I can see why you fancied giving it a go, it looks delightful.

I'm always dubious though with caramel and cake. I think it works better with pastry to rein in the sweetness.

I'd shovel that cake down and have it gobbled before you could turn around and ask if it was good!

Me too. It looks abso.deeeeelish.

So, about me saying I would only make it again on bended knee...?
Mum is considering having me make it next time she goes round to see "the girls". Which would be next Tuesday evening.

I'll do it for her of course.
I can tweak it after all, learn from the mistakes of this version.
I'd bake on Saturday and freeze the layers and then assemble/ decorate Tuesday afternoon and refrigerate. That way she gets a cake that will keep nicely.

There was less then a 1/4 left when I left school, but there is a staff meeting tonight, so it might not survive. Of course it turns out there was another batch of homemade cakes AND a batch of shop-bought cakes on the same day! Still, I got a heartfelt compliment and a hug. Damnit I want MOAR! Which is why I wouldn't turn Mum down. Apart from the fact she is my Mum and I live in her house and all the rest of it.

Not as tidy as the professional version. And the vanilla should go at the top as they get more robust from light to dark imho. But for the record, here is my cake.

ETA - in my defense part of the reason it looks messy is because it has been hacked into with a completely blunt staffroom knife.

That looks really good!

Your cake absolutely fine.

Not this one darling, sorry.
I will try to sort you out with something soon, though.

[sighs, patiently]


Sent by thought transference

Yep, and I'd gobble yours up too Sundae. ;)

I read that on a bathroom wall somewhere...



----

Looks great Sundae -definitely a fayre cake if budget allows -with a photo of a cut version. Make yourself some business cards.

Tempting, tempting...
I've made a rod for my own back here. More compliments today - effusive ones - and it does turn my head. I'll cost it out when I make the one for Mum.

One of the other TAs wants me to make something for a friend of hers in hospital with cancer. She has offered to pay, but I think I might just make some carrot cupcakes for the staffroom (I have all the ingredients anyway) and bung her a few. I'll check and make sure what she would prefer, but I get the impression she's just like a little something as opposed to having a whole cake or a batch for her family. Might be wrong there! She says "Can't bake, won't bake; I hate it!"

Oh and the lovely TA who I lied to last time asked me details about the cake, I felt so proud to really have baked from scratch and answer honestly.

That is a lovely cake!

:thumb2:

Have already decided not to work tomorrow.
Coughing too much and not enough of a voice to be useful in a classroom.

Anyway.
This means I'll make the spesh choc-caramel cake for Mum on Monday.
I think she is relieved about that - less coughing over it, we both hope.

Today I made carrot mini-cakes for Mrs K at school (see above - has friend with cancer).
I found a recipe which made nine - I'd already offered one to Mum and as it turns out, eight fit perfectly into our little cake tin.

They're larger than fairy cakes (UK) but not as large as US muffins, and certainly not muffin texture. Hence mini-cakes.

Apart from a little grating they were super easy to make. As I said before, all I needed was three carrots, I had everything else, including the decorations on top (shop bought, chocolate, on sale).

Again, I have this issue with the cases peeling off.
When I've seen cakes in photos the cases have already been removed. But when so many decorative cases are sold, surely they are designed to be left on?
Am I overcooking them? Mum said the cake was gorgeous. And I gave her the most baggy one of course.

Hmmm.

Took them round to a school employee who lives nearby.
I was at school with her as it happens.
And volunteered in class with her elder daughter, and her younger daughter is in Tiger's class. So it's not like we don't have a connection! She'll take them in for Mrs K tomorrow.

Carrot cakes.

LOL.

They look adorable. :thumb2:

I just made carrot cake too. My recipe calls for you to add pureed cooked carrots into the batter. This seems less work than grating the carrots? If you think you may be interested, let me know and I'll put up the recipe. It was very yummy and moist. There was coconut shreds, walnuts, and crushed pineapple added. Not sure if you're adverse to any of those ingredients. I didn't add pineapple into my cake and later found out from a friend that pineapple makes carrot cake absolutely great.

