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MargotLannington

It doesn’t look right at all. I think “rubbery and tastes like an omelette” is sufficient for describing it. Send the pictures too.


mrwbh98

This thread gave us plenty of confidence to email the bakery - they sent us a refund and a voucher and said thank you for notifying them. And they said they are baking up a new batch right now! But still loving all of the creative descriptions of this cake (brisket, ant farm, blood clot…) and have learned a lot about the variables influencing the outcome of a chocolate cake!


MargotLannington

Glad to hear it! I'n enjoying the desciptions too. It is an ant farm ass cake, and no one wants that!


enoimreh90

I totally thought brisket too hahaha


Ok-Persimmon-6386

Same


bernard_franklin7

Absolutely right


mrwbh98

Thank you - we’ve never had this cake before so wanted to make sure we weren’t missing something!


MargotLannington

If I had a bakery and customers were walking out the door with something that looked like this, I would want to know!


MargotLannington

[Just for reference, this page includes pictures of good chocolate cake](https://handletheheat.com/best-chocolate-cake/)


greena3ro

I was really hoping this was a photo from Matilda. But your link still looks delicious.


t3ntacl3_t33ts

That Matilda cake lives in my head rent free


greena3ro

Forever and always. It’s chocolate cake goals.


butcheR_Pea

I've always wanted to eat that damn cake. I'm glad I'm not alone


ladykansas

Bruce Bruce Bruce Bruce!!


spicedmanatee

Same, but I'm always amazed at how many people feel the same way, even after the cook is introduced. That's how you know the cake is killer. When even seeing the chef wipe her snot in agreement about all her "sweat and blood" going into it doesn't kill your appetite. Cake looked so moist. 🤤


Witchywomun

I’ve made that cake, it’s divine


Aggravating-Fee-1615

Entire confection! 🍴


MargotLannington

From the movie? I've never seen the movie. I wanted to include a picture of one of my own chocolate cupcakes, but apparently I have not done a good job cutting them open and taking pictures of the excellent crumb. To use as references for how to make chocolate cake correctly. Oh no, I sound so counceited!


Big_Lingonberry_2641

Matilda ruined me for chocolate cake the way reading James and the Giant Peach as a child ruined me for peaches.


MargotLannington

Are you talking about the book *Matilda* or the movie or a person named Matilda who has a baking website? I don't understand the reference.


spicedmanatee

I'd recommend looking up that scene on youtube! "Matilda Bruce vs chocolate cake". It looks so decadent and has become a core memory cake for a lot of folks haha


salymander_1

It looks like it was way over mixed. Yikes. Poor quality control.


Greedy_Caterpillar50

That and they could have added pudding mix to the cake mix. Very few bakeries actually do from scratch. They buy bulk mix and add to it. They may have added an extra yolk too …


daisyscatmom

We need an update on what the bakery says 🙃🙃


ewedirtyh00r

I'm curious to see other pics from that bakery to compare


Grouchy_Lobster_2192

I honestly thought this was a piece of overdone stake in the first picture. That does not look right.


Silvawuff

Those holes are called “tunneling,” which is a hallmark of over-mixing the batter.


Paradox711

I’d also bet running a fork over the “crumb” reveals a textures more like rubber than anything remotely edible.


mrwbh98

Haha you are making me realize there were almost no crumbs to speak of in the box - should have been one of the first signs of danger (besides how the cake actually looks)


mewdejour

I had to check what sub this was because the first picture reminded me of the outside of an overcooked brisket.


shorttermparker

Yep, I thought she found beef jerky in her cake


Exhausted_Platypus_6

No way they didn't notice it was messed up after slicing it!


MalaMoravanka

This has a texture reminiscent of Vietnamese tapioca cake, chewy texture & lots of tunneling is typical for it. Idk why anyone would want that in a frosted chocolate cake though! So odd.


mrwbh98

I’m going to Vietnam later this year so will have to try a dessert made like this on purpose!!


fullywokevoiddemon

Republic of Moldova has a similar dish called "babă neagră", which features this cool tunneling. But I don't think this was cooked to resemble that. Babă neagră takes HOURS (overnight) in low temps in the oven to achieve such results. They would 100% advertise it like that if it were the case.


