Pumpkin Pie Crumble Cake

I started this venture with cakes in mind and initially concentrated on cakes and coffee cakes. But the book does say cakes, bars, cookies, and desserts. I would place this one in the dessert category.

A little more labor intensive than previous recipes I've tried, the result is a very nice pumpkin dessert welcome at any gathering.

The crust is something between a cake and a soft cookie and I like the way it is a distinct and substantial layer- about 1/4 to 1/2 in thick. Spreading it in the pain was a challenge- the dough is very soft and sticky. I tried my wooden spoon, rubber spatula, and long frosting spreading blade. No good. You have to use your hands, as the recipes instructs, imagine that! But you'll also want to dust them (and re-dust them) with floor to aid in the spreading of the crust dough.

The filling had that wonderful creamy, smooth texture of pumpkin pie filling, but not as intense a flavor. If you want the filling to taste more like pumpkin pie, I recommend adding a little nutmeg and ginger along with the cinnamon.

The crumble top- perfect! It crumbled!! I liked that it was plentiful making it easy to cover the cake completely. I was concerned it would bake into a more solid top, almost like a top crust. But it didn't. I love crumbles on top of cakes and donuts so this was perfect.

Lethal Chocolate Peppermint Cake

I'm a little worried about this one. The cake appears to be great, but I believe I messed up the peppermint frosting. I didn't measure carefully and, if it's possible, I think I had the butter too "soft". Even after adding more confectioners sugar, the frosting was not substantial enough. The layers were sliding apart. I've carefully pieced it together and placed it in the refrigerator to, hopefully, setup real good. Will let you know tomorrow!

:/

I cut the cake and put it out in the employee lounge after lunch and it was gone in no time. Because I had refrigerated the cake the ganache got a little hard and it was a little difficult to cut. The ganache broke into pieces and fell away from the cake. However that didn't seem to slow anyone down.

With a name like lethal chocolate peppermint cake I expected the peppermint to be a little overpowering but it wasn't in fact it was quite subtle and very complementary.

Begin again.....

I recently decided to revisit this too long ignored blog and check out any possible activity as well as remind myself why I abandoned it to begin with.   I'm currently sitting in a hotel room, waiting for time to pass so we can join family at breakfast ( we are from a different time zone but the body doesn't realize that).

So it has occurred to me to start up this blog again.  To try again to reach the goal of getting through one and on to another of Anne Byrn's wonderful cookbooks.  Obviously, I won't be making a cake here in the hotel room today.  But check back in a few days- my new goal- at least one per week. And, in the meantime, I did find this YouTube video of  tips from Anne Byrn.  Like her recipes, these are simple, but good (true)!
3 tips from Ann.

Friendship Cake

I didn't bake three cakes all in one day - I am just catching up on posting these notes.  I didn't know what to expect out of the Friendship Cake (page 179) - Like it's name sake, the Friendship Bread, you start with a "starter" recipe and "tend" it daily - this one, though, only 5 days.  But it's still strange to me to leave food fermenting on the counter top.  And, I goofed, though the finished product didn't suffer any - see, I started the starter, then took my cook book to work one day - to share that Hornet's Nest recipe with the three ladies who were asking for it.  I forgot to bring the cook book home - for three days.   Doh! - So, I'm trying to remember what ingredients to add in what amounts on what days - I didn't do too bad - here were my mistakes.

Day 3 was suppose to add the raisins.  I didn't but on day 4 I added the raisins and the dried apricots - which were suppose to be added on day 4.    Day 5 was suppose to add 15 oz can of crushed pineapple - I added an 8 oz can.  (Do you know I couldn't find a 15 oz can of pineapple in the grocery?  I found 8 oz and 20 oz - bought one of each - didn't intend to use the 8 oz in this recipe, but like I said, on day 5 my cook book was still at the office so I just dumped the 8 oz in since I didn't really remember what I was suppose to use.)

I baked the cake yesterday and took it into work this morning - it was pretty good - nice and moist, I would have like a little more fruit taste, but I thought the brown sugar, butter, and pecan topping was very good. 

Chocolate Kahlua Cake

My first "cakes with spirit" - I took the Chocolate Kahlua Cake (page 286) to my parents house - I've never known my step mother to drink and my father stopped drinking several years ago, so I really didn't intend to take a cake with liquer in it to their house, but for two days I forgot to take it to share at work (oh, - settle down.  the alcohol was "cooked out".)

My first disappointment of any recipe yet - BUT only for the "glaze" - which was just confectioners' sugar and Kahlua.  Like all the other glazes and frostings, I taste tested the glaze all by itself and didn't care for it - but when ate with (on) the cake, it neither distracted from or added to the goodness of the cake.

Now, the cake - it was wonderful - very moist and delicious.  Dad really liked it!  And it looked good I thought - a real deep chocolate color and perfect looking cake texture. I had two pieces - I'm glad I left the rest of the cake at the parent's house or I would have been in real trouble nibbling on that all week long.

Hornet's Nest Cake

I was sure I had already created a short blog entry on this one - I am starting to wonder what the heck is up on sites I visit on my "main" home computer -

Like so many others, I took the "Hornet's Nest Cake" (page 175) I made to work (about a week ago).  Within the first half hour I had two people ask for the recipe and another a little later in the day.   I would like to say this is a nice "coffee cake" - it sure would make me feel a little better about eating it for breakfast.  But this is such a moist, lusious cake - well I just felt quilty calling that breakfast.  It was very moist and sweet.   Someone asked me why it's called "Hornet's Nest" - I guess because the butterscotch chips and nuts spread onto of the batter makes the finished cake surface resemble a "hornet's nest" (as the book puts it "...the surface is pitted with holes like a hornet's nest." 

Whatever you call it or whatever you think it looks like,it's another great one.

Fiddler on the Roof

This weekend I made the cake on page 161 called "Fiddler on the Roof Cake" for my dad's best friend who is also my auto mechanic. I picked up my sports car last weekend now that spring is here and summer is on the way - so I dropped of my check for caring for my sports car - the check taped to the outside of the cake box.

Consequently I didn't actually try this cake - didn't even cut it. Uncut it looks pretty much just like the chocolate cake from Christmas eve, so I didn't bother a picture either.

The recipe started with the typical narrative about the origins and/or special information about the recipe. This one claimed the recipe was "more involved" than most the Cake Mix Doctor recipes. Well - maybe a little - seemed easy to me - dump all the ingredients except the cocoa in the mixing bowl, mix just like most the others I've made so far - here is the difference - pour half the batter in the prepared pan, mix the cocoa in the other half - pour it on top of the first half and swirl some with a table knife. Hardly that much more involved.

I have been loving this books - and her others, and these recipes. But I would be happy even if only the frostings were good - I said it before and it bares repeating - I have never found frosting recipes prior to this that were worth the work. The ready-made cans of frosting were better for much less work. But these frostings have turned me around - they have been fabulous! And the one for this cake (Chocolate Marshmellow Frosting on page 434) is another perfect example. Though we didn't get to try the cake, I did have extra frosting and my husband and I both liked it so much we were eating like candy, off a spoon, and even spread it on top of some peanut brittle.