as it's clear.  Finish with whipped cream (with a little lemon zest, perhaps?) and some shaved white chocolate or slivered almonds.  

Turning broken lemon cake into trifle?  That's definitely the Literate Baker's idea of lemons to lemonade.  Thanks for writing in!  Please let us know how things turn out for you!

Keep it sweet.

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