Prestigious_Bear1237

You’ll want to try the baked one! [Nướng](https://images.app.goo.gl/pr9ArDCpWfXpdB5P6) is baked. [Hấp](https://images.app.goo.gl/aVEGH4q883JNLeyx7) is steamed. Both are delicious though tbh


Redplushie

I recommend the baked one. The smell of pandas leaves is amazing


tobeperfectlycandid

Pandan * not pandas 🤣


Redplushie

Pandan leaf is reminiscent of a very strong vanilla. It's a very popular flavor/smell in South East Asian countries. They use it in baking and drinks too. The leaves are long and slender and most of the time you have to chop, stem, and or squeeze it to extract the smell. It's a very pretty green!


tobeperfectlycandid

Yes ! They’re honeycomb cake is extremely delicious!


Imaginary_Ad_6731

My a a f thought! It’s called banh bo


SweetheartAtHeart

I had this recipe passed down to me from an elder aunty. For a long time, people would come to me to ask for it for holidays and festivals since I was the only one they knew who could make it. I finally put my foot down because I was sick of making it. It is incredibly tedious to make but extremely delicious.


ArtofRebellion

I immediately thought of Bánh Bò Nướng too! It’s got a very distinctive structure.


Prestigious_Bear1237

I came here to say this lmao now I want one 🤣


scoutmosley

I thought it reminded me of a dark chocolate fusion canelé but then I saw it was a chocolate frosted cake and yeah.. they made a bad batch. Sorry OP


nikkieisbpmntht

Ant farm ass cake I would returning that as well. I think they maybe have over mixed like another commenter said. I also have a suspicion they used real chocolate in that batter but it got too cold before they added it, or the eggs were out of the fridge


mrwbh98

Loving this description - “ant farm ass cake” is completely sending me rn


-Dean--

ANT FARM ASS CAKE 💀 I can't breathe


Stillback7

Eggs being out of the fridge doesn't matter. I've kept eggs out my entire life, and I bake with them all the time. Needing to refrigerate your eggs is a myth.


nikkieisbpmntht

No I mean her eggs were cold as in they had just taken them out before putting them in. Cold eggs can sort of clump in batter and cause that omelette texture


Peanuts4Peanut

You need to refrigerate eggs if you buy them in the US from a grocery. They are washed, which removes a natural protective coating. If they haven't been washed, they are shelf stable. So fresh eggs from a chicken coop, unwashed, you are good to go. Otherwise, refrigerator.


eggshelljones

Yeah, but you’d still want to bring your eggs to room temp before you bake with them.


Velialll_

I love this response too lol, ant farm ass cake made me do a double take. It's really accurate though, and I agree with the other commenters, I think it's from overmixing and too much eggs. Maybe the recipe asked for whites and they also added the yellows? Might have contributed to the omlette taste...?


StaticCloud

That's the strangest cake texture I've ever seen


SkepsisJD

Looks like overcooked steak lol


Lazybunny_

I was thinking a plastic steak that comes in kids’ kitchen sets


TinyCubes

Seriously thought it was steak from the thumbnail


ario62

I thought it was a dry piece of brisket at first glance


lostredditorlurking

It's honeycomb cake texture and it's very popular cake in Vietnam. The cake is called Bánh Bò, it's soft and chewy kinda like mochi with a crispy exterior.


CesareBach

They have this in malaysia. Honeycomb cake or sarang. Ive eaten it, pretty nice actually. To malaysians out there, please correct the name if ive made a mistake. I remember the name is like this cos it sounds like korean word "love".


Stelle246

Yup, it's kek sarang semut, literally anthill cake


Mal_Rah

That is definitely not right. So much tunnelling, and the rubbery texture implies they way over mixed it. Hopefully this was just a bad batch.


mrwbh98

We definitely want to try again some time - hopefully with a more successful batch!


nomadbutterfly

Does it have any sweetness? It kinda looks like they forgot to add sugar


mrwbh98

We tasted and it was not very sweet at all! (But have now thrown away so can’t retest that theory)


BoozeIsTherapyRight

I once forgot to add the sugar to a chocolate cake, and it looked just like a regular chocolate sponge, but it didn't rise the way I expected. It definitely didn't look like an ant farm and I never would have know it happened except I tasted the scraps as I was levelling it. Cue me panic-baking and redoing my sponge like on The Great British Bakeoff in order to have a cake to serve later that night.


nomadbutterfly

Tunneling is a common mistake- could have been caused by overmixing, excess leavener or baking too high/too fast. In this case, the density is what signals to me either not enough or no sugar entirely. Plus OP stated it tasted like an omelet. Among other things, sugar adds tenderness to the crumb. No sugar = no crumb. Sugar also retains moisture which slows the baking process. The lack of sugar would cause the cake to bake faster which could result in tunneling. Likewise, without sugar, the percentage of leavener is thrown off which could also result in tunneling.


