Limoncello Ricotta Cheesecake ~ #TheCakeSlice Bakers

The only way cheese is dessert is when it's followed by the word cake.

Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake ~ #TheCakeSliceBakers

Advice from a pumpkin - be well-rounded, get plenty of sunshine, have thick skin, keep growing, be outstanding in your field, think big, make spiced pumpkin cheesecake.

Manhattan Cheesecake

For this month, and until the end of baking through Great Cakes by Carole Walter we are doing things a little differently in the Cake Slice Bakers.  Instead of voting and and everyone baking the same cake we are choosing between a few different cakes, and each member can bake the one that appeals to them the most.  This is quite exciting, and has never been done before in this group.  I am really looking forward to seeing which cake each person made.

Pina Colada Mini Cheesecakes

I always look forward to the middle of the month because it means that I get to share another recipe from Lick the Bowl Good, the wonderful cookbook by fellow blogger Monica Holland.  This month we are sharing Pina Colada Mini Cheesecakes - and they are soooooo good.

The Cake Slice January 2011 - Graham Cracker Chocolate Chip Snacking Cake

It is Cake Slice Bakers time again.  For those unfamiliar with the Cake Slice Bakers we are a group of baker's from around the world who are baking from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman.  This month we are baking a Graham Cracker Chocolate Chip Snacking Cake.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I looked through the list of ingredients.  There is only a small amount of flour, along with the ground graham crackers, which seemed a little strange.  And then there was the marshmallow fluff, something I have never even thought of using in as an ingredient before.  I don't even really like marshmallows themselves.  However, I am up for a challenge so I pushed ahead with the recipe.


Once everything has been measured out and is ready to go this cake comes together quickly.  I had it in the oven in no time.  Instead of greasing and flouring the pan I used a square of baking paper to prevent sticking.  To make it a little easier I gave the pan a quick spray with Pam just to keep the paper in place whilst I was spreading out the cake batter.  It worked like a charm and definitely made the cake a cinch to get out of the pan after cooling.

This is not a high-rising cake at all.  After spreading the batter out in the pan it is only abut 1 to 2 inches high, and it will not rise much more during baking.  Don't worry about this because it is a snacking cake, not a layer cake, and it comes out just fine.

Be warned that the icing is sweet - very sweet.  This is not necessarily a bad thing.  It would seem that since this is a snacking cake, it would mean that you only need a small piece to snack on, therefore the icing is in proportion.  For me the texture of the icing was a little soft.  I wanted to pipe icing on part of the cake so I added an extra cup of powdered sugar to make it a little studier.

Once the cake was ready for the icing I cut it in half.  For one half I used fluted cutters to make some shapes, and piped the marshmallow fluff icing on top. We immediately snacked on the leftover bits.  I gave the other half to my youngest daughter and let her decorate it.  She was so dedicated to the job and started of piping the first initial of my name on the top, and then filled in the rest of the top with little peaks.  That's my girl!



All in all, I liked this cake. It isn't fancy, doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles, but I don't think that it ever pretended it would.  It is quick, easy and very tasty.  I might be tempted to just do a buttercream with maybe a little cinnamon in it, rather than the marshmallow fluff as the frosting next time, but that's just me.   The wonderful thing about the Cake Slice Bakers is that you will get lots of different opinions about this cake.  Visit the Cake Slice Blogroll for clickable links to everyone's blogs and see what they thought about the Graham Cracker Chocolate Chip Snacking Cake.

Graham Cracker Chocolate Chip Snacking Cake
(Printer Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients - Cake

•  8 whole graham crackers, finely ground (about 1 cup)
• ¼ cup unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 6 tbsp (¾ stick) butter, softened
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ cup milk
• ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips (I used mini choc chips)

Ingredients - Frosting

• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cup confectioners sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ½ cup marshmallow fluff

Preparation – Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. 
2. Grease an 8 inch square baking pan and dust it with flour, knocking out any extra (or use baking paper like I did). 
3. Combine the graham cracker crumbs, flour, baking powder and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
   Combine the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. With the mixer on low speed, add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then beat until smooth.
   With the mixer on low speed, add a third of the flour mixture, then half of the milk, stirring until combined. 
4. Repeat with the remaining flour and milk, ending with the flour. 
5. Stir in the chocolate chips.
   Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. 
6. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. 
7. Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. 
8. Invert it onto a wire rack, and then turn it right side up to cool completely.

Preparation – Frosting

1. Place the butter in a medium mixing bowl and beat until creamy. 
2. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the sugar, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Stir in the vanilla and the marshmallow fluff and beat until smooth. 
3. Use immediately or cover the bowl with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
   Cut the cake into squares and serve each one with a dollop of frosting on top. (Bring the frosting back to room temperature first if it has been stored in the fridge). 
4. Store any uneaten cake in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
5. Makes one 8 inch square cake.

(Recipe from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman)