"A good grilled cheese is really easy and cheap. If you want to go fancy, throw on some garlic powder and a thin layer of cream cheese, or even do multiple types of cheese."
To eliminate both of these issues, all you need to do is pull your cake out of the oven, immediately place it in your mixer while it's steaming hot, and switch it onto a low speed.
In those days, I hunted for tuna on sale, looking for cans that cost under 50 cents. I remember a can that I bought for 29 cents; when I opened it, I found that it looked like cat food. The casserole's tasty ingredients made it tolerable. I vowed to up my game after that, paying more for fish-in-a-can, reaping better flavor, texture, and aroma.