Noooooo! Don't puree carrot!!!

I'm interested in the recipe, yes!
I've always wondered if I couldn't just liquidise carrots and have the same effect, but no-one I've spoken to has ever tried it. In fact they've looked at me a bit funny, like I was uber-lazy for thinking grating carrots was a chore. As I've found out, the amount of grating isn't all that excessive anyway. Probably easier than washing out the liquidiser!

Here is the mini-cakes recipe I followed; I used icing from a previous recipe as I was very pleased with it. This one called for orange zest but the traditional cream cheese, sugar, butter is so easy and such a classic.

From Butcher, Baker (blog)

I left out the All Spice. I'm sure we have some, but I was not up for clambering around on kitchen chairs searching for it.

I've read about pineapple in carrot cake. I've not tried it because I'm the main source of home made cakes for the people I bake for. It would be an interesting new slant, but for now they're just excited to taste the old favourites as they remember them.

Why not, Dana?


And here's the recipe I tried.

Carrot Cake
Makes two 9 or 10 inch round cakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Ingredients

• 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 3 cups granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon baking soda
• 1 Tablespoon Cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups corn oil
• 4 eggs
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
• 1 1/2 cups shredded coconut
• 1 1/3 cups pureed cooked carrots
• 3/4 cups crushed and drained pineapple

Mix together all of the dry ingredients-Flour, baking soda, salt cinnamon and sugar.
Add oil eggs and vanilla, beat well, scraping the sides of the bowl a couple of times.
Fold in the carrots, pineapple, coconut, and walnuts.
Divide the batter evenly between the pans. Smooth the batter level, then spread it slightly from the center to the edges.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or just until the tops are springy or a cake tester comes out clean.
Cool the cakes in their pans on a rack for 10 minutes. Then invert onto racks.

Pan Prep: I use either a spray oil or Crisco to grease the pans well, followed by a dusting of flour, followed by a layer of parchment paper or waxed paper that has been cut to fit the pan. That's it. No need to re-grease and flour the waxed paper as some cookbooks will ask you to do.

because he wouldn't like it...

Do you also have a thing called a blender, or do you not use the word blender at all?

I have a blender.

A blender is a liquidiser, isn't it?

Mum wants me to make some more carrot mini-cakes this weekend.
She's going to top up the ingredients cupboard in return.

Oh, hihi...

I used my blender to puree the carrots. I just looked over Sundae's carrot cake recipe. Such little amount of ingredients, I like. It does, however, use more spice. I'll try it one day. As for grating, it is a hassle for me though.

I dunno, that's what I was asking. It sounds like it is.

Sundae, when you cook the little cakes, do you put the patty pans in a muffin tray so they keep their shape? If you do, I would recommend leaving them in the tray to cool so they sweat a little bit, which would cause them to hold onto the wrapper.

Alternatively, try filling the papers up a bit more so that as they cook, they rise slightly over the top which will also help hold the papers in place.

Or, maybe try a different brand?

Ding ding ding ding!
We have a winner!

This actually occurred to me when I made this batch.
I took half out of the tray immediately, and left half in.
It wasn't 100% conclusive, but none of those left in the tray tried to shed their cases.

With muffins I will always fill the cases so that they bulge, but with fairy cakes/ mini cakes the ideal is to have the top of the cake below the case. Better for icing.
But I do think you have it re leaving them in the pan for longer.

Sundae, you usually need to leave baked goods to cool in pan a bit before putting them out onto the wire rack to cool completely. Cakes, cupcakes, brownies, banana bread, etc. :p: Or so says the recipes I've used, hehe.

I always do with large cakes, just for some reason I've not bothered with those in cases.
Lesson learned.

this is a cake:

Attachment 38809

Attachment 38810

another geekology link

how could you ever cut it?

never. It'd just have to slowly decay.

