Tiramisu Cake

Ingredients
Vegetable oil, to grease
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 x 2.5 oz toasted slivered almonds
1 x 12 oz double unfilled round sponge cake
1/2 cup fresh espresso coffee
1/3 cup marsala
1/4 cup, lightly packed brown sugar
2 x 9 oz mascarpone
1/4 cup icing sugar mixture
1 tsp vanilla essence
Cocoa powder, to dust

Directions:
Brush a large baking tray with oil to lightly grease. Place the sugar in a large saucepan over high heat and cook, stirring, for 5-7 minutes or until sugar caramelises. Remove from heat. Add the almonds and stir to coat. Pour over the prepared tray and set aside for 10 minutes to set.
Meanwhile, use a large serrated knife to split each sponge cake in half horizontally. Combine the coffee, marsala and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Place the mascarpone, icing sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl and stir until well combined and mixture thickens slightly.
Place 1 sponge-cake layer, cut-side up, on a cake stand or serving plate. Brush the cut surface lightly with coffee mixture. Spread one-sixth of the mascarpone mixture evenly over the sponge cake.
Brush the cut surface of another sponge-cake layer with coffee mixture and place, cut-side down, on the mascarpone mixture. Brush the top lightly with coffee mixture. Continue layering with half the remaining mascarpone mixture and the remaining sponge cake and coffee mixture. Spread the top and side of the cake with the remaining mascarpone mixture.
Finely chop the almond praline and press evenly over the side of the cake. Dust the top with cocoa powder and cut into slices to serve.

Lemon Butter Cake

Ingredients
1 quantity butter cake (see related recipe)
2 large lemons, rind finely grated

Cream cheese frosting
3 oz cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup pure icing sugar, sifted
1/3 cup lemon butter
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease a 3 inch deep, 3 1/2 x 7 q/2 inch (base) loaf pan. Line base and sides with baking paper, allowing a 2cm overhang at both long ends.
Follow step 1 of butter cake recipe (see related recipe), adding lemon rind to butter and sugar.
Follow steps 2 to 4 of butter cake recipe.
Bake for 28 to 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Stand cake in pan for 10 minutes. Lift onto a wire rack to cool.
Make cream cheese frosting: Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and icing sugar in a bowl until well combined. Fold through lemon butter until almost combined. Spread frosting over cake.

Almond Cake with Strawberries & Caramel Sauce

Ingredients:
Melted butter, to grease
1 1/4 cups almond meal
1/2 cup self-raising flour
7 oz butter, at room temperature
1 cup caster sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
4 eggs
2 x 1 cups double cream
2 x 9 oz punnets strawberries, washed, hulled, sliced lengthways
Caramel sauce
12 soft caramels
1/3 cup pouring cream
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Brush a round 8 inches (base measurement) cake pan with melted butter to lightly grease. Line the base and side with non-stick baking paper. Combine the almond meal and flour in a bowl.
Use an electric beater to beat the butter, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl until pale and creamy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition until combined. Use a large metal spoon to fold the almond meal mixture into the egg mixture until well combined.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Bake in oven for 55 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Set aside in the pan for 10 minutes to cool before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Meanwhile, to make the caramel sauce, combine the caramels and pouring cream in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the caramels melt and the mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
Use a balloon whisk to lightly whisk the double cream in a medium bowl until the cream thickens slightly. Use a large serrated knife to cut the cake in half horizontally. Place the base of the cake, cut-side up, on a cake stand. Spread half the double cream over the cake and top with half the strawberries. Repeat with the remaining cake, double cream and strawberries. Drizzle over the caramel sauce and serve immediately.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

Ingredients (serves 8)
15 oz can sliced pineapple, drained
Red glace cherries, to decorate
12 oz packet butter cake mix
Method
Preheat oven according to packet cake instructions. Grease and line the base of a round 8 inch cake tin.
Arrange the pineapple and cherries over the base of the tin, trimming the pineapple to fit.
Prepare the cake according to packet instructions. Pour over the pineapple. Bake according to packet instructions. Turn out and cool on wire rack.

Carrot Cake

INGREDIENTS
1 cup canola oil
2 (4 ounce) jars carrot baby food
3 eggs
2 cups white sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10 inch tube pan.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine oil and baby food, then add eggs. Add sugar and mix well.
Add the flour mixture and mix until well combined.
Pour batter into prepared 10 inch tube pan. Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 1 hour, or until toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a wire rack.

Double Chocolate & Raspberry Cake

Ingredients:
24.5 oz chocolate cake mix
21.5 oz White cake & raspberry swirl cake mix
6 eggs
2/3 cup vegetable oil
3 tbs margarine or soft butter
1 1/2 tbs milk
5 oz raspberries, to decorate
Directions:
Line two 8 inch round cake pans with non-stick baking paper. Prepare the cakes according to packet instructions. Set aside to cool completely.
Use a serrated knife to carefully cut the tops off the cakes to flatten. Cut the cakes in half horizontally.
Prepare the mud cake icing according to packet instructions. Set aside for 10 minutes to thicken.
Meanwhile, prepare the white chocolate frosting according to packet instructions.
Place the base of the mud cake on a serving plate. Spread 1/3 of the mud cake icing over the cake. Place a layer of white chocolate cake on top. Spread 1/2 of the remaining mud cake icing over the cake. Top with the remaining layer of mud cake. Spread the remaining mud cake icing over the cake. Top with the remaining white chocolate cake. Spread the white chocolate frosting over the top of the cake. Scatter with the raspberries to serve.

Baby Lemon and Coconut Drizzle Cakes

Ingredients:
4.5 oz butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup caster sugar
3 tsp finely grated lemon rind
2 eggs
1/2 cup plain flour
1/4 cup self-raising flour
1/4 cup desiccated coconut
1 tbs coconut milk powder
1 tbs lemon juice
Candied lemon slices, to decorate
Lemon icing
1 cup icing sugar mixture
1 tbs lemon juice
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F.
six 1/2 cup capacity mini loaf pans and place on an oven tray.
Use an electric mixer to beat butter, sugar and lemon rind until pale and creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition until just combined. Stir in the flours, coconut, coconut powder and lemon juice until just combined. Spoon among prepared pans and use a palette knife to smooth the surface.
Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into cakes comes out clean. Turn on to a wire rack to cool.
To make the icing: sift icing sugar into a small bowl. Gradually add lemon juice until a smooth paste forms. Spread icing over the top of each cake. Set aside until firm.
Top cakes with candied lemon to serve.

Black Cake

1 pound prunes
1 pound dark raisins
1/2 pound golden raisins
1 pound currants
1 1/2 pounds dried cherries, or 1 pound dried cherries plus 1/2 pound glacé cherries
1/4 pound mixed candied citrus peel
2 cups dark rum; more for brushing cake
1 1/2 cups cherry brandy or Manischewitz Concord grape wine; more for grinding fruit
1/4 pound blanched almonds
1 cup white or light brown sugar for burning, or 1/4 cup dark molasses or cane syrup; more molasses for coloring batter
4 sticks (1 pound) butter; more for buttering pans
1 pound (about 2 1/2 cups) light or dark brown sugar
10 eggs
Zest of 2 limes
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon Angostura bitters
4 cups (1 pound) all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon.
1. At least 2 days before baking, combine prunes, raisins, currants, cherries, candied peel, rum and brandy in a glass jar or sturdy plastic container. Cover tightly; shake or stir occasionally.
2. When ready to bake, put soaked fruit and almonds in a blender or food processor; work in batches that the machine can handle. Grind to a rough paste, leaving some chunks of fruit intact. Add a little brandy or wine if needed to loosen mixture in the machine.
3. If burning sugar, place a deep, heavy-bottomed pot over high heat. Add 1 cup white or light brown sugar, and melt, stirring with a wooden spoon. Stir, letting sugar darken. (It will smoke.) When sugar is almost black, stir in 1/4 cup boiling water. (It will splatter.) Turn off heat.
4. Heat oven to 250 degrees. Butter three 9-inch or four 8-inch cake pans; line bottoms with a double layer of parchment or wax paper.
5. In a mixer, cream butter and 1 pound light or dark brown sugar until smooth and fluffy. Mix in eggs one at a time, then lime zest, vanilla and bitters. Transfer mixture to a very large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and cinnamon. Fold dry ingredients into butter mixture. Stir in fruit paste and 1/4 cup burnt sugar or molasses. Batter should be a medium-dark brown; if too light, add a tablespoon or two of burnt sugar or molasses.
6. Divide among prepared pans; cakes will not rise much, so fill pans almost to top. Bake 1 hour, and reduce heat to 225 degrees; bake 2 to 3 hours longer, until a tester inserted in center comes out clean. Remove to a rack.
7. While cakes are hot, brush tops with rum and let soak in. Repeat while cakes cool; they will absorb about 4 tablespoons total. When cakes are completely cool, they can be turned out and served. To keep longer, wrap cakes tightly in wax or parchment paper, then in foil. Store in a cool, dry place for up to 1 month.
Yield: 3 or 4 cakes, about 4 dozen servings

