I have finally found an excuse to bake. The friends we're having dinner with on Sunday have asked us to bring dessert, and I was thrilled to agree. Plus, the friends are our neighbors so I can even put the cake on our lovely cake stand and just carry it next door, instead of having to pack it in something more practical like a tupperware container.
So! Now I need recipes. Maybe this is gruesome, but this is the same family who lost their baby last summer, and after that happened I baked them a cake using my standard recipe, and I don't want to bring that cake to them again in case it reminds them of that experience, you know?
So, Stephanie, who is also a master baker, suggested this recipe to me, and I am leaning toward using it, despite the fact that is has coffee in it and I hate coffee, only because Stephanie also hates coffee and she still swears that the cake is delicious. But before I commit completely (by which I mean, purchase the ingredients I don't already have on hand), I thought I'd take a wider poll.
What's your favorite cake recipe? All suggestions are welcome!
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14 years ago
My favorite cake is any that someone else makes for me!!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite cake to bring places is a hack on caramel cake- I make my standard yellow cake recipe (which is easy and super delicious) and top it with penuche frosting (which is impossibly sweet but SO EFFING GOOD). Email me if you want recipes.
ReplyDelete(Although, truth be told, if a neighbor asked me to bring dessert I'd probably bring a fruit tart or crumble, because I'm obsessed with fruit desserts. Especially ones with oat streusel topping.)
You can't go wrong if the cake has chocolate in it. I hate cooked fruit, so I'd veer away from crumbles. But, I know I'm weird and most people actually like cooked fruit.
ReplyDeleteNot going to lie, most of my cakes here are made from boxes. I make one (Chocolate - so not an option probably) from scratch.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I love chocolate and would be fine with eating it any day without remembering what I last ate it for, but I understand your point and think it's very thoughtful. I would go with something completely different than chocolate then - carrot cake, or lemon cake, etc. I know, no help at all with recipes, just opinions.
I have found that baked goods that call for coffee actually go over well with people I know who aren't fans of coffee. But then again I like the flavor of coffee more than I like coffee itself. Which sounds strange, I know.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, I have been wanting to find an excuse to make this. I haven't tried it yet, but it sounds delicious!
My favourite is an Angel Food Cake with fluffy frosting and raspberries or strawberries for a garnish.
ReplyDeleteI don't have much experience in the cake-baking department (my sister in law is a pastry chef so that pretty much eliminates any need for me to bake desserts; hers are so much prettier than anything I could hope to make); but since you said that you've been asked to bring dessert, I thought I would pass along this brownie recipe. It's easy, delicious, and by no means low-cal, but I am of the school that says if you are going to do dessert, it's all or nothing, baby!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.recipegirl.com/2009/04/17/milky-way-brownies-2/
http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/08/chocolate-peanut-butter-cake/
ReplyDeleteMMMMMMMMMMMM best cake ever.
But http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/12/carrot-cake-with-maple-cream-cheese-frosting/
is always nice and 'light'after a dinner.
Have fun baking!
Mmmm, my favorite to eat (and make) is this absolutely ridiculous Oreo cake. It's a round cake, cut into two layers, with a creme filling in the middle so that it actually looks like an Oreo. Then it's covered with a chocolate ganache. Email me if you want the recipe, it's super yummy. :)
ReplyDeleteI've made a delicious coconut cake before. Very labor intensive though. I'm also a fan of something simple like strawberry shortcake with fresh cream.
ReplyDeleteWilliams-Sonoma carrot cake. The icing is seriously the most delicious EVER:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/carrot-cake.html
Since it sounds like there are kids involved, too, the Oreo ice cream cake is another good one. My niece called it "the best cake she's ever had." :)
http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/oreo-fudge-ice-cream-106562.aspx
Have fun and let us know what you decide to make!
Catherine Newman has a really wonderful chocolate cake recipe on her Dalia Mama Dishes blog. It is incredibly delicate and served best with whipped cream and maybe fresh strawberries... Mmmm. So good. Now I want some.
ReplyDeletePillsbury! Not helpful? Sorry, I can't get over the fact that you hate coffee! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm going to second Sizzle's idea of berries with fresh cream -- but maybe bring a homemade poundcake? Smitten Kitchen's Cream Cheese Pound cake is one of the best I've ever made: http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/03/cream-cheese-pound-cake-strawberry-coulis/
ReplyDeleteOr if you want to bring something that LOOKS super fancy but is actually pretty easy to make, I love this Caramel Tofee Cheesecake from Epicurious. Total winner: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/toffee-crunch-caramel-cheesecake-231417
I like seasonal baking myself. Strawberries are in season, so a cake that has a strawberry topping (or a berry topping) would be totally awesome in my opinion. And then you could make white or pink frosting to go with it, which would be so springy and light and yummy.
ReplyDeleteloving all the Smitten Kitchen love! I like their cherry brown butter bars...you could do them with other fruit (pears? apple? berries?). It's more of a bar cookie than a cake, but it is sooo good.
ReplyDeleteVery good idea to bring a different cake. Even the smell of last summer's cake could be difficult. You are very thoughtful.
ReplyDeleteI make a "crazy cake" frequently. It is a Depression-Era cake. It is chocolate, but not too chocolately, and has no eggs. It is super yummy, not fussy, and easy. Let me know if you want the recipe. It may be to non-fussy for a dinner invite, but it is yummy nonetheless!
Oh, and coffee really brings out the subtleties and depth of chocolate, rather than just the sweetness. You won't take the coffee, I swear!
ReplyDeleteyummm! you know, i don't think i've ever baked a cake from scratch. i'm not a big dessert-maker, and when i do it's usually more along the lines of a cobbler or fresh fruit. or chocolate fondue. with fruit! :-)
ReplyDeleteI really don't enjoy baking, but a German chocolate cake from a Betty Crocker cake mix is simply divine!
ReplyDeletebest box creation recipe ever: brownie cake! remember the crazy concoction John made at the beach that was impossible to eat with a) ice cream, b) cookie dough, or c) both because it was so rich? I have now perfected the recipe (using box mixes only - of course you could substitute from scratch if you are really feeling inspired):
ReplyDeleteuse 1 box of yellow cake mix, but divide batter in two and cook in two round cake pans.
use 1 box of brownie mix - cook in rectangular baking pan.
cut the brownie in the same round shape as the cake pan when it's done (bonus!: extra brownie leftovers, hehe).
layer the brownie in between the 2 cakes, and load on the icing to fill in all gaps and make a smooth finish!
decorate as you will.
I could have just emailed this to you, I suppose, but I am posting the whole thing instead.
if you want a really easy recipe for a really delicious pineapple upside down cake (also from a box mix) let me know...
I love Martha Stewart's Carrot Ginger Layer Cake (recipe can be googled) and my roommate's cornmeal lemon cake with fresh strawberries.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite cake recipies is the "Better than Sex" cake, or as we say at our house "Better than Santa" cake.
ReplyDeleteIt's a basic chocolate cake (or boxed chocolate cake mix), baked in a 9x13 pan. When it comes out of the oven, take the end of the wooden spoon and poke little pencil-sized holes all over the cake. Then drizzle 1 can of sweet and condensed milk and 1 jar of Mrs. Richardson's caramel. Let cool and top with cool whip and toffee bits.
MMMMMMM. Soooooooo bad for you, but so very decadent!