I once ruined a molded dessert that was to be the perfect ending for my holiday dinner party and instead resulted in a runny mess.
At the eleventh (desperate hour), I pulled two boxes of 'Devils' chocolate cake mix from my pantry. While still warm, I infused the cakes with Brandy. When they got to room temperature, they went into the freezer overnight. In the morning, they had to be coaxed out of the molds, but I still managed to get the two large cake rounds removed in one piece. Cakes don't really freeze completely, so the two layers were cold yet frost ready right away.
After a few more toothpick stabbings and more brandy, I decided to go with Mocha frosting! I mixed butter, cream cheese, vanilla, cocoa powder, one tbsp. of strong instant coffee, and a bit more instant coffee powder (as needed) all combined with powdered sugar.
Sprinkled top with chopped nuts to garnish. I surrounded the cake with a few sprigs of well placed greenery and two or three fake poinsettias thus giving it the 'Christmas' touch.
Dessert looked amazing and was so delicious, people still ask me for it today