#cake making

baked two layers of chocolate cake in rounds

baked a chocolate cheesecake, same width, with chocolate cookie crumbs around the outside of it (not the bottom)

cut a big ol' circle out of the middle of the cheesecake, to leave only a ring of cheesecake to go around the pudding layer.

prepped some layers together thus: chocolate cake layer stuck to cardboard round covered in foil, cheesecake ring on top of that with melted chocolate under the ring, but not across the middle, and put in fridge to chill and cool the chocolate 'glue'

mixed up some instant chocolate pudding, WITH some unflavored gelatin in it to help it firm up a little and not be toooooo squishy - important that it still be soft and easily eaten with a spoon, though... (tested amounts previously on a test batch of pudding) ...filled the center ring with pudding and back in the fridge to chill.

after pudding chilled, used more melted chocolate around the cheesecake ring to stick the top layer of chocolate cake on top.

made a topping of whipped cream stabilized with gelatin and put it over top like frosting (might have also incorporated the cream filling that had been taken out of the cookies that had been used around the outside edge of the cheesecake)

before the cream topping was totally set, pushed some oreo cookies into the top of the cake, and then drizzled melty chocolate all over the whole thing. (and again chilled it, though this cake was designed to remain stable when served at room temperature later, and it was ^_^)

It came out very tasty, although I deplore how messy the execution of this experiment came out looking. Someday I want to try again, making the same thing but hopefully prettier. [I think I also put cookie crumbs around the outside edges of the cake layers, but hadn't done an even job of patting the crumbs around the sides of the cake pans (was in a bit of a hurry at the time) and I think some of it broke off when assembling the cake, making it so that layers baked in the exact same size pans ended up sorta not the same width around when stacked up together. I was, however, pleased with how well the whole thing held together (pudding included) and could sit at room temperature and be sliced up and served in slices]