It is that time of the month again when 900+ bloggers known as the Daring Bakers post their results for the month’s challenge. After making French bread last month and a Yule Log in December, I completed my third challenge this month. And what a fun challenge this was. Morven, this month’s hostess, chose a cake from Dorie Greenspan’s cookbook, Baking from My Home to Yours. When I read her introduction for this challenge I almost cried from happiness:
I wanted to pick something that had potential for putting your personal stamp on. Although this is essentially a white cake I know there are some lemon haters among us so feel free to use your imagination. If you inner chef tells you that you need to make a chocolate layer cake then by all means do so. See Dorie’s words on playing around below for some flavour combination ideas.
A cake that I can play around with, add flavors and colors and… oh, so many possibilities!
I followed the basic recipe to make the cake and the buttercream, what I changed were the flavors and the color. I halved the recipe and made a banana cake and a chocolate cake. I also halved the buttercream and added cocoa to one half and let the other one white. I then cut each cake in half, so I had 4 layers, and spread some strawberry jelly and some of the white buttercream alternatively.
I inherited a lot of my mom’s strengths in the kitchen, but also a lot of her weaknesses. We both love to bake, we go crazy if the kitchen is messy and we both are terrible at decorating cakes. I take that back, she took a couple of courses and now she creates beautiful cakes. Last time I visited she was making a HUGE tres leches cake for 300 people with flowers, letters and a pretty colors. I envy her so much.
But in spite of my terrible decoration skills, I don’t think I did such a terrible job this time. What do you think?
What I learned from this challenge:
If a recipe calls for butter, don’t substitute with spread, it just won’t work.
The buttercream will seem to curl and break when beating, but, as I learned in a previous challenge. It will come back together after a couple of minutes.
I had tons of fun making this cake and though the cake was a little bit dry to my taste, I will be making it again with more crazy combinations. Thank you Morven for another great challenge and thank you Dorie for the recipe.
Here is the recipe Morven provided:
For the Cake
2 1/4 cups cake flour (updated 25 March)
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups whole milk or buttermilk (I prefer buttermilk with the lemon)
4 large egg whites
1 ½ cups sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 stick (8 tablespoons or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ teaspoon pure lemon extractFor the Buttercream
1 cup sugar
4 large egg whites
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¼ cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 large lemons)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extractFor Finishing
2/3 cup seedless raspberry preserves stirred vigorously or warmed gently until spreadable
About 1 ½ cups sweetened shredded coconutGetting Ready
Centre a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9 x 2 inch round cake pans and line the bottom of each pan with a round of buttered parchment or wax paper. Put the pans on a baking sheet.To Make the Cake
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
Whisk together the milk and egg whites in a medium bowl.
Put the sugar and lemon zest in a mixer bowl or another large bowl and rub them together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant.
Add the butter and working with the paddle or whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are very light.
Beat in the extract, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed.
Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated.
Add the rest of the milk and eggs beating until the batter is homogeneous, then add the last of the dry ingredients.
Finally, give the batter a good 2- minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and well aerated.
Divide the batter between the two pans and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cakes are well risen and springy to the touch – a thin knife inserted into the centers should come out clean
Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes, unfold them and peel off the paper liners.
Invert and cool to room temperature, right side up (the cooled cake layers can be wrapped airtight and stored at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to two months).To Make the Buttercream
Put the sugar and egg whites in a mixer bowl or another large heatproof bowl, fit the bowl over a plan of simmering water and whisk constantly, keeping the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, about 3 minutes.
The sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture will look like shiny marshmallow cream.
Remove the bowl from the heat.
Working with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, beat the meringue on medium speed until it is cool, about 5 minutes.
Switch to the paddle attachment if you have one, and add the butter a stick at a time, beating until smooth.
Once all the butter is in, beat in the buttercream on medium-high speed until it is thick and very smooth, 6-10 minutes.
During this time the buttercream may curdle or separate – just keep beating and it will come together again.
On medium speed, gradually beat in the lemon juice, waiting until each addition is absorbed before adding more, and then the vanilla.
You should have a shiny smooth, velvety, pristine white buttercream. Press a piece of plastic against the surface of the buttercream and set aside briefly.To Assemble the Cake
Using a sharp serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion, slice each layer horizontally in half.
Put one layer cut side up on a cardboard cake round or a cake plate protected by strips of wax or parchment paper.
Spread it with one third of the preserves.
