This Showstopping Chocolate Stout Cake with Candied Pecans is sure to impress and please the chocolate lover. I made it for my hubby's birthday when he celebrated a milestone 50 years, a very deserving occasion to try my hand at a two-tiered cake.

With a milestone birthday ahead, I wanted a flavour, nay, a bouquet of flavours that were decadent, delectable, and possibly downright avant-garde. And what else could be more exotic than the combination of rose, saffron, and cardamom? A trinity of fragrant spices that suggest romance and adventure. And that is how this Persian themed cake came to be. Starting with this beautiful pistachio rose cake!

Adapted from a tea-cake recipe by Ottolenghi, I added my customizations and adjusted the quantities to make a three-layered cake. A tinge of lemon in the cake, syrup, and buttercream helps balance out the sweet rose tones and brighten things up a bit. I also brought in my favorite Italian meringue buttercream and added just a touch of rose and lemon to marry the flavor and round out the taste.

This Pistachio Rose Cake was the first of three cakes I would make for my 50th birthday cake. The top tier of the cake is a four-layer Saffron and Cardamom Cake, the middle tier being a two-layer Saffron and Honey Cake and the bottom tier is this Pistachio and Rose Cake. It is indeed a lovely celebratory cake that both challenge my creativity, as well as remind me of how far I have come as a baker and flavor maker :D


With a milestone birthday ahead, I wanted a flavour, nay, a bouquet of flavours that were decadent, delectable, and possibly downright avant-garde. And what else could be more exotic than the combination of rose, saffron, and cardamom? A trinity of fragrant spices that suggest romance and adventure. And that is how this Persian themed cake came to be. Starting with this beautiful pistachio rose cake!

Adapted from a tea-cake recipe by Ottolenghi, I added my customizations and adjusted the quantities to make a three-layered cake. A tinge of lemon in the cake, syrup, and buttercream helps balance out the sweet rose tones and brighten things up a bit. I also brought in my favorite Italian meringue buttercream and added just a touch of rose and lemon to marry the flavor and round out the taste.

This Pistachio Rose Cake was the first of three cakes I would make for my 50th birthday cake. The top tier of the cake is a four-layer Saffron and Cardamom Cake, the middle tier being a two-layer Saffron and Honey Cake and the bottom tier is this Pistachio and Rose Cake. It is indeed a lovely celebratory cake that both challenge my creativity, as well as remind me of how far I have come as a baker and flavor maker :D

Ingredients:

Directions:

We were invited for dinner and surely, yours truly signs up for dessert. No surprise there. And as I scoured my bookmarks, looking for something simple and quick (after all, it's already noon and the dinner was at 6!) this Portuguese orange olive oil cake somehow looked very very promising.


I've always been fascinated by olive oil cakes. Having made a few oil-based cakes before, I was looking forward to a tender crumbed tea cake, slightly fruit-fragrant, not just because of the orange, mind you, but the aromas emanating from the olive oil, and definitely something light and ethereal because it finally felt like spring.



The cake was pretty easy to put together, although I can't say much about what happened to my arm after zesting 4 huge navel oranges after they have been soaked in boiling water to rid the skins of the wax. Slippery skins do not make for easy zesting. But hey, no pain no gain, right? And since I didn't have enough time to cool it completely, and had to transport it on the sky train, I so nonchalantly opened the cake carrier cover, treating every one in that car with delicious whiffs of my freshly baked orange olive oil cake.



This recipe is perfect for a 22-inch springform pan, but the cake you see in the photos was made in a 24-inch silicone mold (for which I multiplied the recipe by 1.5 times, and allowed for more baking time).

Ingredients:
240 g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
95 g (1 cup) almond flour
Zest of 3 oranges
2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of tsp salt
4 eggs (at room temperature)
50 g (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
1 cup honey
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
240 ml (1 cup) orange juice

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 175C or 350F.
2. Butter and flour a 9 inch or 22 cm cake tin. Line the bottom with parchment paper.
Skip this step if using a silicone mold, as I did.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, almond flour, zest, baking powder and salt. Set this aside.
4. In a large bowl, beat together the eggs and sugar for 2 minutes until pale and frothy.
5. Add the honey and beat a further 2 minutes.
6. Beat in the evoo, vanilla extract, and the orange juice.

7. Transfer the dry ingredients into the wet ingredient bowl and mix until just combined. The batter will be quite runny.
8. Pour into the prepared cake tin and place in the oven.
9. Reduce the oven temperature to 160C or 325F and bake (preferably convection) for 60 minutes. Check doneness at the 50 minute mark.

10. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, before inverting onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
Dust with icing sugar when cooled, to serve.

So for a dessert for St. Patrick's Day, a cake made with this iconic brew seemed in order, and Nigella's Guinness Chocolate Cake was a recipe I chose because ... duh, it's Nigella! I loved how the cake didn't require me to bust out my stand mixer: you make it in a saucepan. Win! However, it needed two bowls for some beating action for the cream cheese icing. But that icing, though ... it made it all worth it!



I did make this recipe my own by swapping butter for beurre noisette, browned butter, which gives off such an amazing aroma, I'm sure it did wonders for the cake. Aaaand I also amped up the cream cheese icing by spiking it with ... you got it ... Jameson Irish Whiskey. Because ... St. Patrick's Day!

So here sits a rich and decadent chocolate cake, upon which sits an ethereal, thick and velvety layer of cream cheese. Fairly simple in execution, very minimalist in aesthetics, but oh so satisfyingly delicious.



I don't have to sell you the recipe, you know it's Nigella's. And if you've cooked and baked with beurre noisette, you'll know anything could be taken to the next level with that stuff. As for the spirited cream cheese icing, totally optional, of course. But why take a chance and miss out?

Ingredients:

Chocolate Guinness Cake:
275 g (2 cups + 3 Tbsp) all-purpose flour
2-1/2 tsp baking soda
275 g butter (1 cup + 3 Tbsp) unsalted butter
150 ml (2/3 cup) sour cream
2 large eggs, at room temperature
250 ml Guinness
75 g Dutch processed cocoa powder (I used Valrhona)
350 g (1-3/4 cup) dark brown sugar
50 g (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract

Irish Whiskey Cream Cheese Icing:
1 tbsp (15g) gelatin
60 ml (1/4 cup) boiling water
200 g (1-2/3 cups) icing sugar, sieved
250 g (1 cup) cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp Jameson Irish Whiskey
180 ml (3/4 cup) heavy whipping cream

Directions:

Ah, the constant challenge of what dessert to serve after an all-Indian meal. When one wants to keep it thematic, yet not so traditional. And that means creating something new out of the familiar. Something scented with other than vanilla, something flavoured with other than chocolate, and something spiced, and we sure aren't talking about cumin and coriander :D

Thank goodness rum is vegan! LOL!

It's birthday month again! And though it took me about a whole month to come to a mutually satisfying decision on what to bake, it was so worth it. With every passing year it gets a bit more tricky. Because I don't want to make the same cake again ... if I can help it, because it has to please the birthday boy/girl, and because all four cakes need to be not only different, but complement each other in flavour.


This one screams Monique all over ... it's vegan, it's got cookie butter, and did I mention rum? Yes, that's where all the rum's gone. In the interest of full disclosure, all our cakes are boozed up. Some more than others, but all really 'spirited'. We came back from CDMX with a nice bottle of Bacardi Ocho and probably 'spilled' a little more than needed of the recipe :D and it was so so good!

The cinnamon and ginger notes made this a warming and hearty cake, ideal for fall. It went perfectly alongside our other cakes that evening. Because we're so extra, we made our own cookie butter, something whipped up at a moment's notice in absence of speculaas spread.



The decor was kept very simple with kruidnoten, ginger spiced 'buttons' on the side and speculaas crumbs on top.

Ingredients:

A) Bacardi Cake Syrup
240 ml (1 cup) water
100 g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
30 ml (1/8 cup) Bacardi Ocho rum

B) Vegan Cookie Butter Cake
540 ml (2-1/4 cups) almond milk, at room temperature
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
330 g (2-3/4 cups) all purpose flour
30 g (1/4 cup) cornstarch
1-1/2 tsp baking soda
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
300 g (1-1/2 cups) granulated sugar
160 ml (2/3 cup) grapeseed oil (or any other vegetable oil)
80 ml (1/3 cup) Speculoos cookie butter
2 tbsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp Bacardi Ocho rum

C) Bacardi Buttercream
450 g (1 lb) icing sugar, sifted
50 g (3 tbsp) vegan butter (Becel or Alpro)
3 tbsp almond milk
2 tbsp Bacardi Ocho

Directions:

A) Bacardi Cake Syrup
1. In a small saucepan, place the water and sugar.
2. Bring to a boil, then set aside to cool.
3. When cooled, stir in the Bacardi Ocho rum.

