Oh, Anne, you crack me up!  I just saw your post.  I would have said, don’t touch it!!  but now that I see it with the pistachios on top, I do have to admit it looks gorgeous.  There wasn’t anything wrong with your original decorating attempt!  But I do believe that practice makes perfect…I hope that you will be just as ambitious next time.  I need to make this cake…

Thanks so much, Loopy!  The piping is really fun, so I will mess with it on every cake, just for fun, even if my final intention is solid.  I’ll pipe for fun and then spread it out!!!

We are going to chomp it today!

We ate the cake today, and everyone was amazed at its beauty (even before they knew it was homemade), which I thought was very pleasant of them.  Only two people who saw it (uncut) ASKED WHAT KIND OF CAKE IT WAS. Everyone who I heard say anything really loved it.  One person said it was “heavy,” to which I replied, “Damn right.  I don’t make no ‘lite’ baked goods,” but she mmmmmmmmmmmd through the whole slice.  It’s quite huge as two layers, and we were about 15 people.  Even a very thin (1” at the outside of the wedge) is a really BIG slice.  Not everyone had some, so there’s about 1/2 left, which is good, several people who would not be at this gathering asked me to save them some. 

A cake designed as a single layer makes a very large two layer, which can really work out well.

Oh yes! I love it. You did a fantastic job! The first version was real nice but the second version is extraordinary. Anne, it looks like it came out of a bakery.

Anne in NC - 09 July 2010 09:10 PM

We ate the cake today, and everyone was amazed at its beauty (even before they knew it was homemade), which I thought was very pleasant of them.  Only two people who saw it (uncut) ASKED WHAT KIND OF CAKE IT WAS. Everyone who I heard say anything really loved it.  One person said it was “heavy,” to which I replied, “Damn right.  I don’t make no ‘lite’ baked goods,” but she mmmmmmmmmmmd through the whole slice.  It’s quite huge as two layers, and we were about 15 people.  Even a very thin (1” at the outside of the wedge) is a really BIG slice.  Not everyone had some, so there’s about 1/2 left, which is good, several people who would not be at this gathering asked me to save them some. 

A cake designed as a single layer makes a very large two layer, which can really work out well.

I’m so happy for you! I now know how important it is to get a positive reaction to your hard work.  It’s like a ‘high’ having people appreciate your efforts.

Plus, it is good to know a double single layer cake is that big.  Is this the first time you did something like this?

Yes, Missy, it’s the first time I stacked two layers designed as one-layer cakes.  It even seemed somehow bigger from the edge to the center.  I can’t explain it.  But if you’re going to do it, that’s the cake to do it one.  It is one of the most delicious cakes going!

Heard from someone that they dreamed about this cake.  I confirmed that it was, in fact, a good dream!  This is one of my personally favorite cakes of all time in the entire universe.