Cranberry Orange Disaster

We're having a Wisconsin-themed potluck at work today, featuring things that are produced or popular in Wisconsin. Not wanting to do something completely obvious, I volunteered to bring something cranberry-related. Many people do not know that Wisconsin is the largest cranberry producer in the country, so it makes sense.

Off to the store I went, to gather ingredients for a wonderfully fragrant Cranberry Orange Cake. Sure, it might start with a yellow cake mix and a box of vanilla pudding, but I don't care - it's awesome. I saw the muffin display and was sorely tempted to just get a few packages of cranberry muffins since it was fast approaching 9:00 PM, but I wanted to bake something. I zested an orange and chopped cranberries while watching Barack Obama make history by accepting the Democratic nomination, and restrained myself from doing a deliberate face-plant into my 325*F oven while the cake was baking. Seriously, this cake smells great.

So anyway, when I bake, I use this wonderful concoction called AB's Kustom Kitchen Lube to grease my baking vessel of choice. It's an Alton Brown creation, and consists of equal parts flour and shortening. I have never had anything stick while using it. I swear it's better than Teflon. I heart it and want to have its slick little babies. But last night, I couldn't find my container of KKL, so I did what I've seen so many other folks do, and used the butter wrapper to grease the pan. I gave it a dusting of flour and continued on my merry way, deluding myself into thinking that all would be well.

Picture if you will... the Budweiser frogs:

Diz

Asssss

Tur!

It stuck. I tried coaxing it out with a butter knife run along the edges, but the bottom wasn't havin' it. I inverted the pan, and half the cake fell out, in two chunks. The other half still resides in the pan. I just had some for breakfast. It kicks ass.

On one hand, kick ass cake for us. On the other hand, I'm off to the store before work to pick up those cranberry muffins after all.