B) Vegan Cookie Butter Cake
1. Butter and flour the sides of 3 20-cm (8-inch) round cake tins, and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
2. Preheat the oven to 175C or 350F.
3. In a medium non-reactive bowl, combine the almond milk and the apple cider vinegar. Set aside to curdle.
4. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
5. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, cookie butter, vanilla extract, and rum until homogenous and resembles a paste.
6. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, folding until just combined.
7. Divide the batter into the 3 prepared tins and bake for 22 - 25 minutes, or until a toothpick or skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
8. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes before inverting it onto a cooling rack.
9. When cooled, level the tops with a serrated knife or a cake leveler.
10. Brush with Bacardi cake syrup.

C) Bacardi Buttercream

Ever since I was gifted a package of Cotswold's Lavender, I've been waiting for an opportunity to bake with them. And I've always wanted to make a cake! I can only imagine the delicate aroma infused in a light vanilla cake, much like a Victorian sponge, a blissful floral note, a bit on the girly side (then again, why not?) evoking memories of a distant Provençal summer. It would be glorious.



I pitched this idea to the kids, and every time it is Max who gives me the carte blanche. I couldn't be more relieved. It wasn't just simply making all these cakes, it was also making sure that the flavours, the colours, and even the textures, were unique enough so each one would be appreciated for its virtues.



A lavender cake would be lovely, but it was the pairing with St. Germain, an elderflower liqueur that would heighten its appeal and complement its taste. Lavender, on its own, may be singularly used for a cookie, a loaf, or even a cupcake. It has the capacity to shine in a bite sized delight. However, a slice of cake is like a dish in itself. It has to have varying textures, flavours that augment each other, and colours that complement or contrast. And with this cake, I am convinced that lavender and elderflower do make a magnificent Victorian match.



There are various components that make this cake special. Because the individual flavours are subtle, I found that layering them in an infused milk, the cake itself and the syrup that soaks the cake all contribute to making the whole so much greater than the sum of its parts. It's a bit laborious and I did it over a few days. Cake for celebrations call for that, after all it is a labour of love.

Ingredients:

A) Lavender Milk:
480 ml (2 cups) milk
2 tbsp lavender buds


B) Lavender Elderflower Syrup:
240 ml (1 cup) water
2 tbsp lavender buds
100 g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
60 ml (1/4 cup) St. Germain elderflower liqueur


C) Lavender Elderflower Cake:
405 g (3-1/3 cups) all purpose flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp lavender buds, ground
1 tsp salt
255 g (1-1/8 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
400 g (2 cups) granulated sugar
4 large eggs + 1 yolk, at room temperature
1 tbsp St. Germain elderflower liqueur
360 ml (1-1/2 cups) lavender milk


D) Elderflower Italian Meringue Buttercream:
425 g (2 cups + 2 tbsp) granulated sugar
90 ml (3/8 cup) water
6 egg whites, at room temperature
Pinch of cream of tartar
510 g unsalted butter, just slightly softened, cut into 1.5 cm (1/2 inch) cubes
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp St. Germain elderflower liqueur

Directions:

A) Lavender milk:
1. Combine the ingredients in a medium saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and steep for 5 minutes.
3. Strain and let cool completely before using. You will need only 360 ml (1-1/2 cups) for the cake.
The milk can be kept, covered, in the refrigerator for a day.

B) Lavender Elderflower Syrup:
1. In a small saucepan, place the water, lavender, and sugar.
2. Bring to a boil, then set aside to cool.
3. When cooled, stir in the St. Germain elderflower liqueur.
The syrup can be kept, covered, in the refrigerator for up to a week.

