La Cocina de Leslie: The Cake Slice Baker's

Showing posts with label The Cake Slice Baker's. Show all posts

I know it's been a couple of months since I last baked with my friends from The Cake Slice Bakers, let's just say work & life took precedence, but the important thing is that I'm back this month with our latest cake. And oh what a delicious cake it was!

This month's cake selection from the Great Cakes cookbook by Carole Walter was Lemon Velvet Squares, but since lemons aren't easy to come by in my small town, I turned these into Lime Velvet Squares. I really don't know what kind of cake I was expecting, but the end result was way better than I could have hoped for. It was velvety smooth, buttery, and mildly citrusy without being too tart. Within minutes of removing this cake from the oven, it completely disappeared. I take that as a very good sign and will be adding this cake to our regular dessert rotation.

This would be great spring/summer dessert served with whipped cream and sliced strawberries.

Lime Velvet Squares - lacocinadeleslie.com

24 February 2014

Cake Slice Bakers: Lime Velvet Squares

A couple of months ago, I can't remember if it was late August or early September, my Hubby and kiddies all came to me with one complaint, "You haven't baked us a cake in FOREVER! What kind of food blogger are you??? We want cake!" At first I was a little taken aback because they've had a steady supply of all kinds of baked goodies: cookies... brownies... pies... empanadas... But the more I thought about it I realized they were right. I couldn't even remember the last time I had baked them an actual cake. So I headed straight into the kitchen and whipped them up a quick and easy Mexican Chocolate Coffee Cake (recipe to come very soon) and made a mental note to bake my Hubby and kiddies a cake at least once a month, because they all LOVE cake, and I love them.

It was around that time that The Cake Slice Bakers announced they were accepting new members and were getting ready to start baking from a new book. For those of you unfamiliar with The Cake Slice Bakers, it is a group of bloggers from all over the globe who get together once a month to bake a different cake from one cookbook for an entire year. The Cake Slice Bakers was the first food blogger group I ever joined in the early days of this blog. I always had so much fun baking with them, and I loved that I got to try cake recipes that I might not have tried otherwise. My favorite cake cookbook to this day is still the Southern Cakes cookbook I bought during my first year with The Cake Slice Bakers.

To make a long story short, I got to thinking that re-joining The Cake Slice Bakers would the perfect way to help me stick to my plan of baking my family a cake once a month. I emailed Paloma (the group's leader and a good friend of mine) asking if I could join the group again and was immediately welcomed to the group with open arms. So from now on, you can expect a new cake recipe here in my Cocina on (or around) the 20th of each month.

This year The Cake Slice Baker's are baking from the Great Cakes cookbook by Carole Walter. The book is HUGE and has over 250 recipes. It doesn't have very many photographs, but after reading through a few pages I'm already very excited to bake from this newest addition to my cookbook collection.

The first cake we've chosen to make is an Applesauce Spice Cake, a perfect cake choice for fall. Normally, I'm really good about following directions and sticking pretty closely to what the recipe says, but that wasn't the case with this cake. For starters, even though I did have a batch of freshly made applesauce in my fridge, I also had some homemade pumpkin puree that needed to be used, so I turned this month's cake into a Pumpkin Apple Cake. And I left out a couple of ingredients, like the vegetable shortening because all I had on hand was butter, and also the allspice and nutmeg, because neither of those spices are easy to find in my small town.

Even with the changes I made, the cake was incredibly moist and delicious. I loved the combination of pumpkin and apple. And the Lime Cream Cheese Glaze on top was the perfect way to finish off this cake. I think this Pumpkin Apple Cake would be a wonderful morning treat on Thanksgiving or Christmas day.

Applesauce Spice Cake
(Recipe adapted from Great Cakes by Carole Walter)

Ingredients:

2-1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 cup pecans, finely chopped
2/3 cup butter
1 teaspoon grated lime zest
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1 cup chopped apple (I used apples from Chihuahua)
1 cup homemade pumpkin puree (unsweetened)

Lime Cream Cheese Glaze:

3 oz. cream cheese, softened
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
Fresh lime juice

Directions:
Generously grease and flour 2 (6 cup) Bundt pans. (DO grease the pans very generously with butter, as some bloggers had problems with the cake sticking to the pan.) Preheat oven to 350°F.

Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon in a medium bowl. Stir in the chopped pecans and set aside.

Cream the butter and lime zest with an electric mixer on high speed for about a minute. Add the sugar, one cup at a time, continuing to beat on high speed until well incorporated, about 2 minutes with each addition. Add eggs, one at a time, beating on medium speed until completely incorporated. Stir in fresh apple and vanilla.

Reduce mixer to low. Stir in 1/3 of the flour mixture alternately with 1/2 of the pumpkin puree until completely dissolved. Repeat with remaining flour and pumpkin, ending with the flour.

