TWD:BWJ Nectarine Chiffon Cake

NECTARINE CHIFFON CAKE
I never thought I was a picky person.  I mean give me something to bake that tastes good, I am happy.  I think I was wrong. I think I must be picky.  Or maybe it's just the fact that my husband is off training for a deployment and I am alone with 4 kids that is making me hard to please and bitter. 

This recipe was such a disappointment.    I am going to a Labor Day picnic and this sounded like the perfect thing to bring.

Why was this disasterous?  Let me count the ways.
 1. First of all, it took F-O-R-E-V-E-R to put together.  I am a fast baker too.  I mean, I can get homemade chocolate chips cookies in the oven, start to oven in less than ten minutes.  I am quick.  But this recipe just had a lot of steps and prep. Sometimes I can enjoy "the process".  But I guess I make things with streusel all the time, and this just took longer than anything like it that I have made.

2. It took like 20 minutes longer than the recipe said to cook. This is not my oven, because the last recipe was done in less time than the recipe said. Still not sure if it is done.
3.  Even with the foil, the bottom of my oven was covered in a sticky gooey burnt mess. 
4. I followed direction to a "T".  It collasped.  The edges stuck to the pan and the center caved in, leaving it... like that.

5. There is a puddle of butter brown sugar in the collasped part with chunks of cake.  EWW! It might be alive!

6. The cake came under the nectarines and looks more like flan (HATE flan!).

AND drum roll!!!

7.  My kitchen reeked like burnt sugar, was smokey, and looked like a bomb exploded when I was done making this.

Now I haven't tasted this yet.  Will update when I do.  But even if the is a-freaking-mazing, I don't think I would ever make it again.  I even had whipped my egg whites to stiff peaks by hand (which if you have never done, I suggest you try.  Great arm workout!) to cut down on equipment cleaning.

The beginning of this portion of the book said these were simple and sturdy desserts.  Mine was neither.  I would rather make and decorate a cake like this any day.

My daughter's birthday cake I made this weekend!

UPDATE: So, this cake was good.  As the saying goes, nothing to write home about, but, the flavor was good.  However, I stand firm.  This cake will not be getting made again by me.  I do hope you have more success than I did.  It could've just been the blue moon that threw me off.  If you want to try it, check our the recipe at our hosts websites.  Thanks to Marlise and Susan for hosting.