C) Lavender Elderflower Cake:
1. Preheat the oven to 175C or 350F. Butter and flour the sides of 3 20-cm (8-inch) baking tins, and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, ground lavender buds, and salt together. Set this aside.

Vruchtentaart met vla ... it's Dutch for fruitcake with custard, for if I should call it fruitcake, one would expect the old English classic. Not this one, though. This is a refreshing summery cake, enriched with cool thick custard and accented with summer's bounty: kiwis, strawberries, blackberries and canteloupes.



Tante Lily came to cook in our place one day and made a cake such as this for Mama's birthday, one of the many desserts for the buffet. This cake stole the show, not only because it was light and fruity, desirable qualities of desserts in the tropics, but also because it was decadent in its own way, rich with custard, unlike the many other buttercreamed cakes on the table.



There is a light coating of agar on top of the fruits which serves to plant the fruits firmly on the cake, preventing an avalanche as you slice into it, and also to prevent the fruits from drying out and discolouring. You definitely want to start making the agar after the cake has been fully assembled. It's an added bother, but will definitely extend the aesthetics of your baked good.

Vanilla Cake
Ingredients:
2 tsp cream of tartar
50 g (1/4 cup) caster sugar
150 g (3/4 cup) caster sugar
250 g (1 cup + 2 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 tsp vanilla extract
200 g (1-2/3 cup) all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder

Directions:
1. Butter and line 3 9-inch cake pans with parchment paper on the bottom.
2. Preheat the oven to 175C or 350F.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the egg whites on medium speed until it starts to froth.
4. Add the cream of tartar to the egg whites and continue whisking until soft peaks form.
5. At this stage, start adding the 50 g of sugar, a tablespoon at a time, until the egg whites come to stiff glossy peaks.
6. Transfer this meringue to another clean, large bowl.

7. Replace the whisk with a flat beater and give the bowl a good wipe, then beat together the butter and 150 g of sugar for about 10-15 minutes, till pale and fluffy.
8. While waiting, sift the flour with the baking powder into a medium bowl.

9. To the butter and sugar mixture, add the yolks, one at a time on a slower speed, followed with the vanilla extract.
10. On the slowest speed, add the flour in four additions, mixing just until no visible lumps remain.

11. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer, and with a wooden spoon or a large spatula, fold a third of the egg whites to the batter.
12. Gently fold the rest of the meringue in.
13. Divide the batter among the cake pans, and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.
I placed one on the top rack and two on the lower rack, swapping them after they have risen.
14. Cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before inverting it on a cooling rack to cool completely.

Custard
Ingredients:
50 g (4 heaping tbsp) custard powder
1000 ml (4 cups) UHT milk
100 g (1/2 cup) sugar, or to taste
1 vanilla bean, scraped (or 2 tsp vanilla extract)

Directions:
1. In a saucepan, boil custard powder and milk.
2. Add vanilla and sugar, stirring constantly.
3. When done, turn off heat and cool in a larger pan filled with cold water, keep stirring so as not to set the custard.

Agar Glaze
Ingredients:
10 g (1 pack) clear Agar (I use Swallow)
720 ml (3 cups) water
25 g (2 tbsp) sugar

Directions:
Make agar only when cake is assembled.
1. In a small saucepan, combine agar with cold water and sugar.
2. Cook till it boils.
3. Turn off the heat, keep stirring so it doesn't coagulate.

Assembling
Ingredients:
4 cups of cut peaches, plums, cherries, pineapples, strawberries, blueberries, or the like.

Directions:
1. Invert one cake layer onto a serving platter.
2. Spread a little less than a third of the custard on top.
3. If desired, place half a cup of fruit (diced small) on the top of the custard.
4. Top with the second cake layer.

5. Repeat layering with the same amount of custard earlier and optional fruit.
6. Place the last cake layer on top.
7. Pour and spread the rest of the custard on top, letting it drip over the sides.
Work quickly, this stuff can set and thicken.
8. Arrange the rest of the fruit on top of the custard.

9. At this time, the agar glaze can be made, stir to cool, then slowly pour on top of the fruit and to the sides to set the fruit and prevent them from discolouring.
10. Refrigerate a few hours or overnight.

