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 Baker's October 2013 - Old Vermont Burnt Sugar Cake With Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

It is so hard to believe that a year has gone by since we chose Vintage Cakes by Julie Richardson as the cookbook would be baking from in 2012-13.  It has been such a pleasure to bake with everyone in the Cake Slice Baker's group, and I am looking forward to our new book which will be revealed with next months post. As this is our last cake from the book it was decided that rather than vote on one cake, we would all choose the cake we wanted to make.  In some ways this was harder than voting because I kept looking through the book and then changing my mind.  I finally got it down to four cakes before I settled on the Old Vermont Burnt Sugar Cake With Maple Cream Cheese Frosting. It just seemed fitting for this time of the year.

In the book Julie Richardson describes how burnt sugar syrup was used to flavor cakes before the invention of extracts such as vanilla or almond.  The syrup is simple to make and gives this cake a wonderful toffee-caramel taste.  For me it brought back memories of making toffees for school fetes and cake sales, that were slightly soft and very chewy (or as we called them stickjaws), or so hard that you could suck on them for hours.

The Cake Slice Bakers August 2013 - Maple Pecan Chiffon Cake with Brown Butter Icing

Today is the 20th of the month so it must be the Cake Slice Baker's time.  This month's cake, winning by a narrow margin, was the Maple Pecan Chiffon Cake with Brown Butter Icing.  Such a big mouthful for such a light cake. It is hard to believe that we only have a couple of cakes to go before we reveal our next book.

I am notorious for leaving the baking of my cake for the group to the last minute each month.  It was all planned for me to have a relaxing baking day on Sunday, but that went out the window on Friday night when I found out that my youngest daughter had been asked to join a paddling crew on Sunday for the Duke's Ocean Fest.  What we thought was going to be a morning race turned into an all-day event.  And I may have been fried to a crisp in the process, which is so unlike me since I am usually so good about applying sunscreen. Regardless, it was a great day and her all-girl team certainly gave the boys and mixed teams a run for their money. And the cake did not get baked, only I did.

So Monday morning I got the girls off to school, went out for my usual five mile walk/run, and came back ready to get baking.  I don't know what made me grab my carton of cream out of the fridge to check if it was ok (the expiry date was Sept 7), but I did and it was definitely not going in this recipe.  So off I went to Costco again to replace it.  This seems to be a recurring theme with my Cake Slice Baker's cakes at the moment.  I really must try to kick that habit.

I have heard people say that chiffon cakes can be difficult and fussy, but I have never found this to be the case. This cake was very easy to put together and came out exactly as described.  The instructions to place parchment paper on the bottom seemed a little strange to me but I was determined to follow the recipe as stated.  I removed the middle tube, traced a circle and cut it out, then folded it in half and cut a semi-circle from the straight side to make it fit perfectly in the pan. The mixed cake seemed light and fluffy, and baked beautifully in the oven for exactly 50 minutes. Unfortunately my angel food cake pan  does not have feet so I could not flip it upside down in the traditional way.  Last time I made this type of cake I turned it upside down and stuck a wine bottle in the tube part to support it.  Naturally I thought this would work again but I guess I don't have the same wine now and the bottle was too big.  Now it was time to panic because I did not want the cake to sink.  It was quite comical to see me running around the kitchen pulling out every bottle I had to see if it would fit.  Thank goodness I finally found one.   So learn from my mistake and, if you do not have a pan with feet, find a suitable bottle to use before the cake is in the pan.

The cake itself was quite good, with a nutty flavor and a light texture.  The icing was another story. Whilst the flavor was quite good, the mixture kept looking like it was going to separate, especially when it was out on the counter. Nobody wants a cake that looks like it is melting off of the plate. Now in fairness it was a hot day here today, but I really wish I had just gone with a light glaze instead.  I did cut the measurements for the icing in half since with a few of the previous cakes I had left-over frosting, and I did use all of this one.  I am not sure if cutting it in half threw off the balance of ingredients, but the butter appeared to blend in and then once I iced the cake it look like it was separating.  It did not make for very attractive photos, so sorry about that.

I can't wait to see all of the cakes from my fellow bakers.  Please join me in visiting their blogs by clicking on the individual photos shown below.  Also, don't forget that the Cake Slice Baker's have a Facebook page, where you not only get to see each months' creations, but also great tips and other treats that we have been baking.