Divide batter evenly between the two pans. Bake at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove cakes from oven and let cool in pans for 5 to 10 minutes. Unmold and invert cakes onto serving platters.

To prepare the Cream Cheese Glaze, stir the powdered sugar into the softened cream cheese. Add fresh lime juice, 1 tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency. Drizzle over cooled cakes. Enjoy!

24 November 2013

Cake Slice Bakers: Pumpkin Apple Cake

Chocolate cake? Or vanilla?

Life is full of tough decisions.

If you're anything like me and have a hard time deciding between chocolate or vanilla cake, then you're going to love this month's Cake Slice Baker's selection...Zebra Cake! Just the name of this cake was enough to win me over. (It appealed to my inner Peggy Bundy. What can I say? I'm a red-head who's wild about animal prints!)

Zebra Cake is a vanilla and chocolate striped cake, very much like a Rainbow Cake, only with more stripes and without all of the bright colors. I didn't get as many stripes as I should have, because I baked the cake into two 9-inch rounds, so I could share one with my visiting sister-in-law.

I loved this cake! It was so light and tender. And the flavor was a subtle balance of butter, vanilla and chocolate. This Zebra Cake is definitely a keeper!

Zebra Cake
(from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman)

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons cocoa powder

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour a 9-inch round cake pan; set aside. (The recipe says to line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper, then grease and flour the parchment as well. But you know me, I'm a rebel. I skipped this step and didn't have any problem getting the cake out of the pan.)

In a 2-cup measuring cup combine the milk, melted butter, vegetable oil and vanilla; set aside. (This step isn't part of the recipe, but I think measuring out and combining all of the liquid beforehand makes whipping this cake up that much easier.)

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.

Combine the eggs and sugar in a large mixing bowl.

Beat with an electric mixer on high speed until thick and pale. (About 5 minutes.)


The whipped eggs and sugar looked so inviting, I wanted to dive in and take a swim.

With the mixer on low speed, add the milk, butter, vegetable oil and vanilla mixture, making sure to occasionally scrape the sides of the bowl.

Stir in the flour mixture 1/2 cup at a time.

Pour 1/3 of the batter (about 1-1/2 to 1-3/4 cups) into another bowl and whisk in the cocoa powder.

Pour 1/4 cup of the vanilla batter into the center of the cake pan, followed by 3 tablespoons of the cocoa batter directly in the center of the vanilla batter.

Continue alternating the vanilla and cocoa batters until you've used all of the batter. Bake at 350F for about 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!!!

Printable Version

20 July 2011

Cake Slice Bakers: Zebra Cake

I can't believe it's been a year since I joined The Cake Slice Bakers. I've enjoyed baking with this wonderful group of women from around the world, some of whom have become very dear friends of mine. It was because of The Cake Slice Baker's that I discovered and fell in love with the Southern Cakes cookbook by Nancie McDermott. It has become one of my favorites.

But a new year has begun with the CSB's and that means that we will now be baking from a new book...Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman. Earlier this year, I received this book as part of a Cookbook Swap from fellow Cake Slice Baker Monica of Lick the Bowl Good.

The first recipe from Cake Keeper Cakes is a Pumpkin-Chocolate Chip Pound Cake. A moist cake studded with chocolate chips and chopped pecans. I only made two small changes in the recipe. I substituted chunks of Carlos V chocolate bars for the chocolate chips and used pecans instead of walnuts.

I would never have thought to combine pumpkin with chocolate, but in this cake they really worked well together. And I can't wait to make this recipe again.

Pumpkin-Chocolate Chip Pound Cake
(from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattham)

Ingredients:

1-3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Pinch nutmeg
1/2 cup butter, softened
1-1/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup milk
1 cup chocolate chips (I used Carlos V chocolate bars)
1 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350F. Coat the inside of a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray and dust with flour. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, cloves and nutmeg in a medium mixing bowl; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, scraping the bowl occasionally.

With the mixer on medium-low speed, add the eggs one at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition. Stir in the pumpkin puree, vanilla and milk.

Turn the mixer to low speed and add the flour mixture 1/2 cup at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.

Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts (or pecans).

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.

Bake the cake until it is firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 55 minutes to 1 hour. Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes, invert it onto a wire rack and then turn it right-side up on the rack to cool completely.

Enjoy!!!

Printable Version

23 October 2010

Pumpkin-Chocolate Chunk Pound Cake

When I think of Fall, I think of the weekends I spent camping with my grandparents in scenic Oak Glen. The quaint picturesque community of Oak Glen is famous for it's apples. September marked the beginning of apple season. SoCal tourists lined the streets to pick baskets of red, yellow, pink and green apples and to enjoy all of the delicious apple goodies made with the local varieties of apples. Some of my favorites included Apple Butter, Apple Turnovers, Apple Wine, a slice of Apple Pie á la Mode and a tart caramel apple on a stick.