Cover the jam evenly with about one quarter of the buttercream.
Top with another layer, spread with preserves and buttercream and then do the same with a third layer (you’ll have used all the jam and have buttercream leftover).
Place the last layer cut side down on top of the cake and use the remaining buttercream to frost the sides and top.
Press the coconut into the frosting, patting it gently all over the sides and top.Serving
The cake is ready to serve as soon as it is assembled, but I think it’s best to let it sit and set for a couple of hours in a cool room – not the refrigerator. Whether you wait or slice and enjoy it immediately, the cake should be served at room temperature; it loses all its subtlety when it’s cold. Depending on your audience you can serve the cake with just about anything from milk to sweet or bubbly wine.Storing
The cake is best the day it is made, but you can refrigerate it, well covered, for up to two days. Bring it to room temperature before serving. If you want to freeze the cake, slide it into the freezer to set, then wrap it really well – it will keep for up to 2 months in the freezer; defrost it, still wrapped overnight in the refrigerator.Playing Around
Since lemon is such a friendly flavour, feel free to make changes in the preserves: other red preserves – cherry or strawberry – look especially nice, but you can even use plum or blueberry jam.Fresh Berry Cake
If you will be serving the cake the day it is made, cover each layer of buttercream with fresh berries – use whole raspberries, sliced or halved strawberries or whole blackberries, and match the preserves to the fruit. You can replace the coconut on top of the cake with a crown of berries, or use both coconut and berries. You can also replace the buttercream between the layers with fairly firmly whipped sweetened cream and then either frost the cake with buttercream (the contrast between the lighter whipped cream and the firmer buttercream is nice) or finish it with more whipped cream. If you use whipped cream, you’ll have to store the cake the in the refrigerator – let it sit for about 20 minutes at room temperature before serving.
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Judy
Cake looks good Ben!
Deeba
It’s beautiful Ben…was waiting for morning to break in the US to see what you made. Love the flavours. Love the SWOT analysis of your Mom & you too…HA HA!! The pictures are lovely…I love the first one & the 2nd last one the ‘mostest’!! Moist cake? You are right…glad we joined DB’s; so much more happening in life in addition to the general madness otherwise! Your Mom must be proud of your cake!
Jen of a2eatwrite
Oh, Ben, it’s gorgeous! And hey, I’m now on a campaign to get you and Courtney to come up to A2 for a weekend – we’re a great foodie town and I can give you guys the grand tour – you’re both about equidistant, and we have plenty of room.
I’m so impressed with all you Daring Bakers, too. I must say baking is where I fall short.
Marie
Ben, You did a wonderful job, your Mom would be proud! Love the picture with the fork in it!
Lucy V
The cake turned out beautifully! Banana and chcocolate are a great combination. Your decoration of the cake looks really excellent.
courtney
Oh Ben,
Its so beautiful. Well thought out. You have a lot of potential on the decorating front. Just keeep practising and it will pay off.This looks really great.The second from last slice looks really pro!
sunita
Ben, you did well! The cake looks beautiful…your mom would definitely approve
Meeta
An amazing cake Ben! I love the alternating layers and the decoration. You made your mum proud!
Deborah
I love the variations you chose for this cake! Great job!
Bellini Valli
The strawberries and piping make a really nice touch Ben!!! You did an excelellent job with this months challenge. Don’t underestimate your creativity:D
Ann
Great variations! And strawberries are always great with cake!
CB
I think you did a fabulous job! I love the shot of the close up strawberries. Gorgeous red color. I LOVE strawberries so I knew since we were allowed to “play around” I was going to do lemon and strawberries. YUM! Congrats on your 3rd challenge. “See” you next time.
Clara
Pixie
Ben, it looks absolutely gorgeous. I love the photo with the slices and a fork in the strawberry. Well done!
Michelle
I don’t know what you’re talking about, Ben… that’s a great looking cake! I love the creative spin you put on it – pass me a slice!
kellypea
You are so creative! I love the alternating flavors — especially the banana with the chocolate. YUM. You spread on some strawberry jam and it’s a banana split! The photo of the fork is excellent! Nice lighting. As far as your need for a clean kitchen goes…hahahhaha! I wasted WAY too much time on this challenge fussing with my kitchen. I think it actually takes longer than just waiting and then cleaning. It was fun thinking about it, though. For some reason, baking is what does it. I don’t make quite the mess when I’m cooking savory.
Katie
wow, what cool flavor combos. you really got creative!! looks great!
heather
I think your cake looks cute! I love the almost banana split theme you have going on.
megan
Chocolate and banana is a winning combination! And the cake looks as good as I bet it taste. I cant wait to “play” with this recipe.
Peter G
Fantastic cake Ben! The flavour combinations (especially the banana for me!) sound great! IIt’s a very creative effort. Well done chico!
Gabi
I love that first picture with the strawberries sitting proud in the buttercream!
Nice job!
xoxo
Gabi
Namratha
That’s a very pretty cake Ben, like all the pics!:)
Peter
Ben’s site is back and with a bang!
A different cake from the others so yes, you’re unique and this one is memorable. Now, please cut me a large wedge, thank you!
giz
IF I ever get married again (you’d have to shoot me first), you’re making my wedding cake. I love the pic of the strawberry – a fabulous picture.
Anne
Such a wonderful post! The cake is simply stunning and you captured it beautifully
Tartelette
How creative of you to combine the chocolate and the plain one! That first strawberry shot is absolute talent!
Christina
Ben, that looks incredible! I especially like that you turned it into a banana cake with a chocolate layer. Did you just add in the smashed bananas and cocoa? I can’t wait to experiment with this recipe.
Louise (Gato Azul)
How decadently lovely… chocolate and banana! True innovation and it looks beautiful!
Julius
Ben ~ your cake is gorgeous… in fact, everything on your blog is gorgeous!
Rosa
Your cake looks wonderful! I love that version… Very well done!
Cheers,
Rosa
judith serrao
Hi Ben..your cake looks lovely. Am amazed that there are the ‘Male’ species also at our Daring Bakers. Your pics are cute…luved the one with the three strawberries lined one after the other…that one looked out of the world. Vist my blog when you free…and am sure you will say…hah ‘Mine looks better’ Had the pleasure of seeing your other ‘cooking’ too and must say you ar Gr8.
Kevin
Your cake looks really good! Nice decorations. I like the sound of the banana and chocolate layers.
Amy
Wow, what a stunning cake! Beautiful decorations, and the flavor combinations you tried sound delicious (and inspiring – I wish I had tried a chocolate combo with my cake!) I love the photo of the cake slice with the fork standing at attention in the strawberry.
Ruth E
What a fab twist on the DB challenge! Your cake looks fantastic!!!
Paula
Way to be a true Daring Baker, I love your flavor combo! The decorartions are beautiful1 Nice job on this challenge:)
Allen
So creative! I love the chocolate/banana combo and think you did a great job in the decorating as well. I love the photo with the fork stabbing the strawberry!
Jennifer
Great cake! How pretty! Good job!
Anne
Ben, it’s gorgeous! I love the banana/chocolate/strawberry thing you have going on. Yummy!
JennyBakes
LOVE the chocolate banana combo. What a great cake.
Madeleine
Te quedó hermoso el pastel! y muy buena idea hacer las capas de colores! no se me había ocurrido! jajaja!
buen trabajo Ben!!
Seguiremos aprendiendo con DB!
faery
your cake looks great and yummy and the pictures are sooo good
Sheltie Girl
You did a wonderful job on your cake. It looks simply delicious!
Natalie @ Gluten A Go Go
Joey Biscotti
What a great idea to make it a combo of chocolate and banana – I never would have thought of that – and it looks great – congrats!
cookworm
Great job on the cake, I love the chocolate buttercream. Those strawberries look enormous!
Miss Ifi
Congratulations on your 3rd challenge!!! Your cake looks simply amazing.. even though you might not think so.. I really like it! Yuuum tres leches cake.. I haven’t had that in sooo long and I love it sooo much yum yum yum!!!
rachel
neat of you to have combined the white and brown layers…love all the pics…..the first pic with the close-up of the strawberry is awesome.
Dharm
Great Cake Ben! Had a tough time finding this post as I just went to the main page and figured you hadnt posted it yet…!! Oh well, I learnt! Good luck on the joust too!
Ben
Thank you everybody for your comments and kind words. I love this community and all the great challenges we get every month. I am looking forward to see you all next month.
Cheers!
Kaykat
Wow! I love the idea of combining flavours for the layers – brilliant! That cake looks blissful
And that first pic rocks!
Jill@SimpleDailyRecipes.com
I wish we were neighbors.
Ivonne
Ben,
I don’t believe you! I think you’re a talented cake decorator and your mom would be proud. Great cake!