Sweet Validation.

One of my hobbies is browsing recipe sites, finding recipes that look yummy, and then reading the reviews. It's my favorite way of learning--reading about other peoples' successes and failures, twists and add-ins. I get inspired really easily by hearing about what other people make. But then my recipe-perusing was interrupted by a rather unexpected surprise...

Have you ever asked someone for a recipe for something delicious, and then when you follow it perfectly, your end product tastes nothing like theirs? You figure you must have done something wrong, but you know what? I think some chefs and bakers intentionally screw up their own recipes, so you can't successfully duplicate their dish. It's sneaky and it's selfish, but unfortunately, it's also a trick of the trade.

I just want to let you know that I'll never do that. What's the point of taking the time to write out a recipe that's not accurate and intended to fail?? Why not just say, "This is what I made. It was fabulous. No, you can't have the recipe"...? You would think you'd WANT people to try your recipes and rave about them, yeah? I don't get it.

Anyway, referring to the surprise mentioned earlier, remember the Red Velvet Fiasco? Well, I had used a recipe from Magnolia Bakery for those cupcakes. It turned into freakin' cement.

So I was browsing vanilla cake recipes today and saw one listed for Magnolia Bakery. Well you can bet your bottom buck I passed it right by. I can't afford to keep breaking kitchen appliances.

Moving on to another recipe, I started reading the comments, which were generally positive, and this just serendipitously jumped out at me:

"The only thing I did differently was use margarine instead of butter. I tried that horrible Magnolia Cupcake recipe from another site (it's a fake recipe, definitely not the one used in the bakery) so anything after that would've been good." www.allrecipes.com/vanilla_cake

HA!! So I'm not the only one!! I feel vindicated now.