I'll eat it. Cut me a slice! :D

I prefer it as is.
The cake inside would have to be quite dense to support the weight.
And I but that rolled icing is really thick.

It's beautiful.
I want to admire it, not eat it.

Debating on making something for school tomorrow.
The cheese scones went down SO well.
I have ingredients in for any number of cakes, but I'm not sure I have the motivation with Mum & Dad away. usually Sunday baking is a way of getting off of here (so I am not accused of hogging the puter!) and I'm tired of reading in my room by then. I love reading, but if I start on Friday night, by Sunday lunch I need a break at least.

Will check to see if they left me any 'nanas. Unlikely as they know how I feel about them! But mini banana muffins might be cute.

Three layer Victoria Sponge with strawberry jam, topped with clotted cream and strawberries/ blueberries (in the approximate layout of a Union Jack).

Went down very well.
Consoled the staffroom for Andy Murray not winning Wimbledon.

Made Mum her birthday cake.
All went well til I tried to ice it.

Silly me. Don't try anything new for a special occasion.
I thought I'd make a white chocolate ganache. Forgetting that white chocolate and dark chocolate are very different creatures. White choc has far less cocoa solids for a start, and far more milk-fat.

So I ended up with something which looked and behaved like runny custard.
It took ages to set, and was still sticky when it did.
I mean any cake with ganache is best eaten with a fork, but this needed a spoon. To be tidy I mean.

Due to the delay, all Mum's friends had already visited before it was ready (TBF some had come a day or two days before) but the 'rents seem to have made good inroads.

Very moist says Mum.

Looks delicious, Happy Birthday Saturdae!

My nephew's birthday cake, made by my sister. I can't remember where I post my cake pictures, and since this is a cake thread, I posted it here. This year, I requested a smaller cake since we normally have so much leftovers. This is a 3 layer cookies and cream cake.

The cake lit up. The candles on the two sides were supposed to sparkle but they were a big fail. In any case, I still thought it was pretty. :) You can't see it but star confettis were sprinkles all over the table top. The girls absolutely loved them. They were gathering most of them up so there were not much left to clean. :p:

that is fantastic!!!!!!!!

Truly. I am in awe of this fine work Lola!

Thank you! Lot of work and planning went into the cake. But I have to clear up any misunderstanding, I didn't make the cake. My youngest sister did. I just wanted to share a pic of it, hehe. :D

I missed that, sorry. I am in awe of your sister's fine work!

what a great cake!

you shure know how to throw a paaah-ehy!

/frank gallagher

Verry coolz !!

Sundae, what is clotted-cream? Your cakes looked great but that has had me wondering

This is clotted creammmmmmmmmm!

So it would be similar to our butter creme icing??

No, I think you guys'd consider it to be butter. There's no sugar in it, it's just very thick creammmmmmmmm...

Sent by thought transference.

I'm guessing it's similar to whipped butter in consistency? Monster?

Lose the 'shure', otherwise excellent manc accent :P

I've had clotted cream. We have an English couple who run a tea shop and you can get high tea (even low tea!) and they have the real clotted cream.

It's not like anything I've ever had-it's madly divine. It's cream just - thick, thick, rich, rich, and delicious. you can find it here in America. It makes scones sooooooooooo good.

That's the stuff! Deadly, by the way. Clogs the arteries good and proper. But .... what a way to go!

I lived on it during my one trip to Scotland/England long ago ... scones with clotted cream and jam. So delicious! I walked so much every day that it didn't seem to do any harm ... wish I could indulge now. Not a chance, unfortunately! If I so much as looked at a jar of clotted cream I'd gain 2 lb.

Mini cupcakes, cake pops, and chocolate stars for trick-or-treaters. :D

cake pops up close. The pix are a bit blurry but they're the only ones I have. :p: I just bought the pan and wanted to try it out, hihi.

Wow. Really nice! It has me craving

Christmas tree brownies....test run to see if it's easy and fast enough for me to make as gifts for Xmas. People liked it. :D

Verry cool !!