Strawberry Fills Forever

One of the things I have really missed is an oven that has a temperature scale.  At current, the dial on the front goes from "0" to "10" like the speedometer of a 1967 Chevy Nova (though I think technically if we are using this analogy, the Nova would go to "12").  Until this trip (my fourth), I didn't know I could adjust the oven's flame.

And so it was on the 25th of February that I boldly set out to make a birthday cake.  

The assets:

• According to Google, I should aim for between a 2 - 3 to get the correct conversion to Celsius for the oven
• A "receta" in Spanish (thus ensuring I could have on hand all the ingredients)
• Eggs so fresh I washed them myself
• A plastic cup that has measurements for everything from "harina" to "arroz" to "Taza" (but somehow missing the reading water)
• A brand new baking pan in Size 38 (which I thought was about the size of an 8x11)

The challenges:

• The oven
• A "receta" in Spanish
• The metric system
• A hand mixer with a whisk attachment that had attachment issues
• A baking pan which turned out to be more like 8x15
• Three hours before the party

After whipping a fair bit of butter and sugar onto any surface within a one-meter radius, I did feel I had achieved a consistency that matched batter at home.  The remaining ingredients were partially beaten/thrown with the final touches whipped in with a wooden spoon.  The cake was rather plain* so I decided to add strawberry pieces to give it some pop.

This turned out to be a good thing because in no way did the batter actually fill the pan so what I would be later left with as it emerged from the oven (as described to a friend) was a measles-speckled Nebraska cake.  

Many blessings to the brave Argentineans that hesitantly took a bite after the traditional singing.  Many thanks to the host for ensuring that glasses were always filled with an additional nod to the birthday boy that didn't seem to mind that the candle in the center was a votive.  

On occasion, valor is rewarded and by a small Southern miracle, the cake made by the older, pale unmarried gringa was light and tasty.  

*I can usually tell how a cake will turn out by sampling the batter.  Plain is probably boasting.  Side note however, I survived raw eggs in yet another country.