cake update: 1 vs 2

(tried posting pics to make sense of it all, but it's gonna take a while before i get them all posted the 'correct' way....)

In an effort to make a "perfect" cake, I decided to give it another try....

Goals: 1. beat the "meringue" out of the egg whites. 2. make cake less spongy, a little softer. 3. decorate the cake to make it even more yummy looking. 4. to enhance the taste by changing up some ingredients.

ROUND 1:  

cake 1- no meringue

cake 2- yay meringue!

ROUND 2:  

cake 1- spongy chewy, greener too =P

cake 2- somewhat spongy but softer (see less holes than cake 1)
changes made:  used cake flour instead of all purpose, eggs in room-temp, coconut milk instead of cow milk

ROUND 3:  

cake 1 fruits and custard before 2nd layer

cake 2 before 2nd layer  & you can see part of my kitchen!

ROUND 4:   

cake 1- final appearance =)  not too bad for 1st try, right?

cake 2 in progress... with 2nd layer

cake 2 final look from up top. For my own memory sake, there are coconut flakes in this one too!

cake 2- final look....the side didn't look too good =(

Results:
goals 1 & 2 (success!);
goal 3 (failure) Reddi whip just doesn't do the job, especially in hot weather When the whipped cream flopped, it looked like i made a cake screaming " i'm~m~m~m m~el~t~innng!"
goal 4 would have been a success had it not been a mistake made with goal 3...
So, the overall taste judgment is..... up to the fortunate people who tried them both! ^_^