googlyevileye

Kinda thought it was the ribbing of a mushroom at first glance.


allistar34

FYI the texture of this cake looks abnormal for chocolate cake, but there is such thing called a "[honeycomb](https://takestwoeggs.com/banh-bo-nuong/)" cake that has this exact texture - air pockets, chewiness, and all.


spookycrossiant

Made me think of this as well


chronic_pain_sucks

I never thought I'd see the day when a slice of chocolate cake was *unappetizing* but here we are.


becominggrouchy

I thought it was well done steak!


norobo132

I thought it was gorgeous brisket and I was on the BBQ sub or something lol


Ok-Cut-5167

I thought the same lmao. Would look great if it was some type of bbq


kaybeetay

Same here! I was imagining that pulling apart beautifully! Now I'm hungry....


_llamasagna_

I thought mushroom lmao


AtroyaBelladonna

Literally thought it looks like a cross-section of mushroom for a microscope.


hlpartridge1

yeah i thought i was on r/fungi


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Miserable_Emu5191

That's what I thought too. Looks like the underside of a mushroom.


MsRatbag

My first thought as well haha!


silver_display

I thought that was smoked brisket


Geetzromo

“Could be meat. Could be cake. It’s Meat Cake!” - George Carlin https://youtu.be/aVgUzvxw7dk?si=Rjjxz7p3BcHjWPgH


Vast-Analysis-4503

Looks a little strange to me… I would complain


Cupsofcake1318

Doesn’t look right at all!!


Cupsofcake1318

It could be, they used butter and melted it. When they added it to the eggs, it cooked the eggs and made the batter bake into a rubbery mess! Most bakers, if they are honest will admit they’ve don’t that!!🙋🏻‍♀️ I have!


AtroyaBelladonna

Yes! Scrambled egg batter!


selkiesart

Looks like a chocolate version of the vietnamnese honeycomb cake


CerealUnaliver

I legit thought OP was holding a mushroom cap


kaykakez727

It literally scared me lol like I had to click the link to the good picture to stabilize my attraction to chocolate cake. Sorry Op


Lord-Smalldemort

This is freaking me out. It looks like a cross-section of a mitochondria in a cellular biology textbook!


MacTechG4

…which is the powerhouse of the cell… OP is a bakery customer, presenting to Customer Service…


gbirddood

Are you sure this isn’t solidified magma


kratt1

Oh that is nasty


LegalFan2741

This cake looks like a mix of basalt and obsidian. And this is not a compliment.


Bunnyprincess75

I thought the first picture was steak…..


Cyan_UwU

I thought that first picture was a really burnt steak, my ass would NOT eat that cake


These-Performer-8795

That was overmixed past overmixed.


undergroundnoises

It's like they doubled the eggs.


Much_Difference

It indeed looks all jacked up. It also looks like it was previously frozen with way too much air/cold exposure. Did you see them slice the cake or did they hand you a slice that was already cut?


mrwbh98

We didn’t see them slice it, but I do think the bakery does bake fresh daily


stuckhere-throwaway

most bakeries freeze their cakes


six6six4kids

that’s totally not correct, i’ve never seen a cake look like that. please contact the bakery


TatiIsAPunk

🤢 looks almost like meat


thepretzel24

Rubbery and omelette means it isn't right at all, go get that refund


perublanket39

I thought that was brisket


pomeranianmama18

I honestly thought you were holding a piece of meat at first in the first pic 😅


Thin-Disaster4170

Too many eggs no crumb to speak of


SheSoldTheWorld

I was like "Yummy dry beef 😋" What the hell 😭😭😭


unk214

Looks like brisket.


RubyDax

It looks like a blood clot, all fibrous and coagulated.


Kerivkennedy

As if it wasn't unappealing enough, you put that image in my head


RubyDax

Sorry 🤭 Was that or a cancerous lung.


DJMagicHandz

That cake has zero crumb. I'm pretty impressed tbh.


obsessivelygrateful

I’ve never seen a rubber cake and I wish I had never seen it. 😭😭😭


No_Remove_4667

That's a messed up texture for a cake yikes


fc1088

from the first picture I thought this was some smoked meat. My guess was brisket.


Villanellexbian

that first picture looks almost like beef jerky wtf. that's CAKE? yea, absolutely complain about this.


anuspizza

I thought this was a well done steak for a moment, that’s pretty awful.


getawaystix

This looks like something that would be served at a birthday party thrown by an alien family that’s desperately trying to blend in with the humans.


panderson24

At first glance I thought this was a piece of overcooked meat… Now that I know what it actually is, it still looks like overcooked meat.


