Chai Cake with Honey-Ginger Cream

For April’s installment of the Cake Slice, the bakers voted for a tea based cake. Chai tea was the cake’s main flavor components. Chai tea literally translates to “spiced tea”; some of the spices found in chai tea can be pepper, cardamom, and cinnamon. A common practice is to mix the tea with milk to make lattes. That is exactly what the recipe instructed to do.

The chai tea bags steeped in warm milk, were cooled and then used in the cake mix. The tea tinted the cake to a lovely mushroom color. The recipe also called for more cinnamon and cardamom, which added pleasant warmth to the cake. The cake itself was light and airy, very much like a chiffon. Keeping with chai tradition, honey sweetens the cake's icing.

The recipe took a conventional cream cheese icing and added more “chai” flavors to it. To start, it called for honey as a sweetener. Make sure to use a very liquid honey to ensure that one gets an icing that will drizzle down the sides of the cake. I do not believe the honey I used had the fluidity called for in the recipe. I say this because I did not achieve the "icicle effect" on the sides of my cake, as the recipe stated I would.

Next, the recipe asked for fresh grated ginger. I did not have any fresh ginger, but I used dried ginger and the icing seemed unaffected. In the end, the exotic flavors in the cake and icing made this a wonderful cake. Definitely worthy of a second bake.

Print Recipe: Chai Cake with Honey-Ginger Cream
One Year Ago: Cherry Topped Cheesecake

Triple Lemon Chiffon Cake

Did you know that March 28th is National Lemon Day? This would be the perfect cake to celebrate the day with. The Cake Slice bakers voted to bake Triple Lemon Chiffon Cake from Sky High: Irresistible Triple Layer Cakes by Alisa Huntsman And Peter Wynne.

I cannot believe how easy this cake came together. The curd? Easy peasy. The cake? One, Two, three ...done. The whipped cream icing? Piece of cake.

The only modification I made to the recipe was to add a little agar-agar to the whipped cream. I don't know about you, but I am a slow at frosting cakes. The agar-agar would be the equivalent of adding a little gelatin the whipped cream. This is just my way of insuring that the whipped cream doesn't melt or slide off the cake before I can snap a photo.

If you would like to see more lemonicious cakes then visit The Cake Slice Bakers here.

Awe, ...I didn't know you guys loved ballerinas as much as I do. This is where I bought them ...here.


Print Recipe: Triple Lemon Chiffon Cake
One Year Ago: Apple Raisin Muffins

Southern Coconut Cake

As you know, The Cake Slice bakers have been baking our way through Sky High: Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes by Alisa Huntsman and Peter Wynne. This month the group voted for Southern Coconut Cake.

I just adore coconut cakes but I find that not to many people like coconut. I believe this cake would convert any non-coconut believers. The cake had a tight tender crumb with a coconut essence. And the icing?

Cream cheese icing is a favorite for many. I have to tell you that this version will be my "go to" icing from now on. I will use it on coconut, carrot, banana, and hummingbird bird cakes. The icing has the cream cheese flavor we all love but adding "meringue" lightens the icing to an indescribable level.

Unfortunately, I am unable to show you the layers because I sold the cake! I don't think the buyer would have been happy if I cut out a slice. If you would like to see more triple layer coconut cakes then head on over to The Cake Slice. You won't be disappointed. Until next time ...Happy baking!

Print Recipe: Southern Coconut Cake
One Year Ago: Mini Chocolate Raspberry Turnovers

Banana Cake with Praline Filling and White Chocolate Ganache

It's that time again where The Cake Slice bakers are baking up layers and layers of cake from Sky High:Irresistible Triple Layer Cakes by Alsia Huntsman and Peter Wynne.

I wanted to rename this post ...the cake that should had never been baked!

The cake itself was a breeze to put together. It baked up beautifully. The batter was splendid. The couple of crumbs of cake I snagged were heavenly. Next, I had to make candied pecans.

I managed to make them without the need of burn lotions or a fire extinguisher. Super awesome!