What? It's my birthday and I have to make my own cake? Whhyyyy? Because I want to. Because it is the only time I get to do what I want to do without having to ask anyone if they would be okay with it. And because I can :D




I was also looking for another component to bring to the cake, something a little tart, something fruity, to balance the floral. I looked through my pantry and fridge and examined the options: lemon curd, passion fruit purée and the few preserves I had on hand. Hmmm? No obvious option here, so after baking the cake, I tasted a bit of it with each of them, offered it to willing family members, before finally settling on one that went so perfectly with the elderflower aromas. It was the raspberry preserves.



Since every cake is different, each has its own journey, its own trials and tribulations. I have come some ways from being happy just making a recipe I saw online (usually the best photos win my heart). Now I think about what flavour pairings, I go for differing textures, and I want to do something that pushes the envelope.



When you read a few of my posts, you will find that I say that a lot - push the envelope. With life, as cake, you wither when you rest on your laurels. You deteriorate when you don't learn anything new. And most tragically, you live the same life, the same meals and the same cakes over and over. And that is sad!



So ... a new cake it will be. Perfumed with sweet notes of elderflower, tinged with a bit of tang from raspberries, this cake turned out so lovely and aromatic, perfect for a summery-fruity-floraly-boozy kind of birthday. And you can be sure I had a glass of St. Germain and Prosecco to accompany me on this, er, shall we say, creative process ;)


Elderflower syrup
Ingredients:
240 ml (1 cup) water
100 g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
60 ml (1/4 cup) St. Germain elderflower liqueur

Directions:
1. In a small saucepan, place the water and sugar.
2. Bring to a boil, then set aside to cool. 
3. When cooled, stir in the St. Germain elderflower liqueur.


Elderflower Cake
Ingredients:
420 g (3-1/2 cups) all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
400 g (2 cups) granulated sugar
4 eggs + 1 yolk, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp St. Germain elderflower liqueur
240 ml (1 cup) vegetable oil
300 g (1-1/4 cup) buttermilk, at room temperature

Directions:
1. Butter and flour the sides of 4 20-cm (8-inch) round cake tins, and line the bottoms with parchment paper. 
2. Preheat the oven to 160C or 325F. 
3. Into a medium bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, and salt. 
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer, on medium high speed, beat the sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and elderflower liqueur about 10 minutes until fluffy, scraping down the sides as needed. 
5. Drizzle in the oil, and continue beating for another 3-4 minutes. 
6. Reduce the speed to medium low, then alternate adding the flour (in 3 batches) and the buttermilk (in 2 batches). 
7. Give it a good mix with a spatula before dividing the batter between the 4 prepared tins. 
8. Bake for 50 - 55 minutes until a skewer pierced in the center of the cake comes out clean. 
9. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes before inverting it onto a cooling rack. 
10. When cooled, level the tops with a serrated knife or a cake leveler. 
11. Brush with prepared cake syrup.


Raspberry Spread 
Ingredients:
240 ml (1 cup) raspberry preserves

Directions:
1. Place the raspberry preserve in a blender and blitz until super smooth. 


Elderflower Italian Meringue Buttercream
Ingredients:
425 g (2 cups + 2 tbsp) granulated sugar
90 ml (3/8 cup) water
6 egg whites, at room temperature 
Pinch of cream of tartar 
510 g unsalted butter, just slightly softened, cut into 1.5 cm (1/2 inch) cubes 
1/2 tsp vanilla extract 
1 tsp St. Germain elderflower liqueur 

Directions:
1. In a small saucepan, start heating the sugar and water. Have an infrared (or candy) thermometer ready. 
2. In a clean and dry bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, start whisking the egg whites on medium speed. 
3. As soon as the egg whites turn foamy, add the cream of tartar. Keep whisking the egg whites until you get to the soft peak stage. 
4. Keep an eye on the sugar syrup, as soon as it hits 112 - 115C or 235 - 240F, turn the heat off and VERY VERY CAREFULLY pour the syrup into the running mixing bowl, trickling it down the sides of the bowl. (You do not want to pour it into the whisking area because it will splatter and burn you!) 
5. Keep whisking until you get a voluminous white meringue. 
6. The bowl will get hot, at which point you want to cool it off with damp cold kitchen towels. You can stop whisking at this point long enough to place a larger bowl with ice and/or cold water under the mixing bowl to help it cool quicker. 
7. As soon as the meringue reads 39 - 40C or 102 - 104F, switch the whisk attachment with the beater attachment, then start beating on medium speed. 
8. Add the butter, a cube at a time, in about 5 second increments, the buttercream will start coming together after 2/3 of the butter is added. Continue adding the butter until depleted. 
9. Add the vanilla extract and Elderflower liqueur and beat for another minute. 