Time: 4 hours, plus 2 days’ macerating.

Adapted from the Naparima Girls’ High School Cookbook

Boston Cream Pie

The Boston cream pie is actually a cake, not a pie. The idea of it being a pie most likely stems from the easier availability of pie tins over cake pans during the time the dish originated. (It might also originate from the use of the custard cream filling which is usually associated with pies rather than cakes.)
Created by French chef M. Sanzian at Boston's Parker House Hotel, opened in 1855, this pudding/cake combination comprises two layers of sponge cake filled with vanilla custard or crème pâtissière. The cake is topped with a chocolate glaze (such as ganache) and sometimes confectioner's sugar or a maraschino cherry.
A Boston cream doughnut is a local name for a Berliner filled with vanilla custard or crème pâtissière and topped with chocolate icing.
The Boston cream pie has been designated the official state dessert of Massachusetts, while the Boston cream doughnut is the official state doughnut.

Different Types of Cakes

Sponge cakes: are a light cake whose leavening comes only from beaten egg whites (no baking powder or soda), and has little or no butter and thus have very little fat content. As a result, a Sponge cake takes well to being imbibed with flavored syrups and such.

Chiffon cakes: are light like sponge cakes, but are easier to make because there are no egg whites to beat and fold in. Plus, there’s more fat in it (oil) so it’s more tender and moist than sponge cake.

Angel food cakes: have no added leavening (such as baking powder), shortening or egg yolks. They are leavened with beaten egg whites and they have a high proportion of them to flour. Angel food cakes make a fabulous no-fat treat.

Charlottes: These molded desserts are a variation of the cake in which fillings - hot or cold - are poured into a bowl lined with bread, ladyfingers or pieces of cake, then decorated. A French pastry chef invented the charlotte in the 1800s. The classic version is the Charlotte Russe. Also try such flavors as chocolate, eggnog, strawberry, Bavarian cream.

Meringue cakes: Made from beaten egg whites and sugar, meringue is used as a leavening agent in some cake batters or to lighten a souffle or mousse. Baked by themselves into rings or other shapes, meringues make for light and pretty cakes filled with fruit or ice cream. They can be family size or baked as individual servings.

The Makery

What a great idea.

There is a whole new trend in retail where people can go and create their own pottery, they take the unfinished plate and they finish it the way that they desire. The Makery is just that but instead of pottery its cake. Brilliant! You go there pick out a plane iced cake from the bakery display, and they you choose how you would like to decorate it, and then you start creating. Its so much fun, and when your finished with the cake you don't want to eat it because you put so much time and effort into it. What a great place to go on a date, or bring the kids.

What's next make your own burgers?

