A Tale of Two Cakes.....

I made this cake last week for my friend Jane's Birthday. It is the Tuxedo cake from The Pastry Queen Cookbook. But here is the problem....I wanted one too! It just looked so good! It would be wrong to send something off without knowing if it tastes good....right? I mean, what if it was horrible? What if it made you sick? What if....
I made cake #1 with the intention of it being my "tester cake". I wasn't completely thrilled with the outcome of the recipe. I was being over the top, I know this comes as a shock :) . I was convinced it was not just right because of the way you added in the baking soda. The vanilla, salt and baking soda were the last three ingredients added to the cake. The baking soda was not mixed in with anything. So on to cake #2 I went. I was so pleased with the way the batter turned out and was sure this was going to be perfect (except for that little voice inside my head that told me to get rid of a little bit of the batter).....and then I turned the oven light on.....only to see Mount Vesuvius had erupted in my oven!! I am NOT kidding!!! There was hot batter flowing over the edge of one of the pans!! FLOWING!!!! I opened the door of the oven, only to have the batter change course and pour out the door and onto the lower oven! It was a mess of epic proportions. But I must say, well worth it in the end! I kept that cake. It was just a two layer, rather than the three layer it was supposed to be. The cake was yummy and looked lovely. It did not last long at all. Owain and Ross have both requested it for their Birthdays. I will definitely make this again....minus the eruption!! Although I must say my boys looked at me adoringly for actually making a real, live volcano in the house! I will post the recipe this weekend.