So....Pinterest....

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Ready?  Still with me?  Ok, here we go.

I found this caramel cake on pinterest and baked it.

I read the recipe and had a sense that I wouldn't like it, but the corresponding narrative reeled me in.  Talks of "wow!" and "amazing!" from merely  tasting the unfrosted cake lured me in.  Stories of "Rose" being famous in South Chicago for this cake lead me to go against my instincts and start measuring.

Alas, my instincts were right.  That's right.  Another classic case.  The dark secret of Pinterest.  You know it happens, but nobody talks about it.

Until now.  Yes, I'm going to say it.  Somebody has to.  Because I got sucked in.  Sucked in to the

PINTEREST OVERSELL.

It happens more than it should.  It happens everyday.  Words like "The Best!" and "Perfect!" and "Best EVER!" can't ALL be true.  All the time.  About everything.  

Oversell.

What ever happened to other words?  Words like "Tastes Good" or "Nice for a Tuesday Night" or even "Easy and Good Enough"?  

Not that these words necessarily applied to the above cake, but they would have come closer to the truth than the story I read of tasting the cake right out of the oven and expressing "Wow!" so they rush tastes out to the son in the garage, who also says "Wow!" or some such exclamation.  

Now don't get me wrong.  I'm sure the lady who wrote this means well and maybe the cake fits their idea of a great cake....similar to one taster at work who compared this cake to her husband's relative's preference for "crumby" cake.  

I would have chosen words closer to those from another coworker - "edible."  It was edible, but it needed help.  Help like ice cream and chocolate sauce.  Help like more soaking syrup than I added even though pinterest didn't say to use any soaking syrup.

Help like another friend gave.  He drizzled some coffee over his slice - and that moistened the slice plus complimented the caramel flavor in the icing quite nicely.  

Do I hate Pinterest?  Or think it's a major time waster?  No to both.  Well, ok, it may be a time waster but so is this blog if truth be told.  But it's not a total time waster.  I particularly enjoy the Ikea hacks and pin many of those.  The same friend whose husband's family like cakes on the crumby side?  She found a great trick to take a box of angel food cake mix and substitute Rum Chata for the water.  She says it is great, and I trust that she is not overselling this idea.  

So please don't hear me saying that I will never pin anything else ever again...although I have no idea how to post stuff to pinterest for others to pin.  But hopefully if I ever do figure that out, I will do my best to not commit the crime of the...

PINTEREST OVERSELL.

I may break the mold and become the Pinterest Queen of the Undersell.  Someday.  It could happen.  Posting cakes and pies that are "Strictly Ladies Luncheon" or "Kid Quality" or "Good for a Change of Pace" or "Not The Best Ever But a Keeper."  

Speaking of which...this caramel cake is not a keeper.  Hence, I'm not going to bother to share the recipe here.  But I may try to make some changes to it and make it again.  If those changes make it a keeper, I will let you know.