My husband begged me to skip the jell-o for this year's Flag Cake Smackdown. So I went hardcore cake instead - I turned to my Martha Stewart cookbook and decided to make Lemon Poundcake. I figured I'd decorate it with fruit and it would actually get eaten at my in-laws' house and I wouldn't have leftovers. But then I made it, and does this look like it ever could have been a flag cake to you????



Me either. I got up early the next day and turned to Martha for guidance again, and went for the Strawberry Cake. But I didn't like how it turned out, either:



So I whipped some cream (and just in case you can't tell, I OVER WHIPPED THE CREAM!! THIS IS A HORROR SHOW!!!):



And I finally put berries on....you can see how NOT into it I was by this point, my stripes are all uneven! At least the strawberries are hulled!!



I overbaked the cake, too - it was so dry. Martha Martha Martha....I just don't have the skills (YET!) to follow your recipes. Maybe next year I'll go for the Betty Crocker instead...