The Cake Slice Bakers: November 2014

Hello....is this thing on?? Anyone still there? I took a break from baking for a few months, and now I am back at it again. November is the official new book kickoff for the year. We have a fabulous new book that we're baking from and it all looks very promising.

I chose to bake the Caramel Apple Coffee Cake. It was a complete hit, everyone loved it. I took it to work and it didn't last the day.

It had a great dense crumb, the apple flavor was perfect, the topping and caramel just sent it over the top. I can't wait to make this one again.

I am excited to see what next month will bring.....

xoxo
Heather

The Cake Slice Bakers: July 2014 and Other News

I did better this month and I'm only a day late. Considering everything that has occurred in the last month that is saying something. Which one should we start with first? The cake or the news? I'll keep you in suspense a bit more and we'll start with the cake.....

This month I made the Glazed Almond Butter Cake, and while I was a bit nervous because I know my boys and husband I was very pleasantly surprised to find that everyone like it. It has a great crumb texture, was moist and the best part was the almonds on top. I cooked mine a little earlier than I should have and they started to set up but it all worked out and the cake turned out delicious. It would be a perfect cake for afternoon tea or a luncheon.

Yes I would make this again and yes I ate way to much of it :) I would be good with other nuts too if you are not partial of almonds hazelnuts would be awesome. 

Now on to the news.....

Kenzie had puppies on June 30th.

They are three days old here, and so adorable. We have 2 males and 3 females. Today they are 3 weeks old and all have homes that are eager to have them already. They are huge now compared to this photo, eyes and ears are open, they are walking and starting to play. They go home to their new families in three short weeks.

This is why I've been busy and I am sorry I didn't get around to my post yesterday. I'll just blame it on the puppy breath, it kills me every time. While they are A LOT of work I am going to miss them so much when they go home. 

xoxo
Heather

The Cake Slice Bakers: June 2014

Well at least I'm not over a month late this time. I chose to make the yellow cake because honestly it was the easiest thing, I had everything on hand and I figured it would be hard to screw up a yellow cake. It's good, and would do in a pinch.

It has a nice tight crumb and good flavor. I took it to work and the guys liked it so that is always a good thing. I didn't have a ton of time and it didn't have a frosting recipe so I just made a quick chocolate ganache and covered it with that.

Enjoy!
Heather

The Cake Slice Bakers: May 2014

Now I realize that this is over a month late, and I've already missed the posting date for June. Well to be honest I've just been busy. That isn't a good excuse but it's what I am using since my husband and I own our own business that takes us away from home for 50+ hours each week then with the three boys, the two dogs and three cats, plus the house and the yard - I'm just a little stretched thin these days, so baking hasn't been on my top 10 list.

I do have some exciting news that I am been hoarding to myself, we are expecting puppies. She is due within the next week. I am hoping to bake June's cake this week before she has her puppies so even though it's late at least I will get it done. July is still up in the air so we'll see if I can get around to that one.

I made the cheesecake for May and to be honest this book has been one disappointment after another, the only cake that I have found that was truly good was the pound cake and I've made it several times. This is probably why I have been so reluctant to bake recently I just have no faith that it will be good.

At least it looks good.

Heather

The Cake Slice Bakers April 2014: Coconut Layer Cake

Good Morning and Happy Easter! He is Risen!!

This month's cake is what I would call our first real "cake" it's a true layer cake and frosting. I made mine early knowing that it would be perfect for Easter but figuring that since all but one cake in this book has been a flop for me that I didn't want to take that chance. The cake had good flavor, but it was best eaten the day of or next day as it became very dry, The frosting had good flavor but it didn't spread well, as you can tell in my pictures. Either way I would consider this a partial success just because it was a layer cake and I didn't take one bite and toss it in the trash.

Now to a bit of news. All of us at the cake slice bakers have been having issues with this book and many are not baking because of that. The powers at be got together and decided that instead of everyone baking the same cake each month instead they would get to choose which cake to bake out of the 4 chosen for the month. This will only pertain to this book and when we start our next book in November the rules will go back to the way they were before.

 

 

I am hoping to have some very exciting not having to do with anything baking related news to share with you all soon.....

 

See you next month

xoxo

Heather

The Cake Slice Bakers March 2014: Espresso Cake with Hot Kahlua Syrup

Wow it's already been a month since our last cake. This year seems to be flying past and I don't have the time to do half the things that I want to or need to do. I normally bake each months cake just as soon as I can - one to get it out of the way and two because I am excited to see what it tastes like. Well this one I wasn't excited about - other than the Kahlua that is always exciting. We aren't coffee people expect for the mentioned Kahlua - but then I have my own recipe for that so it's just special.

I have rarely said something was awful or terrible I try to be nice but this one was. The coffee flavor is very strong and the rest of the flavors just didn't come together for me. I made the cake, did the hot syrup and even made the chocolate ganache it still wasn't happening. I'm not sure what happened but it's not one that I will make again and the remaining will go to the chickens.

At least it looks pretty. Now go check out how my fellow bakers liked there cakes.

xoxo
Heather

An InLinkz Link-up

The Cake Slice Bakers February 2014 : Lemon Velvet Squares

Good Morning,

When we voted last month I was so excited for this cake. I thought this is exactly what we need a bit of spring in all the darkness and dampness of the Oregon winter. Plus it helps that I love lemon and not just a little. Now I'm not someone who will eat them raw or drink lemon juice straight, but give me a lemon cake or lemon bars and make them as lemony as you want and I am good with it - maybe it's all that sugar.... I guess I should rethink that part. Back to this months cake, I was super excited that we were going to make a lemon dessert, it's a very specific flavor and many people don't care for it. I had high hopes for it when other bakers said they had made it and it was good. I should have known better. They have a combo of lemon and orange in them but it has a lot more orange than lemon, which gives them more of a citrus taste than a lemon one. I am sure for a non lemon lover they are perfectly fine, for me they fell flat and I ended up disappointed.

I have thought about making it again, this time trading out the orange for all lemon to see if that helps. The whole point of the cake slice bakers is to bake as a group and to make the recipe as it states. Now we have people who are allergies and that is a different manner, but the rest of us are to bake the cake as it states in the book, we can make it in any shape or form but the basic recipe should all be the same, so we'll see. Next month will be a new surprise and adventure.

Now go visit my fellow bakers and see what they thought.

An InLinkz Link-up

xoxo
Heather