Then I had to make a white chocolate ganache. The first time it "curdled" and no matter how long I whipped it never came together. Attempt number two, yielded a whipped cream with shards of white chocolate mixed in. This is where I started to lose my mojo.

For the third attempt, I decided to heat all the cream and then pour it over the chocolate. I whisked the ganache until it was smooth and glossy. When the ganache cooled I whipped it up. And it came together like a dream. Oh, wait I forgot to add vanilla! I hurry over to the cabinet and grab caramel extract! DOH!

Hence the beige icing. I dip a spoon into the ganache and surprisingly it's quite delish. So, I go about icing my cake and adding decorative pecans on top. I look at my little cake and say "...awe your cute!".

I immediately call my friend Izzie and ask her if she and her husband would like to have coffee and dessert with me. She says yes! I turn around and assemble the cake box I bought earlier in the week. I then grab the cake and proceed to walk it over to the box when I hear ...splat!

That was my mojo saying "...peace out Gigi! And by the way, your cake is on the floor." Yes, the cake fell to its death on the floor ...face down.

If you would like to know what all components of this cake tasted like together then head on over to The Cake Slice. Where you'll find dozens and dozens of beautifully baked up triple layer cakes.

Print: Banana Cake with Praline Filling and White Chocolate Ganache
One Year Ago: Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting

Sweet Potato Cake with Chocolate Cream Icing

This time around the The Cake Slice (rs) voted for a sweet potato based cake. It was the perfect cake to bake right before Thanksgiving.

The cake called for sweet potatoes, cinnamon, cloves, and vanilla. At first, I was a little worried that the sweet potatoes would over power the cake, but not so. The cake had a very light "carrot cake" taste to it.

The orange cream cheese filling was not as "orange" tasting as I had hoped. I think next time I am going to add a teaspoon of orange oil to enhance the flavor.

The chocolate cream cheese icing was a nice surprise. It tasted rather delicious. The only complaint I have is that in the book the icing is orange. It's clearly orange. I wonder if the icing in the book is dyed orange and/or was the chocolate supposed to be white chocolate? If you would like to over 60 versions of this wonderful cake then go to The Cake Slice Bakers and enjoy!

Sweet Potato Cake:

2 medium or 1 large sweet potato (12 ounces)

3 cups of cake flour*
3 teaspoons of baking powder
1 and 1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon of cloves
5 eggs, separated
2 and 1/4 cups of sugar
1 stick plus 2 tablespoons of butter, at room temperature
1 and 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla
1 and 1/4 cups of milk

(**The recipe calls for cake flour and if you only have all-purpose flour on hand, you can substitute 3/4 cup (105 grams) all purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons (30 grams) cornstarch.)

(*If fresh sweet potato is not available where you live you may use canned sweet potato, yams, and pumpkin puree)

Makes a 9-inch triple layer cake, serves 16-20 people

1. Preheat the oven to 400F degrees. Prick the sweet potatoes in 2-3 places, place on a small baking dish and bake for 1 hour or until the potatoes are very soft. Remove from the oven and cool slightly.

2. Reduce the oven temperature to 350F degrees. Butter the bottoms and the sides of the pans and line with parchment paper. Butter the parchment paper also.

3. When the sweet potatoes are cool peel off the skin and remove any dark spots. Cut the potatoes into chunks and puree in a food processors. Puree until smooth. Measure out one cup of potato puree and set aside.

4. Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves. Set aside.

5. In the bowl of electric mixer add the egg whites and attach whip attachment. Beat on medium speed until egg whites are frothy. raise the speed to high and gradually beat in 1/4 cup of sugar. Continue to beat until the egg whites are moderately stiff.

6. In another large bowl with the paddle attachment, combine the sweet potato, butter, vanilla, and remaining sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks one at a time. Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl after each egg yolk is added. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients and milk in alternately in 2-3 additions. making sure to begin and end with the dry ingredients.

7. With a large spatula, fold in one fourth of the egg whites into the batter to lighten. Then fold in the remaining egg whites until no streaks remain. Making sure to not over mix or this will deflate the batter. Divide the batter among of the three pans.

8. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let the cake layers cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then turn out the cake layers onto a wire rack and cool completely at least 1 hour.

9. To assemble the cake, place one layer flat side up on to a cake stand. With a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2 inch round tip and filled with chocolate cream cheese icing, pipe border around the edge of the cake. Fill the center with the orange cream filling smoothing it to the edge of the border. Place the second layer on top and repeat the process.Place the third layer on top and use all the chocolate cream cheese frosting to cover the top and sides of the cake.

Chocolate Cream Frosting:
makes 3 cups
10 ounces cream cheese*** at room temperature
1 stick of butter at room temperature
16 ounces of powdered sugar; sifted
1 and 1/2 ounces of unsweetened chocolate melted and slightly cooled

(***1 cup of cream cheese maybe substituted with 1 cup pureed cottage cheese OR 1 cup plain yogurt, strained overnight in a cheesecloth OR equal amounts of neufatel cheese)

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar to cream cheese butter mixture. Making sure to scrape down the sides the sides of the bowl. Then beat until light fluffy 2-3 minutes.

2. Measure out 1 cup of frosting and set aside.

3. Add the melted chocolate to the remaining icing in the bowl and beat until well combined.

Orange Cream Filling:
1 cup of reserved cream cheese icing from above.
2 tablespoons of frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1/4 teaspoon of orange extract

1. Stir together all the ingredients until well mixed.

Cappuccino Chiffon Cake

I am late to my own party!! I forgot to put AM on my blogger publish button! So it was actually set to publish at noon! So when I logged on this morning and saw that it was not up I went into panic mode. But I am here and excited to share our very first post from the The Cake Slice.

Our first cake as a group was Cappuccino Chiffon Cake. This cake was like a tall tiramisu cake. It was filled with espresso, dark rum, and loads of whipped cream! The instructions said to slather the sides of the cake with whipped cream but I just could not bring myself to do so.

Partly because the layers baked up so tall and even. I didn't even have to cut domes off the cakes. They just came out perfectly straight and flat. I also loved the color the espresso gave the cake.

If you are looking for beautiful presentation of a tiramisu cake then look no further. This is definitely a keeper for any special occasion. If I have peaked your interest in triple layer cakes then you can see more wonderful cakes at The Cake Slice Bakers.

You can look forward to us baking a new triple layer cake every month from Sky High: Irrestible Triple Layer Cakes By Alisa Huntsman and Peter Wynne.

CAPPUCCINO CHIFFON CAKE

from Sky High: Irresitible Triple Layer Cakes
by Alisa Huntsman and Peter Wynne
Makes an 8-inch triple layer cake

1/4 cup of neutral oil (ie. vegetable, canola, or soybean)
6 eggs separated
6 tablespoons of freshly brewed espresso cooled to room temperature
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
1 and 1/3 cups of cake flour*
1 and 1/2 cups of sugar
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar
Cocoa powder or cinnamon for dusting

(*The recipe calls for cake flour and if you only have all-purpose flour on hand, you can substitute 3/4 cup (105 grams) all purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons (30 grams) cornstarch.)

Espresso Syrup
1/3 cup hot freshly brewed espresso
1/3 cup of sugar
1/3 cup dark rum, such as Meyers*

(*if you want to leave out the rum you can use molasses thinned with pineapple juice and flavored with almond extract to equal 1/3 cup. Or use 1 to 2 teaspoons of rum extract flavoring but you'll have less syrup.)

Vanilla Whipped Cream
3 cups of heavy cream
1/3 cup of sugar
2 teaspoons of vanilla

1. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Line the bottom s of three 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper but do not grease.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the oil, egg yolks, espresso, and vanilla; whisk lightly to blend. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, 1 cup of sugar, the baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

3. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, whip the egg whites with the cream of tartar on medium-low speed until frothy. Raise the mixer to medium high and gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar. Continue to beat until soft peaks form. Do not whip to stiff peaks or the cake will shrink upon cooling.

