Vanilla Bean Pound Cake ~ #TheCakeSliceBakers

This classic Vanilla Bean Pound Cake is is rich and decadent and oh so buttery, 

and perfection when topped with sliced strawberries and whipped cream.

Cardamom Crumb Cake ~ #TheCakeSliceBakers

This buttery crumb cake is a twist on the classic New-York style crumb cake, with the 

addition of cardamom, which gives it a lovely hint of warmth in the topping and the cake.

Vietnamese Coffee Bundt Cake ~ #BundtBakers

This Vietnamese Coffee Bundt Cake is the coffee and cream cake of your dreams. Vanilla and coffee batter 

perfectly swirled, with an out of this world tender, moist, and flavorful crumb.

Chamomile Cake with Honey Crème Fraîche ~ TheCakeSliceBakers

“You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.” C.S. Lewis

With the delicate flavor of chamomile, a beautiful crumb, and a honey-flavored crème fraîche

frosting, this cake is sure to be a favorite and have everyone asking for another slice.

Melted Ice Cream Bundt Cake

Move your ice cream from the bowl to the bundt pan and enjoy this easy-to-make cake.

Mochi Doughnuts ~ #BreadBakers

Doughnuts. An excuse to eat cake for breakfast.

Cinnamon Frosted Flakes Bundt Cake ~ #BundtBakers

Cereal milk has had its moment, now it is time for cereal bundts 

to have their moment in the spotlight.

Gluten-Free Petite Vanilla Bean Scones ~ #BreadBakers

Just sitting here on the corner of awesome and bombdiggity - that is how I would describe these gluten free scones.

New Delhi Crumb Cake - Zingerman's Bakehouse

The crumbs may just be the best part of this cake.

Classic Vanilla Flan Bundt ~ #BundtBakers

So, we all know that bundt pans are great for making cakes, but have you ever wondered

 what else you could make in a bundt pan?

Banana Bundt Cake with Vanilla Caramel Glaze ~ #BundtBakers

Our theme this month for #BundtBakers is Birthday Bundts.  I am one of those unfortunate people who have a December birthday, and it always seems to be an afterthought, or just forgotten altogether.  I really like the idea of celebrating in January instead. I can't wait to see what everyone has chosen as their Birthday Bundt.

Vanilla Bean Malt Bundt Cake - #BundtBakers

"Healthy Cheat, Sneak or Substitute" is the theme for this months #BundtBakers.  This is going to be fun! What did I decided to cheat, sneak, or substitute?

Apple French Cruller Bundt Cake ~ #BundtBakers

“Surely the apple is the noblest of fruits.” — Henry David Thoreau.  Apples are one of my favorite fruits, and I love using them in both sweet and savory recipes.  Perfect timing because our theme for #BundtBakers this month is apples.

Italian Ricotta Cookies ~ #CreativeCookieExchange

This month it is all about cheese for the members of the #CreativeCookieExchange.  When I first saw this my first thought was, wow, this is going to be fun.  I love the variety of themes that we are presented with as it usually means you will be stepping out of your comfort zone and trying something new.

Classic Spritz Cookies - #CreativeCookieExchange

Our theme this month for #CreativeCookie Exchange is Mother's Day Cookies.  I remember there being Spritz cookies in our house growing up, but I choose to make these cookies because my daughters gave me a fantastic cookie press and this was the perfect opportunity to try it out.

Vanilla Bean Pound Cake

It is hard to believe that a month has gone by and it is time for another recipe from Lick the Bowl Good by fellow Food Blogger Monica Holland.  This month's recipe choice is a Vanilla Bean Pound Cake, and I've been looking forward to this one.

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.

Vanilla Rooibos Tea Cookies ~ #CreativeCookieExchange

Spring must be right around the corner, right? Most people I know are ready for days to start getting warmer and the flowers to start blooming. Spring here usually means rain, which is always very welcome, as it makes the islands beautiful and green.  On these rainy days I love to sit down with a cup of coffee and some biscuits and watch the rainbows appear.

Brandied Peach Crumble Bundt with a Spiced Glaze - #BundtAMonth

I am a little late to the BundtAMonth party, but better late than never. The good news is that I won't be late in the future because I have joined the group so you are guaranteed at least one bundt a month from me.  I am super excited to be bundting-along with the other members of the group and getting to know everyone.  Special thanks to Laura from The Spiced Life for introducing me to the group.

This months theme was peaches.  I really wish that I was able to say that I used fresh peaches just purchased at the Farmers' Market, but the truth is that every peach available here is imported from thousands of miles away.  Each time I go to the store I see the boxes of peaches with the slogan "I'm Ripe", but I know that they are just pretending to be ripe.  One gentle squeeze told me that the peaches were rock hard, and having been fooled once or twice before, I have found that most of the time they do get soft but they have a mealy texture.  I decided not to tempt fate and used canned peaches.  At least this way I knew what I was getting and I wasn't paying $10.99 for inedible peaches.