So next time your in Centennial CO stop by and create your own cake

History of Cakes

Cakes are made from various combinations of refined flour, some form of shortening, sweetening, eggs, milk, leavening agent, and flavoring. There are literally thousands of cakes recipes (some are bread-like and some rich and elaborate) and many are centuries old. Cake making is no longer a complicated procedure.
Baking utensils and directions have been so perfected and simplified that even the amateur cook may easily become and expert baker. There are five basic types of cake, depending on the substance used for leavening.
The most primitive peoples in the world began making cakes shortly after they discovered flour. In medieval England, the cakes that were described in writings were not cakes in the conventional sense. They were described as flour-based sweet foods as opposed to the description of breads, which were just flour-based foods without sweetening.
Bread and cake were somewhat interchangeable words with the term "cake" being used for smaller breads. The earliest examples were found among the remains of Neolithic villages where archaeologists discovered simple cakes made from crushed grains, moistened, compacted and probably cooked on a hot stone. Today's version of this early cake would be oatcakes, though now we think of them more as a biscuit or cookie.
Cakes were called "plakous" by the Greeks, from the word for "flat." These cakes were usually combinations of nuts and honey. They also had a cake called "satura," which was a flat heavy cake.
During the Roman period, the name for cake (derived from the Greek term) became "placenta." They were also called "libum" by the Romans, and were primarily used as an offering to their gods. Placenta was more like a cheesecake, baked on a pastry base, or sometimes inside a pastry case.
The terms "bread" and "cake" became interchangeable as years went by. The words themselves are of Anglo Saxon origin, and it's probable that the term cake was used for the smaller breads. Cakes were usually baked for special occasions because they were made with the finest and most expensive ingredients available to the cook. The wealthier you were, the more likely you might consume cake on a more frequent basis.
By the middle of the 18th century, yeast had fallen into disuse as a raising agent for cakes in favor of beaten eggs. Once as much air as possible had been beaten in, the mixture would be poured into molds, often very elaborate creations, but sometimes as simple as two tin hoops, set on parchment paper on a cookie sheet. It is from these cake hoops that our modern cake pans developed.
Cakes were considered a symbol of well being by early American cooks on the east coast, with each region of the country having their own favorites.

Molten Lava Cakes

Ingredients:
6 (1-ounce) squares bittersweet chocolate
2 (1-ounce) squares semisweet chocolate
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 stick) butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 large eggs
3 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons orange liqueur

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Grease 6 (6-ounce) custard cups. Melt the chocolates and butter in the microwave, or in a double boiler. Add the flour and sugar to chocolate mixture. Stir in the eggs and yolks until smooth. Stir in the vanilla and orange liqueur. Divide the batter evenly among the custard cups. Place in the oven and bake for 14 minutes. The edges should be firm but the center will be runny. Run a knife around the edges to loosen and invert onto dessert plates.

Fried Pumpkin Layer Cake with Cream Cheese and Orange Frosting

Pumpkin Cake:
1 (17 to 18-ounce) package yellow cake mix
1 cup pumpkin puree (fresh or canned)
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Cream Cheese and Orange Frosting:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick butter, room temperature
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons orange juice
1 orange, zested
3 drops yellow food coloring
1 drop red food coloring

Fry Batter:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

For frying: Oil, for frying 1 recipe Pumpkin Cake 1 recipe Cream Cheese and Orange Frosting 1 recipe Frying Batter
For the Pumpkin Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 2 (9-inch) round cake pans.
In a large mixing bowl combine and beat with a hand held electric mixer all the ingredients until the batter is smooth. Divide the batter between the 2 prepared cake pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in their pans for 5 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
For the Cream Cheese and Orange Frosting: Cream the cream cheese and butter together with an electric mixer until smooth. Beat in the confectioners' sugar until smooth and then beat in the orange juice, zest and food coloring.
For the Fry Batter: Whisk together all the ingredients in a large shallow bowl.
For frying: Heat the oil in a very large Dutch oven, must be at least 11-inches wide.
Dip 1 of the cake layers in the batter and gently place it in the hot oil. Fry until golden brown and crisp, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel lined platter to drain. Repeat with the 2nd cake layer. Let the fried cakes cool slightly and then frost the top of 1 layer. Place the 2nd layer on top of it and frost. Don't frost the sides, it will be pretty to see the layers of frosting and crispy fried cake.