Jasmine and Ginger Plum Upside-Down Cake ~ #TheCakeSliceBakers

Anything that has more buttercream than it does cake is going to be a no-no for me" - Paul Hollywood.  That is why an upside down cake is sheer perfection.

The Cake Slice July 2011 - Zebra Cake

It is Cake Slice Baker's time and this month we are baking a Zebra Cake from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman. We have been baking from this book since October of 2010 and I have to say that I have had so much fun and each of the cakes has been something special, and I have yet to need a cake keeper since they are gone in no time.

When I heard that this cake had been chosen I was a little nervous.  It is one of those cakes that I have seen in magazines and wondered how did they do that? As the time got closer to making the cake I asked myself if I was up to the challenge? After reading through the recipe I kept thinking can it be that simple?  And before I embarrass myself more by telling you about more of the conversations I have with myself, let me say that this cake could not be any easier and you will wow people with it.

This cake gets its flavor from a vanilla and a chocolate batter that is intertwined.  To make the chocolate even more intense I used one tablespoon of  Black Cocoa that I purchased from King Arthur Flour, along with one tablespoon of the regular Dutch-process cocoa.  My chocolate batter seemed a little thick so I had to add a little more of the vanilla batter to it because it was not spreading out as it should in the cake pan.

Once again the Cake Keeper Cake got an excellent rating from my family.  Everyone loved that the cake had both vanilla and chocolate flavors, and it was nice and moist.  I could really see this cake working well with other flavors too.

Please join me in checking out all of the other Cake Slice Bakers blogs by clicking on this link.

Zebra Cake

(Printer Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients

• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup milk, whole or 2%
• 1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. 
2. Grease a 9 inch pan, line with a circle of parchment paper, grease the parchment and dust with flour. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. 
3. Combine the eggs and sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on high speed until thick and pale, about 5 minutes. 
4. With the mixer on low speed, stir in the milk, butter, oil and vanilla, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice as necessary. 
5. Stir in the flour mixture, ½ cup at a time.  
6. Transfer a third of the batter into another bowl and whisk in the cocoa powder.  
7. Place a quarter cup of the vanilla batter into the centre of the pan and let it stand for a few seconds so it spreads out slightly. 
8. Place 2 tablespoons of the chocolate batter right on top of then vanilla and wait another few seconds until it spreads. 
9. Continue alternating vanilla and chocolate until you have used up all the batter and it has spread to the edges of the pan.  
10. Bake until the cake is set and a toothpick comes out clean, about 40 minutes. 
11. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. 
12. Run a sharp knife around the edge of the pan and invert the cake onto a cutting board. Peel away the parchment paper and re-invert onto a wire rack and cool completely. Slice and serve. 
13. Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper or wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for 3 days.

Cake from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman.

The Cake Slice June 2011 (Part 2) - Lime Chiffon Cake

Today's post is Part 2 of the Cake Slice Bakers monthly roundup.  We were lucky enough to have a tie in the voting this month, giving us a choice of baking either of the winning cakes or both.  I decided to do both.  Our group is baking from a wonderful cookbook, Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman.  

The first cake I made was a Fresh Strawberry Cake with White Chocolate Chips.   The second cake chosen was a Lime Chiffon Cake.  I must admit that I was immediately drawn to the sound of this cake.  I haven't ever made a chiffon or Angel food cake, so I was really looking forward to trying this recipe.

Of course when I went to make it I discovered that I am the proud owner of many different bundt pans, but not a tube pan - maybe that is why I have never made this type of cake before.  A quick trip to Ross remedied this situation, and I was back on track again or so I thought.  I then realized that I did not have any cream of tartar, but I wasn't about to go out again and the the cake worked out fine without this ingredient.

The scary part for me came to when the instructions told me to invert the pan so that the cake could cool and would not deflate.  I thought that the cake was going to slide right out of the pan and I wondered how I would explain a bottle of wine in the middle of my cake?  Really, I should have had more faith because it worked out just as the instructions said that it would.

This is my cake cooling upside down over a wine bottle.

I really did enjoy this cake.  I loved the hint of lime, and maybe I will even increase it a bit more next time, or add a glaze.  It has definitely made me a fan of the chiffon cake.

Click here to check out all the other Cake Slice Bakers' cakes.

Lime Chiffon Cake
(Printer Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients

• 1⅓ cups cake flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 7 large eggs – 5 separated and 2 left whole
• 1½ cups sugar
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• ⅓ cup fresh lime juice
• ⅓ cup water
• 2 teaspoons grated lime zest
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ⅓ teaspoon cream of tartar