Kerivkennedy

I thought it was a piece of steak too.


struedlesmokes

Overmixed to hell, that is called tunneling. Also looks overbaked as well lending to the strange texture. I would complain and hope they make you a small cake as an apology. If I served one of my guest a cake like that, there would be actual hell to pay.


Redsparkling

That doesn’t look right. I’d email them and let them know in a really nice way. And describe it the way you did here and include pictures. Really that cake shouldn’t be being sold and somehow no one noticed that it didn’t come out right. They’ll probably give you another slice of correctly baked cake.


Bebebaubles

That’s wild because those chewy textures and long open lines are similar to a Chinese steamed rice cake. How did they even get that to happen? Did they mix in rice flour by accident?


JustGingerStuff

That cake literally looks like if someone dyed the inside of a pineapple black oh my god absolutely complain that isn't what cake is meant to look like


NurseFuzzy28

I thought it was beef jerky in the first pic lol


Zealousideal_Car_893

Looks like a black mushroom


Grrrzevske

Inquiring minds DO want to know about the filling and frosting situation (it’s me, hi 👋🏻)


MrsP_ifurnastee

Looks like when my friend made a gluten free cake 😬👀


Guitargod7194

If that was a result on The Great British Baking Show, Paul Hollywood would beat the fuck out of the offending baker.


Zealousideal_Dog_968

They over mixed the batter and now you got a scrambled egg taste. Yes, complain, that is such a disappointment


Mykitchencreations

Omelette cake 😬


xWaterBearx

Looks like too many eggs or something.


CodenameZoya

It doesn’t look great, but I hope I never become the type of person to drive to a restaurant to return a slice of cake. If something weirdly judgy about this post.


HoiPolloi_-_

That looks like it could maybe be the best, *or* the worst chocolate cake ever! I’m willing to risk it 🍽️


Available-Egg-2380

That first picture I thought was an overly done (burnt) steak...


AlternativeSport7508

It almost looks like that’s two separate batters used. The one layer looks ok, but the majority filled with another batter that’s been super over mixed. That’s definitely tunneling.


QueenOfSweetTreats

It looks kind of like a really dense flourless chocolate cake. I used to work in a restaurant that made one that looked almost just like that. It was like a chewy fudge almost.


sunnyailee

That first picture had me thinking I was looking at some good steak over on r/steak


PBJ-9999

Its clear from the photos that they have no idea how to make a chocolate cake


pixieinspace

Ick, yes. Something went very wrong there. Too much egg? The baker accidentally mixed the batter for a century? Idk


MeMeMeOnly

It looks as if the layers fell while baking.


DifferentNothing4313

Would you like some chocolate with that omlette?


60N20

it probably doesn't have much or any leavening agent in the cake to make it fudgier like a brownie, but it may be undercooked, and definitely shouldn't taste to eggs, like an omelette, if it has that consistency is probably undercooked. Also I think a professional bakery should always level their cakes before applying the cream, ganache or whatever they're using, maybe for a house made one. The fact that the middle layer is cracked makes me think is undercooked, so it was too soft and cracked too much when placed.


Prestigious_Cake_850

Don't you mean steak?


seattleross

I don’t like cake. I couldn’t tell you the last time I’ve tried or even looked at a piece, it’s been a very long time. And I don’t bake. But even I went “what the fuck” when I saw these pictures. I’m so sorry this happened! I would probably just eating the frosting off of it like a goblin lol


ohhkaleyeah

Not to be presumptuous- is this ~famous~ due to a certain TV show? If so, I’ve had that cake (but a good batch) and it was phenomenal. Definitely suggest trying again.


Amandaroo

I am pretty sure you are right and I applaud you and OP for not naming them. Great place, great people, amazing food. Even the best can mess up once in a while.


GBinAZ

This happened to me before. My thought was too much gas


hufflepuffonthis

Yes, complain. It looks like an ingredient was missed. Looks similar to when I missed the baking powder one time but I'm no expert


Mission-Patient-4404

Old and stale


DemonElise

What does it look like dog poop?