The buttercream will keep at room temperature, covered, for up to 2 days in maximum 25C weather. Otherwise you will need to refrigerate it. 

If your buttercream is curdling, or you see water is separating from the butter, the mixture is too cold. Warm the bowl by placing hot towels around the bowl. If your buttercream isn't coming together, or still watery, it may be too warm. Cool the mixing bowl by wrapping it in cold kitchen towels. Then continue beating until it comes together. 

Assembling

Now that we have our buttercream ready and at room temperature, and our cakes leveled and brushed with syrup, we can continue to assemble them. Make sure your cake board, turntable, offset spatulas, leveler, and a large cookie scooper is also on hand.

1. Check all the layers and choose the best one for the top of the cake. We are looking to place the bottom side up for the top-most layer. 
2. Place a small smear of buttercream on a cake board, then place a layer, bottom side down, centering it as best you can. 
3. Using a cookie scooper, scoop about 3/4 cup of buttercream on top of the layer, leveling it as evenly as possible. 
4. Spread a thin layer of raspberry preserve on one side of the next layer. 
5. Place this layer raspberry side down on the buttercream.
6. Continue layering all the cakes in this way. 
7. Crumb coat the whole cake, then refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes to set and harden the buttercream. 
8. Frost the whole cake and decorate as desired.

So delighted ... this has just been one of those days when all the dishes came out the way I intended. Trust me, this doesn't happen all the time. Often yes, but not all the time. And I absolutely loved how this lemon bundt cake came out. Satisfied family members also had raving reviews. I did well, methinks :)

It was 10 am and we were going to eat at 5. I was looking for a dessert that was Easter-y, and wanted something quick and easy. A layer cake was out of the question. (SuperMom I am, but today was no day to expect divine intervention). Cupcakes? Ain't nobody got time for that! Sheet cake? Not sexy enough. Bundt pan to the rescue, especially when you got 8 of them and the kids are in disbelief when they see your Amazon browsing history. Yep! More bundt pans.

So I looked through my closet, kitchen closet, that is, and chose one that looked like a nest, headed over to Pinterest for some ideas, and as the seasoned baker that I am, LOL! I winged the decor as I went along.



First off, let me tell you how amazing the sugared surface was! Loved loved loved how it gave that thin crisp (not crunchy) exterior. Not only that ... it also visibly sharpened the edges and crevices, making the cake more defined. Then it was sour cream, making cakes moist (still a bad word? I think we should all get over it!) and luscious since the 1920s. And of course the whiskey ... I was looking for a floral tinge, as opposed to using vanilla extract, to pick up the lemony notes and complement that. The generous splash of 2 tbsp brought it to a totally new level of awesomeness. You may want to forego the booze and do a tablespoon of vanilla extract instead, should you so desire.



While I have never made a lemon bundt cake, I've tasted a few, and I am convinced this one takes the cake! Definitely a keeper and will be on regular rotation.


Ingredients:

To prepare the bundt pan:
1 tbsp butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar

For the cake:
360 g (3 cups) all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Zest of 3 lemons
225 g (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
330 g (1-2/3 cup) granulated sugar
6 large eggs, at room temperature
80 ml (1/3 cup) lemon juice
2 tbsp whiskey or rum (optional)
1 cup sour cream, at room temperature

For the glaze:
250 g (2 cups) icing / confectioners sugar
3 - 4 tbsp lemon juice

To decorate:
A handful of chocolate eggs
Slivered almonds

Directions:

Good rescue, no? This was such a tender cake, loved the texture, loved how the cream cheese made it a bit more tangy. Loved how the lime paired well with the lovely weather outside. As for the glaze? How could I not?