Maple Pecan Chiffon Cake with Brown Butter Icing

(Printer Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients ~ Cake

• 2¼ cups cake flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• ¾ cup brown sugar, packed
• 6 egg yolks
• ½ cup canola oil
• ½ cup pure maple syrup
• ¼ cup water
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 8 egg whites, at room temperature
• ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup toasted finely chopped pecans

Ingredients ~ Brown Butter Icing

• 4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 1 cup unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• ½ cup heavy cream (plus a little more to thin icing as required)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• pinch of fine sea salt

Preparation ~ Cake

1. Prepare an angel food cake pan with feet by lining the bottom with parchment paper, ungreased.
2. Adjust a rack to the bottom third of the oven and preheat the oven to 325℉. 
3. In a large bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the brown sugar and whisk the mixture by hand to combine. 
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the yolks, oil, maple syrup, water, and 1 tablespoon vanilla. 
5. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry mixture and briskly stir with a rubber spatula until just smooth. Do not overmix. 
6. In the clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and whip on high speed until soft peaks form. 
7. Turn the mixer down to medium speed and gradually add the granulated sugar in a steady stream. Kick the mixer up to high speed and whip until the whites just hold firm (not stiff!) glossy peaks. 
8. Fold a third of the whites into the batter using as few strokes as possible. Add the remaining whites, folding only until evenly incorporated. Lightly fold in the pecans during the last few strokes. 
9. Gently pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the top springs back when touched or a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with a few crumbs attached, 50 to 55 minutes. 
10. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool upside down by inverting the cake pan onto its legs. To remove the cooled cake from the pan, slide a long thin knife or spatula along the sides to loosen and knock the pan sharply on a hard surface until the cake drops out.
11. Frost the top and sides with brown butter icing. To cut the cake, use an angel food cake cutter or a serrated knife and a sawing (rather than a slicing) motion. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Preparation ~ Brown Butter Icing

1. Put the confectioners' sugar in a medium mixing bowl and set aside. 
2. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Using a pan with a light-colored bottom will help you keep track of the color. Let the color of the butter darken from lemony to golden brown (swirl the pan occasionally to ensure even heating). Once the butter is dark brown and you begin to smell a nutty aroma, remove the pan from the heat. 
3. You can either pour the butter off carefully to leave behind the milk solids that have collected on the bottom of the pan, or you can keep and use the butter solids. Either way, pour the butter into the bowl containing the confectioners’ sugar and add the cream, 1 tablespoon vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Whisk until smooth. 
4. As the butter cools, the icing will become firmer. If using the icing as a glaze, use it immediately. If you plan to use the icing as a frosting, allow it to cool to a good spreading consistency. 

Recipe by Julie Richardson from Vintage Cakes.

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

The Cake Slice Bakers May 2013 - The Pink Cake

This year is certainly zipping along, and it is already time once again for the Cake Slice Baker's latest cake. It is hard to believe that this will be the seventh cake we have baked from Vintage Cakes by Julie Richardson.  The votes were tallied and the cake with the most votes this month was The Pink Cake, which according to the author, is the most popular cake at her bakery, Baker & Spice.

Each and every cake we have baked has been a lot of fun, and this one was no exception. However, have you ever felt jinxed when baking a cake?  This cake definitely had me feeling like there was some sort of curse on it.  Before even getting the cakes in the oven I had taken the skin off the top of my hand getting ingredients out of the cupboard, managed to spill flour all over the floor, and whilst separating the eggs I got some of the yolk in the whites, meaning that they could no longer be used for the buttercream. The bad luck continued when I discovered that my cake tins were actually 9-inch, rather than the 8-inch listed in the recipe, so the layers were too thin and I had to make another batch of cakes.  The final straw was when I was taking photos of the cake and my background fell on the cake destroying the top of it.

But baker's are a hardy bunch and they certainly do not give up.  So, despite all of the bad luck with the cake, it actually came out tasting pretty good, and it looked fine once I had repaired my evil backboards damage.  As I mentioned above I ended up with 6 layers because I baked two batches of 9-inch cakes, and it would have been fun to use them all and make a really tall cake, but I was worried that I would not have enough frosting, so I decided to go with four layers. The author mentions in the book that at her bakery they use a sugar syrup to coat the layers.  I decided that since the raspberries were quite expensive I would try and make use of the seeds.  Following the authors suggestion I made a simple syrup, but then went out on my own and added some creme de cacao and the raspberry seeds, and left it overnight to steep.  The next day I simply strained out the seeds leaving a delicious chocolate-raspberry syrup to brush over each of my layers.

This cake has a rich chocolate flavor that I really like and a subtle raspberry taste in the frosting. I loved the chocolate-raspberry taste, and the little bit of moistness that the syrup added to the cake. You can see from my pictures that I did not place too much frosting in-between the layers as I find that the sweetness of the buttercream can overwhelm the cake.  I realize that looking at the preparation list may seem a little intimidating, but this cake is not hard to make.  Sure, there are a few steps, but if you divide them up over a couple of days it will seems like a breeze, and just think how super impressed everyone will be with this cake when you say "I made it myself".

I am including a link here to the blogs of my fellow Cake Slice Baker's so that you can check out all of their beautiful creations.  I am betting that their luck may have been a little better than mine whilst baking this particular cake.  Also, we have launched a Facebook page that features not only our cake's each month, but all sorts of other goodies made by the group.

The Pink Cake

(Printer Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients

Cake ~

• 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• ¼ cup lightly packed premium unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa
• ¾ cup boiling water
• ¾ cup full-fat sour cream
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup canola oil
• 3 egg yolks, at room temperature
• 3 eggs, at room temperature

Raspberry Buttercream ~

• 6 egg whites
• 1¼ cups sugar
• ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
• 2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into small cubes
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 4 cups raspberries, fresh or frozen (if using frozen berries, measure them before thawing) 

Creme de Cacao-Raspberry Simple Syrup ~

• ½ cup boiling water
• ½ sugar
• 1 tablespoon creme de cacao
• raspberry seeds leftover from the buttercream

Preparation

Cake ~

1. Center an oven rack and preheat the oven to 350℉.
2. Put the unsweetened chocolate and the cocoa into a small bowl. 
3. Pour the boiling water over the chocolate and allow it to steep for 1 minute, then whisk the mixture together. 
4. Whisk in the sour cream and vanilla and set aside.
5. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl, then whisk the mixture by hand to ensure that the ingredients are well mixed.
6. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and both sugars together on medium-high speed until light, about 3 minutes, stopping the mixer frequently to scrape the paddle and the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. 
7. On low speed, drizzle the oil into the mixture until blended, then turn the mixer up to medium-high speed and beat until the batter is fluffy, about 3 more minutes. 
8. Blend in the eggs and egg yolks one at a time, adding the next one as soon as the previous one has disappeared into the batter. 
9. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the chocolate mixture in two parts, beginning and ending with the flour. After each addition, mix until just barely blended and stop and scrape the bowl. Stop the mixer before the last of the flour has been incorporated and complete the blending by hand with a rubber spatula to ensure you do not overbeat the batter.
10. Divide the thick batter equally among the prepared pans (there will be approximately 1 pound 2 ounces per pan). 
11. Smooth the tops and tap the pans on the counter to settle the batter and eliminate any large air bubbles. Bake in the middle of the oven until the centers spring back when lightly touched, 22 to 25 minutes. Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Flip the cakes out of the pans, leaving on the parchment paper until you assemble the cake. Let them continue to cool on the rack, top sides up, until they reach room temperature.

Buttercream ~

1. Mash and strain 4 cups of raspberries through a fine mesh sieve to catch the seeds.
2. Discard the seeds and set aside.             
3. Using a hand whisk, whisk together the egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in the clean bowl of a stand mixer. 
4. Place the bowl over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water. The egg white mixture will be gloppy and thick, but as the mixture begins to warm up, it will become more fluid. Continue to gently whisk the mixture until it is very hot to the touch (130°F on a candy thermometer).
5. Move the bowl to the stand mixer and, using the whisk attachment, whip the whites on medium-high speed until they have tripled in volume and are thick and glossy and hold stiff peaks (like meringue), 3 to 4 minutes. 
6. Turn the mixer down to medium-low speed until the mixing bowl is just cool to the touch, 1 to 2 minutes. 
7. Turn the mixer back up to medium-high speed and add the butter one piece at a time, adding the next piece just as the previous one has been incorporated, stopping the mixer every so often to scrape down the escaping buttercream from the sides of the bowl. At some point, the buttercream will take on a curdled appearance; don't worry, this is normal. Just keep on mixing until it comes together. Once all the butter is incorporated and the frosting is fluffy and creamy, blend in the raspberry puree, vanilla and salt until fully combined.
8. Covered with plastic wrap, buttercream will last 2 days at room temperature or 7 days in the refrigerator. If refrigerated, the buttercream must be brought to room temperature before you use it. Either way, the buttercream must be rewhipped—either by hand if kept at room temperature or with a mixer if refrigerated—before you frost a cake with it.

Creme de Cacao-Raspberry Simple Syrup ~

1. Mix all ingredients in a container, cool, and leave in refrigerator overnight.
2. Strain seeds from mix, and discard.

Assemble the cake ~

1. Lay one of the cakes top side up on a cake plate. 
2. Brush with creme de cacao-raspberry simple syrup.
3. Using a metal spatula, frost the top with 3/4 cup of buttercream, spreading it out to the edge of the cake (the filling will be about 1/4 inch thick). 
4. Stack the second cake top side up on top of the frosted cake, brush with syrup, and spread another 3/4 cup of buttercream on top of it. 
5. Stack the last layer of cake top side up on top and brush with the simple syrup. Look for any frosting that may have oozed out beween the layers and spread it along the sides of the cake. Apply a thin layer of frosting all over the cake to create a "crumb coat." 
6. Place the cake in the refrigerator until the frosting is firm, about 10 minutes. 
7. Take it out and frost the cake with the remaining buttercream, using your spatula to make decorative swirls.
8. Store the cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 
3 days.             

Recipe by Julie Richardson - Vintage Cakes

The Cake Slice Bakers April 2013 - Lemon and Almond Streamliner Cake

The Cake Slice Baker's had spoken, vote was in, and this month's cake to be baked from Vintage Cakes was to be the Lemon and Almond Streamliner. I don't know about you but I have never heard of a "streamliner" cake before, and actually incorrectly called it a steamliner when I first started typing up this post.  The author of Vintage Cakes, Julie Richardson also had trouble finding out the conclusive reason as to why it was called a streamliner, deciding that it could have been named after "the streamlined trains and automobiles of the early twentieth century" or the "china made by the Salem China Company in the 1930's".  If I had to guess I would say that the name does have something to do with the streamlined trains, but might have more to do with a cake that was made and served on the train that became very popular leading people to say something like "I can't wait to have a slice of that streamliner cake".

I had mixed feelings about this cake because I had never really been a big fan of almond paste-flavored treats, but I loved the idea of a cake topped with lemon curd. However, I have learned that our tastes can change over the years, so I went on a search for almond paste.  I was pleasantly surprised to find a can of it in the first place I looked.  I took this as a sign that this was going to be a good cake.

The first step was to make the lemon curd so that it could cool down before use. It has a good amount of lemon zest and lemon juice, and I found that I could have just used a spoon and eaten it straight from the bowl.  Sensibility took over and I managed to get it covered with the plastic wrap before too much was devoured. The cake was next on the list, and once I had everything measured and ready to go it came together very quickly, and was actually baked in 40 minutes.  The recipes does state a little longer so keep an eye on your cake, especially if your oven runs a little hot.

It was hard for me to wait for the cake to cool down so I could assemble it.  I swear that I did wait the recommended 30 minutes but when I was inverting the cake onto the rack it cracked across the top and I had to do a quick save to stop it from splitting in half.  Next time I would leave it to cool at least another 15-30 minutes. It wasn't a big deal because I knew that the cake was going to be topped with the lemon curd anyway.

After a few bites of this cake my advice is that you run, not walk, out to get the ingredients so that you can bake it. My initial worries about the almond paste were completely unfounded.  I loved everything about this cake from the soft crumbs, the subtle taste of the almond, and that oh-so-good lemon topping. This cake is definitely one of those cakes that will impress people and have them begging for you to give them the recipe.

Only the crumbs and a lemon slice were left

Please click here to visit my fellow Cake Slice Bakers blogs to see their cakes.  And don't forget to check out our Facebook page.



Lemon and Almond Streamliner Cake

(Printer Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients
Custard

• Grated zest of 2 lemons
• ¾ cup whole milk
• ½ cup sugar
• 4 egg yolks
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• ½ cup lemon juice (from approximately 3 lemons)
• ½ cup unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

Cake

• 1¼ cups (5 ounces) sifted cake flour
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ¾ cup almond paste, at room temperature
• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ⅔ cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 3 eggs, at room temperature
• ⅔ cup buttermilk, at room temperature

Preparation
Custard

1. To make the lemon custard, combine the lemon zest, milk, and ¼ cup of the sugar in a medium saucepan and heat over medium-low heat until just hot. 
2. Meanwhile, in a bowl, thoroughly whisk together the egg yolks, the remaining ¼ cup of sugar, and the salt until well combined, then whisk in the cornstarch, then the lemon juice.
3. Slowly whisk a third of the hot liquid into the yolk mixture. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan with the hot milk and cook over medium-low heat, whisking steadily, until the custard begins to thicken and bubble for 1 minute (you will need to stop whisking for a moment to check if it is bubbling).
4. Strain the custard through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl and whisk in the butter until it has melted. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly upon the surface of the custard and place in the refrigerator to cool for about 2 hours. The custard is easiest to work with once it has set. 

Cake

1. Center an oven rack and preheat the oven to 350°F; grease a 9- x 2-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with a parchment paper circle. 
2. To make the cake, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl, then whisk the mixture to ensure that the ingredients are well mixed. 
3. Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the almond paste, butter, sugar, canola oil, and vanilla on low speed until blended; gradually increase the speed to high and cream until very light and fluffy, 5 to 7 minutes, stopping the mixer frequently to scrape the paddle and the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. 
4. Blend in the eggs one at a time, adding the next one as soon as the previous one has disappeared into the batter. 
5. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk in two parts, beginning and ending with the flour. After each addition, mix until just barely blended and stop and scrape the bowl. Stop the mixer before the last of the flour has been incorporated and complete the blending by hand with a rubber spatula to ensure you do not overbeat the batter. 
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly. Rap the pan firmly on the counter to release any air bubbles. Place the pan in the center of the oven and bake until the cake is a deep golden color and a wooden skewer poked in the middle comes out just barely clean, 42 to 45 minutes. The cake might crack on the surface as it bakes; don't worry, this simply provides a way for the cake to soak up more of the lemon custard. 
7. Cool the cake in its pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Gently invert the cake onto the rack, leaving on the parchment paper until you assemble the cake. Flip the cake right side up and continue to cool the cake on the rack until it reaches room temperature. 
8. To finish the cake, remove the parchment paper and place the cake right side up on a flat plate. Using a metal spatula, spread a thin layer of the lemon custard on the sides of the cake to seal the cake and give it a light shine. Put the rest of the lemon custard on top of the cake, spreading it just barely out to the edge. Use your spatula to make a swirly design in the custard on the top of the cake. Allow the assembled cake (or really, the lemon custard) to set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. 
9. Bring the cake to room temperature before serving (this will take about an hour). Any leftover cake keeps in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Cake from Vintage Cakes by Julie Richardson

The Cake Slice Bakers February 2013 - Red Velvet Cake with Mascarpone Cream Cheese Frosting

It seems like the last month just flew by.  I am actually finding it hard to believe that March is almost here. Sometimes I wish I could put life in a slow motion so that it doesn't go by so quickly.  Anyway, before I could blink it was Cake Slice Bakers time again.  All my good intentions of typing up the recipe early, and getting the cake baked well before the deadline so I would not feel rushed, did not happen.  I ended up quickly baking it yesterday and typing everything up at the last moment.

The Cake Slice Bakers are currently baking from the book Vintage Cakes by Julie Richardson, which has produced some wonderful cakes so far.  Each month we vote on which cake to bake next from our current book and then we then have a month to bake it in secret before we all blog about it on the same day each month – the 20th – never before. 

I am not sure if maybe there was a little subliminal thinking in my avoidance of getting this cake baked and the post done.  In all honesty I am not the biggest fan of Red Velvet cake and I was a little disappointed when it won the vote at the last moment.  However, part of being a member of this group is trying a variety of cakes in the book, and I was hoping this might be the recipe to change my mind about Red Velvet cake.

On a positive note I loved how this cake baked up.  It rose wonderfully so I had two beautiful layers, and it had a wonderful crumb too. Removing it from the pan was very easy and leaving the parchment on until assembly made it a breeze to move the layers onto the cake plate. The only problem was that I just did not like the taste.  Red Velvet cake has always reminded me of Dr. Pepper and I really don't like the taste of that drink. 

However, I could write on and on about how amazing the mascarpone-cream cheese frosting was.  This is going to be my new go-to frosting.  It had just the right amount of tang from the mascarpone and sweetness from the cream cheese and cream.  Seriously, I could have eaten it by the spoonful. Luckily I resisted and it made it onto the cake, well most of it did.

Although I wasn't a fan of the flavor I am going to make the cake again and turn it into a regular chocolate cake, and top it with the same frosting.  Then it will be a dangerous cake for me to have around the house - it will not last long - and I'll have to double (or triple) my exercise routine.  Luckily for me there is a group I know who loves any type of baked goods, so I am sure that the cake will be devoured tomorrow as I am sending it to school with my girls.

Please click here to check out the blogs of my fellow Cake Slice Baker's to seeif this cake was a winner for them.



Red Velvet Cake with Mascarpone Cream Cheese Frosting
Printer Friendly Recipe

Ingredients
Cake

• 2½ cups sifted cake flour 
• ½ cup unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa 
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder 
• 1 teaspoon of sea salt 
• ¾ cup of canola oil 
• 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract 
• 1 tablespoon of red food coloring 
• ¾ cup of unsalted butter 
• 1¾ cup of sugar 
• 4 eggs, at room temperature 
• 2 egg yolks, at room temperature 
• 1 cup of buttermilk, at room temperature 

Frosting

• 8 oz of cream cheese, at room temperature
• 8 oz of mascarpone, cold
• ½ cup of heavy cream, cold
• ⅓ cup of sugar
• 1 tablespoon of pure vanilla extract

Preparation
Cake

1. Center and oven rack and preheat the oven to 350℉.
2. Grease two 9x2-inch round cake pans and line with parchment paper circles. 
3. In a small bowl sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt; whisk together until well combined.
4. In a small bowl combine the oil, vanilla, and food coloring.
5. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes, stopping frequently to scrape down the sides.
6. With the mixer on low, drizzle the oil mixture into the batter and beat until well combined.
7. Gradually turn the mixer up to medium-high speed (avoid splashing the red batter) and beat until fluffy again.
8. Blend in the eggs and egg yolks one at a time, adding the next one as soon as previous one has been incorporated into the batter.
9. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk in two parts, beginning and ending with the flour. After each addition mix until just blended and then stop the mixer and scrape the bowl.
10. Stop the mixer before the last addition of flour has been incorporated and complete the blending by hand with a rubber spatula to ensure you do not over-mix the batter.
11. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and smooth the tops. Tap the pans firmly on the counter to release any air bubbles.
12. Place the pans in the middle rack of the oven and cake until the centers of the cake spring back when lightly touched, about 30 minutes.
13. Cool on a rack for 30 minutes before removing from pan.
14. Take extra care when removing the cakes from the pans as they are fragile and could crack. Leave the parchment paper on until you assemble the cake, continue to cool the cakes on the rack, top side up until they reach room temperature.
15. To assemble the cake, place one of the layers (top side up on) a serving plate.  Using a metal spatula spread half of the frosting over the top of the cake, spreading it slightly over the edge. Place the next layer of cake (top side up) on the frosted layer.  Spread the remainder of the frosting over the top of the cake.
16. This cake is great the day it is made but can keep for two days in an airtight container in the refrigerator (refrigerate due to frosting).  Bring it to room temperature before serving, about one hour.

Frosting

1. Using the stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese until it is uniform in texture. Add the mascarpone, cream, and the sugar and beat on low speed until combined, scraping the side as needed. 
2. Gradually increase the speed to high speed and blend the frosting for one minute until it is creamy and thick.
3. Turn back down to low speed, add the vanilla, and gently mix until just blended. 
4. This frosting will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If refrigerated allow to soften slightly before using. 

Recipe from Vintage Cakes by Julie Richardson

The Cake Slice Bakers January 2013 - Banana Cake with Coffee Walnut Buttercream

I can't believe how quickly the time has gone by.  It seems like only yesterday that December's cake was being voted upon and baked.  Here we are in a new year and we actually had a tie in the voting between The Classic and Banana Cake with Coffee Walnut Buttercream so we were able to chose which one we wanted to bake.  Since I am a huge fan of banana cake it was an easy choice for me, although I will probably bake The Classic at a later time.

We always seems to have an abundance of bananas in our house, so it was easy to grab a few extra-ripe ones for my cake.  I decided to bake the cake on one day and refrigerated the layers overnight, and then make the buttercream and assemble the cake next day, which worked out really well.

Since my girls aren't huge fans of walnuts I decided to change the frosting a little bit. I saw that Vintage Cakes also had a recipe for Coffee Buttercream (1 tablespoon instant espresso and 2 teaspoons of water to make a paste and add to basic buttercream) so I went with that and also added ⅓ cup of melted dark chocolate so I ended up with a Mocha Buttercream.  I also decorated the top of the cake with chocolate covered coffee beans, well I decorated the top with what I had left because I seriously can't stop eating them once I start.  I used the basic buttercream recipe from the book which is slightly different to the coffee walnut buttercream.

At first I found it difficult to find a saucepan that I could put the metal bowl of my mixer into without it touching the water.  My solution was to get out my pasta pot that has a metal insert to drain the pasta.  I filled it just until the water reached the insert, I turned the insert handles in towards each other, and then I balanced my mixer bowl on the top of the insert handles, slightly tilting the bowl.  By doing this the water could simmer away without the bowl touching the water.

This type of buttercream is known as a Swiss Meringue Buttercream, and I was looking forward to trying it since I had only made a regular buttercream previously.  It is funny when you shy away from attempting something because you think it sounds too difficult, and then when you try it you wonder what all of the fuss was about.  That is what happened to me with this buttercream.  I am such a baking nerd that I was even excited when it curdled (just as the author said it would) and then came back together again.  The end result was a deliciously fluffy mocha-flavored buttercream.

As I was assembling the cake I realized that I should have trimmed it a little as the layers had baked up a little uneven, but I had already topped it with the last layer so I pressed on.  In the end the cake was a little lopsided but I think it gave it character.  Well, that is what I told myself and I knew that it wasn't going to affect the taste of the cake.  And a few chocolate-covered coffee beans on top sealed the deal.

This cake was definitely a winner.  The cake had a deep banana flavor and the mocha buttercream was a nice accompaniment to it.  It is the sort of cake that you could top with so many different flavors and it would still be great.

Click here to check out the blogs of my fellow Cake Slice Baker's to see which cake they chose to bake - was it The Classic or the Banana Cake with Coffee Buttercream?


Banana Cake with Coffee Walnut Buttercream
(Printer Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients
Cake

• 2½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 1½ cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3)
• ¾ cup buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 4 eggs, at room temperature

Coffee Walnut Buttercream

• 1 cup toasted chopped walnuts
• ¼ cup corn syrup
• ¼ cup bourbon
• 2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
• 5 egg whites
• 1¼ cups sugar
• ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1½ cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ¼ teaspoon of fine sea salt

Preparation
Cake

1. Center an oven rack and preheat the oven to 350℉.
2. Grease three 8 by 2-inch round cake pans, and line the bottom of the pans with parchment paper circles.
3. In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda, then whisk the ingredients with a hand whisk.
4. In a small bowl combine the banana with the buttermilk.
5. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment cream the butter, sugar, and vanilla together on high speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes, stopping the mixer frequently to scrape the sides and the paddle with a rubber spatula.
6. Blend in the eggs one at a time.
7. With the mixer on low add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the banana mixture in two parts, beginning and ending with the four.   After each addition scrape the bowl well.  Stop the mixer before the last of the flour has been incorporated and complete the blending by hand with a rubber spatula.
8. Divide the thick batter equally among the prepared pans, and tap the pans on the counter to settle.
9. Bake until the centers spring back when lightly touched, 28 - 30 minutes.
10. Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 30 minutes.  Flip them out and let them continue to cool on the rack, top side up, until they reach room temperature.  Leave the parchment paper on until you assemble the cake.
11. To assemble the cake lay one of the cakes top side up on a cake plate.  Using a metal spatula frost the top with ¾ cup of buttercream out to the edge of the cake (filling will be about ¼ inch thick).  Stack the second cake top side up on top of the frosted cake and spread another ¾ cup of buttercream on top of it.  Stack the last layer of cake top side up on top.  Look for any frosting that may have oozed out the sides and spread it along the sides of the cake.  Apply a thin layer of frosting all over the cake to create a "crumb coat".  Place the cake in the refrigerator until the frosting is firm, about 10 minutes.  Take it out and frost the cake with the remaining buttercream, using your spatula to make decorative swirls.

Buttercream
Walnut-Espresso paste

1. Puree toasted, chopped walnuts in a food processor until they just begin to form a paste. 
2. Add corn syrup, bourbon, and espresso powder and blend until combined.  Set aside.

Basic buttercream:

1. Using a hand whisk, whisk together the egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer.
2. Place the bowl over (not in - do not let the bowl touch the water) a saucepan of simmering water.  The egg mixture will be gloppy and thick, but as the mixture begins to warm, it will become more fluid.
3. Continue to gently whisk the mixture until it is very hot to touch (130℉ on a candy thermometer).
4. Move the bowl to the stand mixer and, using the whisk attachment, whip the whites on medium-high speed until they have tripled in volume and are thick and glossy and hold stiff peaks (like meringue).  Turn the mixture down to medium-low speed until the mixing bowl is just cool to touch, 1 to 2 minutes.
5. Kick the mixer back up to medium-high speed and and add the butter one piece at a time, adding the next piece just as the previous one has been incorporated.Stop the mixer every every now and again to scrape down the sides. At some point the buttercream will appear curdled, but this is normal, so keep mixing until it all comes together again.
6. Once all of the butter has been incorporated and the frosting is fluffy and creamy, add the vanilla and salt and mix until fully combined.
7. Covered with plastic wrap this frosting will last 2 days at room temperature or 7 days in the refrigerator.  If refrigerated, the frosting will need to come to room temperature before use, and will need to be re-whipped (by hand if at room temperature, or machine if refrigerated), before frosting a cake.

Cake from Vintage Cakes by Julie Richardson, adaptations by All That's Left Are The Crumbs.

The Cake Slice Bakers December 2012 - Mississippi Mud Cupcakes with Marshmallow Frosting

This month the Cake Slice Baker's are making Mississippi Mud Cupcakes with Marshmallow Frosting from Vintage Cakes: Timeless Recipes for Cupcakes, Flips, Rolls, Layer, Angel, Bundt, Chiffon, and Icebox Cakes for Today's Sweet Tooth by Julie Richardson. When I first saw that these cupcakes had won the vote for December I was thrilled.  Just the name alone sounds delicious and brings to mind a cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows on top.  I know what you are thinking, why would I need to have hot chocolate where I live? Well, when those trade winds start blowing at 30 miles an hour from the Alaskan direction, and the temperature drops in the low 60's and it is raining, I need something to warm me up.  Don't laugh - yes, I can see you laughing - when you are used to high 80's or above every day I get cold when the temperature drops.

I had very high hopes for these cupcakes since I wasn't a big fan of last month's cake. Also, I have never made homemade marshmallow so I was excited to try out my candy thermometer.  I have been told that once you try homemade marshmallow you will never want to eat the commercially-made ones again, so we will see.

I started grabbing ingredients and chose to use some of my black cocoa from King Arthur Flour because it has a really deep flavor and would make the color of the cupcakes almost black and more "mud-like".  I decided on using 1/2 cup of black cocoa and 1/4 cup of dutch-processed cocoa to get the desired result.  Dutch processed cocoa has been treated with an alkali to neutralize its natural acidity. Being neutral, it does not react with baking soda, and it must be used in recipes calling for baking powder (unless there are other acidic ingredients in sufficient quantities used). It has a reddish-brown color, mild flavor, and dissolves easily in liquids.  After mixing some of my morning Ka'u coffee with the cocoa I felt like I had struck oil.  The combination was just like liquid gold.  I had a feeling that I was going to like these cupcakes.

Next I went searching for my chocolate chips.  I know I have semi-sweet, white, and bittersweet in my pantry.  After I quick look I could only find the bittersweet.  Everything else was ready, and I could have spent the next 15+ minutes searching for them in the pantry, but I made an executive decision to just use the bittersweet chips.  I was going for a dark cupcake anyway so these could only help the cause.  I also made the executive decision not to use the pecans in the recipe this time - well I had a little help from the peanut gallery stating they did not like nuts and showing me their sad faces - so out they went.

After they came out of the oven I could not resist trying one.  OMG, so good!  They are exactly want I want in a chocolate cupcake - deep, dark, and delicious.  I almost decided to forgo making the marshmallow because they were so good on their own, but I was determined to christen my candy thermometer, so on I pressed. And I am glad I did because it was good.  I added vanilla bean paste instead of vanilla essence so the frosting had some really nice flecks in it.  At first I thought that I may have burned the sugar mixture - watch it because mine came up to temperature really quickly and turned a little dark - but it worked out just fine.  A drizzle of chocolate on top completed the cupcakes.

These were definitely a winner for me.  I can imagine so many variations that I could make using the base recipe.  I loved the flavor and the fact that they were so easy to put together.  They will definitely we making an appearance again very soon.

Click here to check out the blogs of my fellow Cake Slice Baker's and see all of their cupcakes.


Mississippi Mud Cupcakes with Marshmallow Frosting
(Printer Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients

Cake

• 1 cup hot coffee
• 3/4 cup lightly packed Dutch-processed cocoa
• 2 cups flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
• ½ cup canola oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Marshmallow Frosting

• 1 cup sugar
• ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
• ½ cup water
• 4 egg whites
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Preparation

Cake

1. Center oven rack and preheat oven to 350℉.
2. Line a standard-size muffin tin with 24 paper cups.
3. In a small bowl, whisk the hot coffee into the cocoa. Set aside to cool
4. Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. Whisk the mixure together by hand to ensure that the ingredients are well mixed then stir pecan and chocolate chips.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, oil, vanilla, and cooled cocoa mixture. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir batter together with a rubber spatula until just combined (too much mixing will cause the tops of the cupcakes to be unevenly domed).
6. Pour batter evenly among prepared cupcake tins, filling each well about 3/4 full. Place cupcake tins in middle rack of the preheated oven. 
7. Bake until cupcakes have domed nicely and bounce back when lightly pressed, about 20 minutes.
8. Cool the cupcakes in their tin on a wire rack. 
9. Once they have cooled, remove them from the pan and pipe a mound of marshmallow frosting on each.
10. These cupcakes will keep for 3 days in an airtight container at room temperature.

Marshmallow Frosting

1. Combine the sugar, cream of tartar, and water in a small saucepan that has a tight-fitting lid. Place the pan, uncovered, over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, the cover and cook for 2 minutes. Uncover the saucepan and continue to boil until the sugar syrup reaches the soft-ball stage, 242 degrees on a candy thermometer.
2. While the syrup is heating to the desired temperature, combine the egg whites with the salt in the clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat beginning at low speed and gradually increasing to medium-high speed. Beat the whites just until soft peaks form. Timing is crucial at this point in the game; if the syrup is close to reaching 242 degrees, continue whipping the whites to firm peaks. If the syrup is not this warm yet, let the whites wait at the soft-peak stage before whipping them into firm peaks as the syrup approaches the desired temperature.
3. Once the sugar syrup has reached 242 degrees and the egg whites are whipped to firm peaks, run the mixer at medium-high speed and begin slowly pouring the syrup down inside the bowl. Continue whipping until the frosting becomes thick and holds stiff peaks, about 5 minutes. Add the vanilla and whip to combine.
4. This frosting should be used immediately.

From Vintage Cakes

The Cake Slice Bakers November 2012 - Shoo-Fly Cake

The good news is that I re-joined the Cake Slice Bakers.  The bad news is that everything seemed to conspire against me to get my baking done.  In all honesty 2012 hasn't been my favorite year, so I am really looking forward to 2013.

For those who may be unfamiliar, The Cake Slice consists of a dedicated group of bakers from all over the world.  Every year we bake from a different cake book.  In 2012 - 2013 we are baking from Vintage Cakes by Julie Richardson.  Each month a selection of cakes are presented and we vote on which cake to bake next from our current book.  We then have a month to bake it in secret before we all blog about it on the same day each month – the 20th – never before. We never reveal to anyone outside of the group which cake it is until this date.  There are a few rules that we follow but the most important one is to have fun and enjoy eating cake!  We have a blogroll which is open to anyone to view and it lists all the members.  We link to this at the end of our cake reveal posts each month and it can be also be found at The Cake Slice Blogroll.  

I was a little apprehensive about making this cake as molasses is not one of my favorite ingredients.  There is just something about the taste that makes me shudder.  Still, I was curious to see how it would turn out and committed to being faithful to the recipe for my first cake back in the group.

After mixing all of the ingredients together and getting ready to pour it into the prepared pan for baking, I was surprised at how thin the batter was.  It was not like any other cake batter I have ever made and reminded me a little of a crepe batter.  Into the pan it went, crumbs sprinkled on top and fingers crossed.     My cake did take longer than the suggested 45 minutes.  When I checked it it looked very "soupy" in the middle so I left it in for approximately 15 extra minutes.  In hindsight maybe an extra 10 minutes would have been better because it ended up a little dry.

The general consensus in my family was that this recipe would not be repeated.  Lets just say that there were a lot more than just the crumbs left on the plate.

Click here to check out the blogs of my fellow Cake Slice Baker's and see their cakes.

Shoo-Fly Cake
(Printer Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients:
Crumb Topping

• ⅓ cup firmly-packed brown sugar
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into small cubes

Cake

• 1 cup sugar
• ¾ cup unsalted butter, melted
• ¾ cup unsulfured blackstrap molasses
• 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 2½ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 cup warm coffee

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350℉ and grease a 9x2-inch round cake pan with butter.
2. To make crumb topping: combine the brown sugar and flour in a small bowl. Toss in the butter cubes and using your fingertips pinch it into dry mixture to form crumbs.  Place the bowl in the freezer while you make the cake.
3. To make the cake: in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer, beat the sugar, butter, molasses, and vanilla in a large bowl until smooth. Blend in each egg one at a time.
4. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt; then whisk to ensure they are well blended.
5. Using a rubber spatula, stir the flour mixture into the batter in three additions, alternating with the coffee in two additions beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
6. Pour the thin batter into the prepared cake pan and sprinkle with your crumb topping.
7. Bake in the center of the oven until the top is firm, about 45 minutes.
8. Cool on a wire rack for about 30 minutes before serving warm from the pan.

Recipe from Vintage Cakes