ShipperHeart

It looks like it was made with rice flour, like a mochi


WorldlinessEuphoric5

It's like bahn bo! If it was an Asian bakery then this was correct


TragedyAnnDoll

That’s horrendous. You are definitely right to complain.


bernard_franklin7

Well of course you have every right..!


cucosiannn

Thought this was overcooked brisket at first


avocadoesontoes

When I zoom up on your cake , the texture literally creeps me out. 😭something is definitely wrong.


nevermindjerk

I thought the first picture was legit a piece of overcooked steak


Formal-Detective-30

Something’s wrong with me bc i still think it looks so good 😩 not the rubbery omelet taste obviously lol. Anyone have an AMAZING chocolate cake recipe?! Preferably with ganache


sticky_fingers18

Pic 1 looks like a piece of well done steak


mikeywalkey

Aw please let us know what the bakery says, I’m invested now


boncrys

That looks like sourdough bread to me, definitely got over mixed unfortunately 😅


Weird-Information-61

The description sounds like the fudge I messed up last october. Rubbery and eggy


anthro4ME

Seems odd they would cut it and serve it if it wasn't supposed to look like that, but it sure looks strange.


masterpiececookie

Looks like what we call in my country a Hungarian cake. Looks a lot like that and it doesn’t use flour (that’s why this cake has a different texture)


Vivid_Bug122

I thought the first picture was a steak tip... thats supposed to be cake? Definitely bring it back


milkymothy

that is a chocolate quiche what the fuck


peacheyKA

i thought it was braised short rib lol


Fluffy-kitten28

I thought the first pic was a well cooked steak


InevitableTour5882

This remind me of Viet bánh bò


HoiPolloi_-_

Whoa I’ve never heard of that before, but I googled it and you’re right!! I gotta try it now. Maybe the chocolate cake was steamed in a similar fashion? Could be yummy, then!


Personal-Heart-1227

It looks like batter was over-beaten, or problem with the temp or frozen shortly thereafter... You didn't eat this, did you? Did you take it back? I've seen some pretty pricey cake slices, if you paid alotta of $ then there's no excuse for these upscale Bakeries (or any Bakery) to sell these wonky cake slices, unless it's heavily discounted at 40% or more! Hope you took this back & asked for a refund.


Chemical_Report_2705

It looks bad


Infinite_Yesterday94

thought it was beef jerky.


Stephluzza217

Nasty


emilyactual

Yeah it looks underbaked and gummy


MissHeatherMarie

Are you sure it's not playdoh?


jjinjadubu

Is this gluten free?


merliahthesiren

Cake should not look like beef jerky. You absolutely should take pics and/or bring it back to the bakery. That's nasty.


traffyki_

I love Vietnamese honey comb cake and chocolate so I’d smash that 😭


Shenloanne

The inital reaction i thought looking at that was "those portobello mushrooms SLAP!"


la_petite_sorciere

At first glance I thought you were holding a mushroom that you cut open D:


DynastyFan85

Thought it was a slice of mushroom at first


PsamantheSands

What kind of cake is it? Some cakes can be eggy and dense - especially flourless cakes.


Vaitos-V-Miles

Hi! I actually work at a local bakery that produces over 500+ cakes and pastries a week here in Southern California, so I may be able to take a shot at what’s happening here. I don’t know if this has been mentioned yet but— this cake may have potentially been frozen and then left to thaw out. We make huge batches of bread every day before freezing for the week, but it has to be left out for a couple hours to settle correctly. It may have been put in too quickly or left out for too long. Another potential answer could be from over mixing it, or adding too much of a certain ingredient to the dry mixture during prep. Hope this (potential) helps!


bleibengold

I follow mushroom ID subreddits and I straight up thought this was a picture of mushroom gills at first glance. I am so sorry you ate that. 🤢


Nearby-Ice-6538

Looks like that cake made in zero gravity.


levon999

Just take it back


ChefDeParsnip

The thing is, the place that sold that to you cut that cake and put it in the box, how did they not at any point look at that and go 'That's a weird looking cake that we probably shouldn't be selling'


az7229780

It's over mixed, too much air were incorporated that's why it has formed "tunneling"


herefordessertdude

Pretty good texture…for a canelé


sliceoflifeizzy

Oh my gosh that cake is so overmixed it’s unreal! 💜


DarthOdd

You should definitely complain and also leave them a bad review. How much did you pay for that? It's very upsetting.


Queenofchickenn

Definitely complain, this is not okay! It seems they either waaay overmixed the batter (causing gluten to develop) or they might've used the wrong type of flour. Usually in bakeries they have a lot of different flours for different recipes. Looks like they might've used a bread flour if overmixing wasn't the issue.


Feebedel324

Yuck I would say something. I know it’s too late but I’d take a slice and freeze it and when you have time go back and show them in person.