4. Add the espresso-egg mixture to the dry ingredients and fold together just until combined. Add one fourth of the egg whites and fold them gently into the batter. Fold in the remaining egg whites just until no streaks remain. Divide the batter among the pans.

5. Bake the cakes for 18 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool completely in the pans. Once cooled run a knife around the edge of the pans to release the cakes. Invert onto a wire rack and remove the parchment papers.

6. To assemble the cake, place one cake layer flat side up on a cake stand or platter. Soak the cake with 1/3 cup of the espresso syrup. Spread 1 and 1/3 cups of whipped cream evenly over the top of the cake. Repeat with the next layer the same steps. Finally top with the third layer. Soak with syrup and frost the top and sides of the cake with the whipped cream.

7. To decorate the cake smooth out the whipped cream as much as possible on top. Lay a paper doily on top and sift cocoa powder or cinnamon over the doily to reveal a lacy detail.

Espresso Syrup
makes 1 cup

In a bowl, stir together the espresso and sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the rum and let cool to room temperature.

Vanilla Whipped Cream
makes 6 cups

Place the cream, sugar, and vanilla in large chilled mixing bowl with chilled beaters. With the whip attachment, beat the cream until stiff peaks form.

Vanilla Buttermilk Cake with Instant Fudge Frosting

I am a nervous wreck today. You see, for the last couple of weeks we (Katie and I) have been preparing to start a new blog. Just what the blogging community needs …one more blog. Right?

Katie and I enjoy baking, especially recipes that push us out of our baking comfort zone. We wanted to create a blog where we could all “meet” and have fun baking together. And to have a special place where bakers can bake as a group. Large enough to have fun & share tips, but small enough that we can “get to know each other”.

And with the help of my fabulous friend Katie (you may know her from Apple and Spice) we have created The Cake Slice. The Cake Slice is more than just cake. A big part of it includes books.

How many of you buy baking books? Only to bake a couple of recipes and then forget about it or move onto a new book? Well, here at The Cake Slice we’ll be baking from the same book for one year. Every year we’ll select a new book (by voting: most recommendations wins) and then bake from it for a whole year. The book can be on any baking subject. Whether it’s cakes, cookies, or bread. The point is to bake, have fun, and learn.
Still interested? For the first year of The Cake Slice we will be baking from Sky High: Irresistible Triple Layer Cakes by Alisa Huntsman and Peter Wynne. Every month we’ll choose one recipe, bake the cake, and all post on the same day. The bakers are listed at www.thecakeslicebakers.blogspot.com .

Are you still …interested? Great! You can send me (Gigi: gigicakes@gmail.com) or Katie (appleandspice@hotmail.co.uk)an e-mail that you would like to join us (please note on subject line : the cake slice). We’ll then show you how to log on to the site and view it. Our first official posting will be October 20th, 2008. I hope to hear from you soon! In the mean time enjoy a sneak preview ...Vanilla Buttermilk Cake with Instant Fudge Frosting.

Sky High Irresistible Triple Layer Cakes
By Alsia Huntsman and Peter Wynne
For the cake:
4 whole large eggs
2 egg yolks
2 tsp of vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup of buttermilk
3 cups of cake flour
2 cups of sugar
4 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
8 ounces of butter at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Butter the bottom and sides of three 8-inch cake pans. Line with parchment paper and grease the paper.

Place the eggs and the yolks in a medium bowl. Add the vanilla and 1/4 cup of buttermilk and whisk all the ingredients well. Set Aside.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of a mixer; whisk to blend. Add the remaining buttermilk and butter to the dry ingredients and with the mixer on low speed, blend together. Raise the mixer to medium speed and beat until light fluffy; 2minutes.

Add the egg mixture in three additions, scrapping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Divide the batter among all the pans.

Bake the cake layers for 28-32 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake layers cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Turn out the cakes onto a wire rack and remove the paper from the bottoms. Cool completely.

Fudge Frosting:
6 ounces of unsweetened chocolate melted and cooled
4 1/2 cups of confectioners sugar
12 ounces of unsalted butter at room temperature
6 tablespoons of half and half
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse to blend together. Then pulse until the frosting is smooth.