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. 
2. Have ready a 9 inch ungreased angel food tube pan with a removable bottom.
3. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and whisk thoroughly to break up any lumps. Set aside.
4. Place the egg yolks and 2 whole eggs in a large mixing bowl and beat on medium high speed until lightened in color, about 3 minutes. 
5. With the mixer running, add 1 cup sugar in a slow steady stream and continue to beat until the mixture is light and increased in volume, about 5 minutes. 
6. With the mixer still running, slowly pour in the oil and continue to beat for 1 minute longer.
7. Combine the lime juice and water in a measuring cup. 
8. With the mixer on low speed add ⅓ of the flour, then ½ the lime mixture, another ⅓ flour, the rest of the lime and then the remaining flour, scraping down the bowl when necessary. 
9. Stir in the lime zest and vanilla.
10. With clean beaters, whip the egg whites on medium speed until frothy. 
11. Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat on medium speed until the egg whites begin to turn white. 
12. With the mixer still on medium speed, pour in the remaining ½ cup sugar in a slow stream, and whip until the whites hold stiff peaks.
13. Fold ¼ of the yolk mixture into the whites to lighten. 
14. Then fold the remaining whites into the yolk mixture, gently but thoroughly. 
15. Pour the batter into the tube pan and smooth the top. 
16. Bake the cake until golden brown and the top springs back when touched, about 55minutes to 1hour.
17. If your pan has feet, invert the pan onto a heatproof surface and allow to cool. 
18. If your pan doesn’t have feet, invert 4 heatproof drinking glasses on the counter and rest the inverted pan on top of the glasses to allow air to circulate around the cake while it cools. 
19. Let the cake cool completely in the pan, about 2 hours.
20. To remove the cake from the pan, run a sharp knife around the edge, being careful to leave the golden crust intact. 
21. Remove the sides of the pan and invert the cake onto a serving platter. 
22. Run the knife under the removable bottom and lift it off the cake. 
23. Slice and serve.
24. Store uneaten cake wrapped in plastic and kept at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Makes one 9 inch angle food pan cake.

Recipe from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman.

The Cake Slice June 2011 (Part 1) - Fresh Strawberry Cake with White Chocolate Chips

The 20th of the month has arrived and that means that it is Cake Slice Bakers time again.  For the first time ever there was a tie in the voting.  Everyone in the group was given the choice to bake either of the cakes, or both.  Naturally I choose to make both cakes, because the more the merrier!  They are both very different cakes so I thought it would be fun to be able to do some comparisons between them.  Before starting I immediately had in mind the one that I would prefer but only time would tell if I was right.

We are continuing to bake from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman.  The first cake is a Fresh Strawberry Cake with White Chocolate Chips.  I admit that I may not have made this cake had it not been one of our choices.  It just seemed so sweet with the strawberries and the white chocolate chips.  However, that is what I love about being part of this group, it makes you try things that you may have otherwise overlooked.

This is another snacking cake and it is very easy to put together.  My daughter had some friends sleep over so they were quite anxious for it to come out of the oven.  I managed to let it cool for the required five minutes and then I got it straight onto the cake plate for some photos.  It probably was not the best idea to photograph a hot cake, especially when I tried to slice it, but the girls were hovering and looking at me with pleading eyes.  I sliced the end off and cut it into pieces for them which bought me a little more photo time, but not long.  Within 15 minutes half of the cake was already gone so they certainly enjoyed it.  Mr. ATLATC headed out to a bike path clean up and took the remaining cake with him to be enjoyed after their hard work.  He said that it didn't last long at all.

I felt a little different about it.  I'm not saying that I didn't like it but I would certainly make a few changes before making it again.  It was extremely sweet so I would cut down the amount of sugar and white chocolate chips.  Part of the cake may look a little undercooked in the photos but this is just the warm melted chocolate chips.  Also, my strawberries were quite large so I sliced them and then cut them in half.  In future I think I would chop them a little bit smaller because I thought the pieces were still a little bit too big. 

I am looking forward to seeing everyone's reaction to both of these cakes.  Click here to see a list of all of the members blogs.

Please check back tomorrow for Part 2 of The Cake Slice and to see which cake was also chosen for this months' baking adventure.
 

 
Fresh Strawberry Cake with White Chocolate Chips
(Printer Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients

• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• ½ cup sour cream
• ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1½ cups all purpose flour
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons (¼ stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 8 ounces strawberries, stemmed and sliced
• 1 cup white chocolate chips or chunks

 
Preparation

1. Heat the oven to 350°F. 
2. Grease an 8 inch square baking pan and dust it with flour, knocking out the excess.
3. Combine the egg, egg yolk, sour cream, lemon zest and vanilla in a large measuring jug and beat lightly.
4. Combined 1¼ cups of flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
5. Combine the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric whisk on medium high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides when necessary.
6. With the mixer on medium low speed, pour the egg mixture into the bowl in a slow stream, stopping the mixer once or twice to scrape down the bowl.
7. Turn the mixer to low speed and add the flour mixture, ½ cup at a time. After the last addition mix for 30 seconds on medium speed.
8. Combine the strawberries and remaining ¼ cup flour in a medium bowl and toss to coat. 
9. Fold the flour covered berries along with the chocolate chips into the batter using a spatula.
10. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula. 
11. Bake the cake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 45-50 minutes. 
12. Let the cake cool ion the pan for about 5 minutes, invert it onto a wire rack and then turn it right side up to cool completely.
13. Cut into squares and serve.

Makes one 8 inch square cake.

Recipe from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman

The Cake Slice April 2011 - Cold Oven Cream Cheese Pound Cake

It is time for another cake from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman. This month the Cake Slice Bakers chose a Cold Oven Cream Cheese Pound Cake.  I think that what I enjoy most about being part of this group is the friendship and how much I have learned from this wonderful group of bakers.  It challenges me not only to try new recipes, but to look at them in a different way.