Ingredients:
360 g (3 cups) all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
225 g (1 cup) butter. at room temperature
225 g (8 oz) cream cheese, at room temperature
300 g (1-1/2 cup) granulated sugar
5 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tbsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp tequila
4 tbsp lime zest (from 4 limes)
80 ml (1/3 cup) lime juice

For the glaze:
1 tbsp lime zest (from 1 lime)
125 g (1 cup) icing sugar
2 tbsp tequila
1 tbsp lime juice (or more to reach desired consistency)

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 160C or 325F.
2. Butter a 10 or 12 cup bundt pan.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the baking soda and baking powder.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese until combined, 2 minutes.
5. Add the sugar to the butter mixture and cream until pale and increased in volume.
6. Add the eggs, one at a time, waiting until it has been incorporated before adding the next one.
7. Reduce the speed and fold in the vanilla, tequila, and lime zest.
8. Fold in the flour in 2 additions, mixing until just combined.

9. Transfer the batter to the pan, then tap it a few times on a towel-lined countertop to remove any air bubbles.
10. Bake for 40 - 45 minutes until top becomes golden brown and a skewer inserted in the center of the batter comes out clean.
11. Let cool in the pan for 5 - 10 minutes before inverting it onto a wire rack to cool completely.

12 While the cake is cooling, make the glaze by whisking all the ingredients together to reach a consistency resembling condensed milk. Add a little more icing sugar or lime juice to adjust.
13. Let cake cool to room temperature before glazing.
14. Decorate with lime slices.

This beautiful rendition of a classic angel food cake was popularized by Rose Levy Beranbaum in her book, Rose's Heavenly Cakes. It is essentially an angel food cake evenly studded with chocolate shavings that it resembles the fabric after which it is named.





You'd have to get a really really dark bar for this and coincidentally I picked up a Ghirardelli 100% chocolate bar last week on my cross border shopping. It was perfect for this recipe! I didn't have to compensate for the sweetness of the angel food cake to allow for more sweetness in the chocolate.




Lindt also carries a 99% which would may do the job well enough. Anything under 85% is probably a no-go.



This chocolate tweed angel food cake came out delightfully airy and spongy. It was well received and tastefully enjoyed by the onlookers (read: husband and kids) who were waiting patiently as I finished taking these pictures :)


Ingredients:
56 g (half of 1) Ghirardelli 100% cocoa unsweetened chocolate bar
300 g (1-1/2 cup) granulated sugar, divided
100 g (3/4 cup) cake flour
pinch of salt
480 ml (16 large) egg whites, at room temperature
2 tsp cream of tartar
4 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Grate the chocolate bar into a bowl, cover, then place in the freezer while you prepare the rest of the batter.
2. Preheat the oven to 175C or 350F and get your ungreased tube pan ready.

3. In a medium bowl, sift together 150 g (3/4 cup) of the sugar, the cake flour, and the salt.
4. In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites on medium speed until it becomes foamy.
5. Add the cream of tartar, increase the speed to medium high and whisk until the egg whites have reached the soft peaks stage.
6. Spoon in the rest of the sugar ... 150 g (3/4 cup) in three additions, whisking until the egg whites have reached firm or stiff peaks.
7. Reduce the speed to medium and add the vanilla to the egg whites.
8. Turn off the mixer and fold the flour in with a spatula in four additions until just combined.
Alternatively, you can substitute the flat beater for the whisk attachment and fold the flour in with the beater.
9. Fold the chilled grated chocolate into the batter.
10. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and give it a few final folds with the spatula.
11. Transfer the batter into the tube pan, then run a small spatula or a knife around to make sure there are no air bubbles trapped inside.
12. Smooth the top and place in the oven to bake for 30 - 40 minutes.

13. When the surface has turned a nice golden colour, insert a skewer into the center of the batter to check for doneness.
14. Remove from the oven and immediately flip over a cooling rack.
My tube pan has handy dandy 'stilts' or 'feet' which allows it to hover while cooling. In its absence, get an empty bottle with a narrow neck and invert the tube part of the pan onto the neck so the cake cools upside down helping it to retain its height.
15. Let cool completely, then run a thin offset spatula or a thin bladed knife around the sides of the pan to release the cake from the sides. Repeat around the centre and on the bottom of the pan.

Serve with a dollop of sweetened cream if you like.