As soon as I saw the theme peaches I immediately thought of peach crumble.  It just seemed like a good combination to translate into a bundt.  I also knew that I wanted some sort of glaze to drizzle over the top of the bundt.  It seemed natural to use a combination of powdered sugar, the syrup left behind after the peaches had been mixed with the sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and brandy, and a little of the peach juice from the can.  Yep, that definitely worked.  I may have used my fingers to scoop out what was left in the bowl after spooning the glaze over the bundt, but I'm not telling.  The cake itself was delicious too.  Do make sure that you drain the peaches well before you layer them in the cake, or you will have a problem with the cake splitting.  Mine was a little closer than I would have liked to this scenario.

There were so many great bundts this month featuring the wonderful peach, so please take a look at the list here.  I know I am going to be saving quite a few of the recipes to try out soon. The BundtAMonth group also has a Facebook page featuring all of the wonderful bundts made each month and a Pinterest page with so many amazing recipes (and gorgeous pictures).

Brandied Peach Crumble Bundt with a Spiced Glaze
(Printer Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients ~ 

Bundt

• 3 cups flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter, room temperature
• 1½ cups sugar
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract)
• 1 cup sour cream

Brandied Peaches 

• 1 15 oz tin peaches, diced and drained (reserving the liquid), about 1cup
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons brandy (optional)

Crumble

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cubed
• ½ cup flour
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar, packed
• 1 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg

Spiced Glaze

• ¾ cup powdered sugar
• reserved liquid from brandied peaches & drained peaches

Preparation ~ 

Brandied Peaches

1. Dice the peaches and place in a medium bowl. 
2. Toss with sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and brandy. 
3. Set aside until ready to use.

Crumble

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugars, cinnamon and nutmeg.
2. Using a fork, press the cold butter into the mixture until it's the consistency of a course meal.
3. Set aside until ready to use.

Bundt

1. Preheat oven to 350℉ degrees. 
2. Generously grease and flour the inside of a bundt pan, shaking out any excess flour.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
5. One at a time, add the eggs, mixing thoroughly after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl.
6. Add the vanilla and combine.
7. In three additions, add the flour alternating with sour cream.
8. Fill the pan about ⅓ of the way with batter.
9. Using a slotted spoon to drain the liquid, layer the peaches on top of the batter evenly (reserve the liquid from the peaches). 
10. Sprinkle the crumble over the peaches.
11. Scoop batter on top of the peaches and crumble and smooth out using an offset spatula. Make sure you leave about 1 inch of room from the top of the bundt pan.
12. Bake for 60-80 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
13. Allow to cool for ONLY 5 minutes in pan before removing a a plate/rack to cool.

Spiced Glaze

1. Place powdered sugar in a small bowl.
2. Gradually whisk in the reserved brandied peach liquid, and if needed some of the drained peach liquid, until you reach the desired consistency.
3. Drizzle glaze over the bundt so it covers the top and drizzles down the edges.

Recipe by ATLATC, adapted from Java Cupcake.

The Cake Slice Bakers July 2013 - Boston Cream Pie-lets

It is so hard to believe that we only have a short time left baking from Vintage Cakes by Julie Richardson. Each month has produced some beautiful creations and it is really hard to pick a favorite from the cakes that The Cake Slice Baker's have baked. I am sure that it is a cookbook that I will return to again and again.

This month's choice is the Boston Cream Pie-lets - such a cute name.  I would call this recipe a deconstructed Boston Cream Pie because it is actually made in individual pudding cups, which is a wonderful idea because you can add more of the good stuff- that delicious vanilla pudding.

Of course the name Boston Cream Pie is a misnomer because it isn't a pie at all, it is a cake.  So how did it get the name?  The Boston Cream Pie was the the invention of the chef at the Parker House Hotel in Boston in 1856, and back then it was known as the Parker House Chocolate Pie. Even when it was created it was still really a cake, but was probably baked in a pie tin, which were more common than cake tins, and was therefore known as a pie. I guess the name just stuck. Did you know that it is also the official dessert of Massachusetts?

I was really looking forward to trying this recipe because I have never made a cake that starts with whipped cream and I was really curious as to how it would turn out. I prepped everything I needed and got ready to bake the cake. After I added the cream to the mixer I turned it on to high speed and started whipping it. I swear I only turned my back for a minute to grab the measured sugar so I could pour it in and I turned back to a bowl cream that was beyond "soft, droopy peaks". My heart sank as that was the last of my cream, and I didn't really want to face Costco on the weekend. I tried to convince myself that it may still be ok, so I added the sugar and kept my fingers crossed.  In hindsight I should have crossed my toes too because what I ended up with was a bowl of separated cream and sugar. Oh, and I had just used the last of my sugar too. Here I come Costco! Moral of the story - do not turn your back on your cream. It is better to err on the more droopy side than the stiff peaks side.

Once I returned from Costco with my cream and sugar (and a few other items - darn you Costco, why can't I just buy what I went in for?) I was ready to start again. This time I watched the mixer like a hawk and stopped at "soft, droopy peaks" and I am happy to report that the rest of the mixing was uneventful and the cake came out perfectly.  I loved both the taste and texture of this cake and it is going to be my go-to recipe whenever I need to make a layered dessert.  The recipe suggests keeping the leftover cake to snack on later but I am suggesting that you just snack on it straight from the pan while it is warm, but I do caution you that once you start snacking you will not be able to stop.

After looking through my cupboards for suitable pudding cups I decided to try a variety of containers to see what worked best.  I tried a ramekin, a lowball glass, a teacup, a wine glass, a tumbler, and finally some Chinet plastic cups. The ramekin and the plastic cups were the easiest to work with because they had even sides.  Although it is nice to see the layers of the pie-lets, I thought it was kind of fun to have them hidden under layer of chocolate so everyone got a surprise when they dug their spoons in, so I would probably just go with all ramekins next time.

The Boston Cream Pie-lets were another winner. I sent the six I had made in plastic cups to some of my daughters college friends and they declared them delicious and they were gone in no time. They reminded me a little bit of a tiramisu without the coffee flavor, and they were definitely sweet so a little went a long way.  I think they would make a great dessert if you had to bring something to an office potluck, or a picnic, or even a bake sale because you could make them in small plastic cups which would be so easy to eat.

Please join me in visiting my fellow Cake Slice Bakers to see their wonderful creations.

Boston Cream Pie-lets
(Printer Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients ~ Cake

• 2 cups cake flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1½ cups heavy cream, cold
• 1¼ cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Ingredients ~Pudding

• 1 vanilla bean
• 4 cups milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 8 egg yolks
• ½ teaspoon fine salt
• ¼ corn starch
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed

Ingredients ~ Ganache

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate or bittersweet, chopped or chips

Preparation ~ Cake

1. Center an oven rack and preheat oven to 350℉.
2. Grease a 13x9-inch cake pan and set aside eight 6-ounce pudding cups.
3. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and whisk to make sure they are well combined.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the cream on high speed until soft, droopy peaks form. 
5. On medium-low speed, add the sugar in a steady stream  and then return the mixer to high and continue to whip the cream until stiff peaks begin to form. 
6. Return the mixer to low and add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla.
7. With the speed still on low stir in the flour mixture in three parts, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition to ensure all the ingredients have been incorporated fully. 
8. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake on the center rack until the cake springs back in the middle when lightly touched, about 30 minutes.
9. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack until it is room temperature. While the cake is cooling make the vanilla pudding.
10. To assemble the cake, use a 2¾-inch round biscuit or cookie cutter to cut 8 circles in the cake directly from the pan. Carefully remove them from the pan and, using a serrated knife, cut each one in half horizontally to create two layers per cake (keep the leftover cake to snack on). Spoon 3 tablespoons of the warm pudding into the bottom of each pudding dish. Set the bottom half of the cake on top of the pudding, then spoon another 3 tablespoons of hot pudding and cover it with the top half of the cake. Cover the pie-lets  with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours to set up.  Once they are firm, spoon 2 tablespoons of warm chocolate ganache over each one and allow the dessert to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.  Well wrapped and refrigerated they will keep for up to 5 days.

Preparation ~ Pudding

1. Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise using a paring knife, scrape out the seeds from the pod and put them, along with the pod, into a large saucepan. Then add the milk and ⅓ cup of sugar. 
2. Place the pan over medium heat and heat until the milk is hot but not boiling. 
3. While the milk is heating, thoroughly whisk together the yolks, the remaining ⅔ cup of sugar,  and salt, and then blend in the cornstarch. 
4. Slowly whisk in a third of the hot milk into the yolk mixture to temper it and prevent scrambling.
5. Pour the mixture back into the pan with the remaining milk and gently cook over medium-low heat, whisking continuously, until the pudding just begins to thicken and has been bubbling for about 1 minute. 
6. Strain mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl and whisk in the butter until melted. 

Preparation ~ Ganache

1. Once the pie-lets have chilled for approximately 3.5 hours, prepare the ganache.
2. Place the chocolate into a medium heat-proof bowl. 
3. Heat cream in a medium saucepan set over medium low heat. Stir occasionally until the cream starts to simmer. 
4. Remove the cream from heat and pour over chocolate. Swirl the bowl to ensure all the chocolate is coated. 
5. Cover the bowl with a lid and let the cream and chocolate sit together for 5 minutes. 
6. Remove the lid and stir the cream and chocolate together. First start with small circles in the center and gradually increase until all the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. 
7. Set aside for 30 minutes so that it becomes creamy (makes about 1½ cups).

Recipe from Vintage Cakes by Julie Richardson