My first thought when I saw this this recipe had been chosen was "well, this sounds interesting".  My second was "holy cow, am I going to be able to follow the directions and not open the oven door".  I am notorious for needing to check on things whilst they are baking.  It doesn't help that the light in my oven doesn't work very well.  It is what you would call, temperamental, to say the least.  However, I am a big fan of the pound cake so I was looking forward to it.

This cake has such a rich and creamy batter.  It really is quite golden in color, and I loved the addition of the lemon and ginger.  I like both flavors so much that I added a little more of each than what is called for in the original recipe.  This couldn't be any easier to put together.

I did what I was told and did not open the oven during baking, but I have to say that the suspense nearly killed me.  I was in for a big surprise when I did finally open the oven door - my cake had really risen and formed a weird-shaped top.  It didn't mater nearly as much when I realized that the top of the cake was actually going to be the bottom when I turned it out of the pan.  Once I turned it out of the Bundt pan I did have to trim the cake, but what a bonus this was because I got to snack on the cake early!  It was good, really good.  Everyone kept coming into the kitchen to grab one more little piece.

This cake is gorgeous on its own, but I decided that I would reinforce the ginger a little more and make a drizzle for the top.  To do this I simply sifted some powdered sugar, added a little warm water and some ginger paste to taste.  Once the cake was cool I simply drizzled it over the top.  It really did add a nice finishing touch to the cake.

I realized one funny thing about the book Cake Keeper Cakes.  Most of the cakes I make from it don't make it to the stage where I need a cake keeper - they are eaten before then.  Links to all of the members of the Cake Slice Bakers blogs can be found here.  Please take a few minutes to check out what they thought of this cake, and to get some wonderful new ideas.

Cold Oven Cream Cheese Pound Cake

(Printer Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients

• 3 cups cake flour
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2½ cups sugar
• 6 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1½ tbsp grated fresh ginger
• 1 tbsp grated lemon zest

Preparation

1. Adjust the oven rack to the lower – middle position.
2. Grease a 12 cup Bundt pan and dust with flour (I sprayed with Baker's Joy). 
3. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
4. Combine the butter, cream cheese and sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl when necessary.
5. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. 
6. Beat in the vanilla, ginger and lemon zest.
7. Turn the mixer to low speed and add the flour mixture, half a cup at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Then mix for 30 seconds on medium speed.
8. Spread the batter into the Bundt tin and place the cake in a cold oven.
9. Turn the oven to 325F and bake, without opening the oven door, until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 65 to 80 minutes.
10. Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes, then invert it onto a cooling rack. Cool completely before slicing and serving.
11. Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper or wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Makes one large Bundt cake

(Recipe from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman)

The Cake Slice March 2011 - Chocolate Cream Pound Cake

Wow, the time really flew by quickly and it is Cake Slice Bakers time again. This month the group is baking a Chocolate Cream Pound Cake from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman. It sounds good just saying it, doesn't it?

This really is a very easy cake to put together. I am used to a darker chocolate cake, so it did throw me a little in the beginning as this one has quite a light batter. It is more like a milk chocolate. I loved the chocolaty smell as it was baking.  My cake was done in one hour, so make sure you check to ensure your cake does not over bake.

I must say that this was not the prettiest of cakes when I took it out of the oven. Mine sank a little on top, and it looked a little dry. All of this hides the deliciousness within. I thought the flavor of this cake was divine, and it is quite moist once you cut into it. In the end I decided that the drier, crackly top provided a good foil for the moist interior.

I can't comment on how well this cake keeps because it was gone by late afternoon. Everyone kept going back "for just another little piece", and before I knew it all that was left was an empty plate and a few crumbs. This is one that I will definitely make again, but I think I'll double the recipe because one loaf just wasn't enough. To see what the other members of our group thought about the Chocolate Cream Pound Cake please visit the Cake Slice Blogroll.



Chocolate Cream Pound Cake

(Printer Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients

• 6 tbsp unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• 1 cup plus 2 tbsp all purpose flour
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ cup (1stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1½ cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Preparation

1. Heat the oven to 325°F. 
2. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan and dust with flour.
3. Sift the cocoa powder into a heatproof bowl.
4. Place the cream in a microwavable bowl and heat for 30-60 seconds until just boiling.
5. Pour the hot cream over the cocoa and stir and mash with a spoon to make a thick paste. Set aside to cool.
6. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
7. Combine the butter and sugar in a large bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bow once or twice as necessary.
8. Beat in the cocoa powder paste until smooth.
9. With the mixer on medium-low speed add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition.
10. Stir in the vanilla.
11. Turn the mixer to low speed and add the flour mixture, ½ cup at a time, scraping down the sides after each addition. Add the last addition, mix for 30 seconds on medium speed.
12. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.
13. Bake the cake until it is firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes.
14. Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes.
15. Invert it onto a wire rack and then turn it right side up on the rack to cool completely.
16. Slice and serve.
17. Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper or wrap and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Recipe from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman.