This is my February bake-off cake! I met my OH on Valentine’s day many moons ago, and we always think of it as our anniversary, old romantics that we are!!!
Anyway, when I saw this cake pan I thought it was ideal for making a celebratory cake for us two, so I bought it. It is quite a small pan, smaller than specified in Rose’s recipe but I was able to make several cupcakes with the excess mixture. The cake is the Chocolate Streusel, in case you haven’t recognized it, not a lot of chocolate in it I admit, but it fits the theme and the time of year I think, don’t you? I also made some heart-shaped shortbread biscuits , not Rose’s recipe, so I haven’t put a picture of those.
Jeanette, beautiful cake! Those are cute little red hearts. I love it, and love the story, too! Old romantics, indeed.
You had asked about who received my cake- it was just a family cake, we celebrated Sat, and today a group of my daughter’s friends also had a slice before heading off to a movie. I’ve been baking cakes for a little under five years, is that a short time? I’m not a beginner anymore, but still learning and practicing. There’s so much I’ve yet to try…
Silke, like you, I credit all of you here on the forum for inspiring me to create cakes that are beautiful.
One thought I had for a Bake-off is a Challenge theme. Could be a project representing any level of skill, just something that challenges you. I’m sure I could manage citrus, as well, if that’s what people like, I need an excuse to make the RHC frozen lemon cake. Or, another thought, it would be a good time of year (cool weather) to do a laminated dough of some sort- puff pastry, croissant, danish, etc.).
You obviously practise a lot harder than me, Julie, as I have been making cakes for a lot longer than you but I consider you have got the edge on me! All your cakes look so professional and are decorated so beautifully, that’s my weakness, decorating. Wouldn’t it be nice to meet up and watch each other and discuss techniques,
wishful thinking I’m afraid. However, this forum is the next best thing, don’t you think?
Linda and Julie - thanks so much! Ended up taking it to a Mardi Gras party where it was gone in no time, and nobody could believe I baked it. My gay friends offered to marry me in case I needed the Green Card No need anymore, I’m a citizen by now but I thought it was a very nice compliment - a proposal for my wedding test cake….
Julie - your cakes sound delicious! I love the comment about your husband thinking it was too sweet but still eating two pieces!
Linda - the wedding cake will not have the glaze on it, since it’ll be half chocolate oblivion and half cheesecake. If I ever find my RCB again it’ll have the white chocolate ganache stabilized whipped cream on it as a frosting. Though I made so much of it last year for the wedding cake that I think I can pull it off even without a recipe.
That brings up another question: How does everybody do the perfect edge on the frosting, without pushing it up and over and up again? Perhaps I should post that question in the Q&A section, it would be great to hear about everybody’s techniques.
I didn’t even see Jeanette’s entry, sometimes the email updates are a bit behind or stuck…. It’s very pretty, Jeanette! How was it? I haven’t made it yet so I’m very curious!
Thank you, Silke! I like this cake, and like some of the others I have made from the book, it seems to get better as it matures! I love the Streusel mixture, it adds a new dimension to the cake flavourwise.
Your cake is one I haven’t tried yet, I am learning by everyone else’s experiences. I have made the glaze though, that was the first cake I made from the book, the cover cake! It turned out well for me, fools rush in where angels fear to tread! LOL!
That’s something I found as well, the some of my last whipped cream cake survived the first day, and it was tremendous two days later for breakfast. Will have to try the Chocolate Streusel, it seems to combine bliss (streusel) with heaven (chocolate)!
My first try of the glaze was a disaster, but that didn’t have to do with the recipe but with bad preparation followed by a bad attempt at winging it. Rushing doesn’t help, I learned. Though it got eaten, and that’s all that counts.
The Chocolate Oblivion is great, it’s easy to make, and it tastes very very very good. It’s rugged, too, I took one on a backcountry skiing trip last year, it was sitting on top of my backpack and even survived a fall - LOL!
So many beautiful cakes! Julie, your piping is so beautiful on the orange chocolate crown. I’ve wanted to try this one for a while, but have been afraid of piping the lady finger batter. Yours looks picture perfect.
... Julie, your piping is so beautiful on the orange chocolate crown. I’ve wanted to try this one for a while, but have been afraid of piping the lady finger batter. Yours looks picture perfect.
Silke and Matthew, thanks so much! The piping on the ladyfinger daisy doesn’t have to be picture perfect, there is some leeway. Some of the “spokes” had tails that were too thick near the middle, so I just fixed them by pulling off the extra batter with my fingers. I also made the circle in the middle of the daisy larger than I originally planned as it was a little off-center by the time I finished piping the spokes. Baking it smooths out little problems, too.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned about piping, it’s that it almost always looks good once you get it all done. My shells are nowhere near as perfect as Bill’s, but once they are all on a cake it seems to work out nicely. And I’ve seen your shells, M., they’re great!
I didn’t check the forum this last weekend and look at all the beautiful cakes that I’ve missed!
Julie - I’m in awe of your heart shaped cake. What a great take on the recipe. And a great use of the praline sheet. That’s really original. I love your ganache rounds and how perfectly round they look. How do you get them to be so smooth? Whenever I tried to pipe rounds it always have a pointy top. I’ve tried wetting my fingers and tried to flatten the top but it’s never as smooth as I want it to be. So I always ended up using a star tip instead.
I second what Matthew said about your orange crown cake. The ladyfingers look perfect!
Silke - love your Chocolate Oblivion. Looks so shiny and smooth. Thanks for sharing the process photo. I like how you place it on a bowl instead of a cake rack - I would think that the bowl is easier to clean. How do you like the taste of the cake?
Jeanette - what did you say earlier about not good at decorating?
I love your streusel cake. It’s so pretty and cute and perfect for valentine. Also love the picture of the slice and the way the coffee line look so smooth and so perfect in the middle of the cake.
Hm.. I’m using the word “love” a lot here. But seriously, you guys make such beautiful cakes! It’s so nice to be in such awesome company, .
I love your ganache rounds and how perfectly round they look. How do you get them to be so smooth? Whenever I tried to pipe rounds it always have a pointy top. I’ve tried wetting my fingers and tried to flatten the top but it’s never as smooth as I want it to be. So I always ended up using a star tip instead.
Jenn, all I did was pipe shells with a plain tip, and cover the tail of each with another shell. So there was no point on top that needed smoothing. I did notice they looked better (rounder) when the bag was at an angle closer to 45 rather than 90 degrees. In general, my shells tend to be rounder than many, with a short tail. I think because I tend to stop the pressure rather more suddenly than I should (never took lessons).
Originally, I had thought I would pipe shapes on that cake that look like Hershey’s Kisses, but the ganache was too cold to make the proper point. So I just did the shells instead, thinking they look like petals. Now I like them better than the kisses and would make them again.
No need anymore, I’m a citizen by now but I thought it was a very nice compliment - a proposal for my wedding test cake….