All of these wonderful memories came flooding back after one bite of this month's Cake Slice Bakers cake: Fresh Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze. A moist apple cake studded with chopped pecans and topped with a buttery brown sugar glaze. It was like biting into the sweet caramel apples I grew up eating.

As I was putting the cake together, I was worried that there would be too little cake with the amount of apples and pecans I added. I got a little carried away and added a whole kilo of chopped apples. But the cake turned out to be a perfect balance of cake, apples and pecans. The only change I would make is to reduce the amount of oil. I used the entire cup and a half called for in the recipe, but I think it would turn out even better with just one cup.

Be sure to visit the rest of the Cake Slice Bakers to see what they thought of this delicious cake.

Fresh Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze
(from Southern Cakes by Nancie McDermott)

Fresh Apple Cake:

3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1-1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups finely chopped apples
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts

Brown Sugar Glaze:

1 cup lightly packed light brown sugar (azucar mascabado)
1/3 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons evaporated milk, half-and-half or cream (I used evaporated milk)

Directions:
To make the cake, heat the oven to 350F. Grease and flour a 9x13-inch pan. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt; stir with a fork to mix everything together well.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs with a wooden spoon or wire whisk at low speed until pale yellow and foamy.

Add the oil and vanilla; beat well.

Stir in the flour mixture just until the flour disappears.

Add the apples and pecans.

This is where you should switch to using a wooden spoon, because the batter is very thick.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 350F for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the cake turns golden brown, springs back when touched lightly in the center and begins to pull away from the edges of the pan.

Once the cake is done, let it cool slightly in the pan on a wire rack. Make the glaze while the cake is hot. Combine all the ingredients in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the mixture comes to a gentle boil and cook for 3 to 5 minutes.

Pour the glaze over the hot-from-the-oven cake. Let the glazed cake cool completely.

Serve in squares right from the pan. Enjoy!!!

Printable Recipe

(P.S.) If you would like to join me and the rest of The Cake Slice Bakers, we are now accepting new members. Send Katie an e-mail with your name, blog name and blog URL to appleandspice(at)hotmail.co.uk with "Cake Slice Member" as the subject. You have until October 20th to sign up.

20 September 2010

Just in time for Fall {Fresh Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze}

How embarrassing! I thought I published this post on Friday.

It's time for another installment of The Cake Slice Baker's! I know it has been a while since I've participated and all because of my computer problems. (Still waiting on the computer tech!)

This month's cake is one of my favorites...Tres Leches (Three Milks). I loved it!

The actual cake was a little denser than I prefer for a Tres Leches cake, but it was delicious and held together very nicely after the addition of the three milks.

After tasting this cake, Hubby declared that it was the best Tres Leches cake he has ever tasted. And Hubby isn't a big fan of Tres Leches. The kiddies loved it too. My daughter Ashley liked it so much that she wants me to make it again for her birthday next month!

Be sure to check out the rest of The Cake Slice Baker's to see how they liked this cake!

Johnny C's Tres Leches Cake
(from Southern Cakes by Nancie McDermott)

Ingredients:
Cake

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 cup milk

Three-Milk Sauce

1-1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk (I used the whole can!)
1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk
1 tablespoon grated lime zest

Garnish

Sweetened whipped cream
Fresh Fruit

Directions:
Heat the oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a 9 x 13-inch pan. In a medium bowl, combine the flour and baking powder and stir with a fork to mix well.

In a large bowl, combine the butter and sugar; beat with a mixer at high speed to mix well.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well each time and stopping to scrape down the bowl occasionally, until the batter is light, fluffy and smooth.

Add one-third of the flour mixture. Then half of the milk. Beating at low speed each time, just until the flour or milk disappears into the batter.

Add another third of the flour, the remaining milk and the remaining flour in the same way.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake at 350 F for 35 to 40 minutes, until the cake is golden brown, springs back when touched lightly in the center and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.

Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Sprinkle the lime zest over the cake. Punch holes with a toothpick in the top of the cake about 1 inch apart.

While the cake is cooling, make the sauce by combining the milk, sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk in a medium saucepan. Heat gently over medium heat, stirring often, until the mixture forms a smooth, steaming hot sauce. DO NOT LET IT COME TO A BOIL!

Slowly pour the warm milk sauce over the warm cake in stages, stopping to let the cake absorb some of the sauce before adding more.

Let stand for 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate, allowing the cake to come to room temperature before serving. Cut into square and serve right from the pan. Garnish with sweetened whipped cream and fresh fruit, if you like.