Individual Warm Chocolate Puddings.

Sorry, I'm one day late with posting this month's Cake Slice Bakers entry.  I had made my choc pudds well in advance - I mean, how could anyone resist? - but was too busy to post yesterday.

These are a flourless pudding served warm with the gooey middle flooding out onto the plate.  Unfortunately I slightly overdid my ones so not so much a flow of molten chocolate but the middles were still lovely and gooey.  

The recipe is from The Cake Book by Tish Boyle.  Have a look at Katie's blog to see her beautiful molten ones and the recipe. 

The best thing about this recipe?  Licking the bowl after filling the ramekins!  Am actually tempted to make this and not bother baking it next time - that chocolate mousse is amazing.

Cake Slice Bakers 14 - Fail.

This month we were to make Creamy Pumpkin Cheesecake from our new book The Cake Book by Tish Boyle.  First off I notice it is decorated with ginger spiced pumpkin seeds and I don't do ginger but no problem, I can just leave that out.

Next I have to worry about getting the canned pumpkin.  I imported some for last year's Pumpkin-Chocolate Chip Pound Cake (my first ever bake with The Cake Slicer Bakers but I didn't really want anything else from the US so didn't fancy paying the delivery charge just for this one thing.  However, a friend let me know of a place that sells US things quite near by.  (Mains Of Drum for anyone local who is interested - quite a nice selection of classic American goods.)  So, I took the boys for a trip to get some and managed to get two tins of pumpkin.  All set to make the cheesecake.

Somehow, though, I just kept putting off making it.  There was always something more important to do.  I finally decided that I had to get it done and it dawned on me that I wasn't getting on with it as I didn't really fancy pumpkin cheesecake and wasn't sure that anyone else in the house would particularly want it either.  But I had bought the pumpkin.  

It suddenly became clear - I would use the pumpkin to make last year's cake instead as we had all loved it.

I made two of the Pumpkin-Chocolate Chip Pound Cakes.  The only difference from last year's one was that I changed the walnuts to pecans and I used a bar of dark chocolate chopped into rough chunks instead of the chocolate chips. Oh, and I had enough batter to make about 8 cupcakes too. 

I must say I would choose cake over cheesecake any day.

If you want to see the cheesecake, though, please go and have a look at the Cake Slice Blog Roll.

The Cake Slice Bakers - Challenge 10 - July 2011 - Zebra Cake.

Ha ha - that's going to be confusing - a picture of an owl cake with the title 'Zebra Cake'.  I had to make an owl cake for Rufus' 3rd birthday and since I had to make a zebra cake for The Cake Slice Bakers, I thought I would combine the two.  

I have never made a zebra cake before.  My first attempt didn't work at all.  I must have put too much cocoa powder in the chocolate layer so the batter was much more dense than the vanilla layer and consequently just sunk to the bottom instead of spreading out to form the stripes.  For the second attempt, I kept back some of the flour from the original batter and mixed it into the vanilla half when I mixed the cocoa into the chocolate half.  This worked much better.

My stripes weren't as defined as I would have liked so next time I make it, I will do larger dollops of the mixture to make each stripe.  I did about 3 tbsp vanilla to 2 tbsp chocolate in this one and you can see it makes the stripes too thin to be very distinct.

I was very pleased with the cake.  It had to compete with a layer of chocolate ganache and then fondant as it ended up being a party cake.  It was moist and light, though, and I preferred it to my usual chocolate cake that I do for novelty cakes.  It seemed to go down well with guests at the party too.  I didn't manage to get any pretty pictures it sliced as we were obviously busy with the party.  I would be happy to make it again, though, and certainly want to try making bigger, more defined stripes next time.

Recipe - Zebra Cake - adapted from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman.

Ingredients - 

2 cups plain flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

4 large eggs

1 cup sugar

1 cup whole milk

1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled (113g)

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp cocoa powder

Method - 

1. Preheat oven to 350F/180C.  Grease a 9" round cake pan, line with a circle of parchment paper, grease the parchment, and dust with flour.  Combine the flour (keep back 2 tbsp of flour to add to the vanilla portion later to keep the batter consistencies similar), baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

2. Combine the eggs and sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until thick and pale, about 5 mins.  With the mixer on low speed, stir in the milk, butter, vegetable oil and vanilla, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice as necessary.  Stir in the flour mixture 1/2 cup at a time.

3. Transfer 1/3 of the batter into another bowl and whisk in the cocoa powder. (Whisk the extra 2tbsp flour into the vanilla portion).

4. Place 1/4 cup of the vanilla batter into the centre of the cake tin and let it stand for a few seconds so it spreads out slightly.  Place 2 tbsp of the chocolate batter right on top of the vanilla and wait another few seconds until it spreads.  Continue, alternating vanilla and chocolate, until you have used up all of the batter and it has spread to the edges of the pan.

5. Bake until the cake is set and a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean, about 40 mins.  Cool in the pan for 10 minutes.  

6. Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper or wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to 3 days. 

Click here to see the CSB blogroll.

And click here to see how it should look! Beautiful. 

The Cake Slice Bakers - Challenge 9 - June 2011 - Fresh Strawberry Cake With White Chocolate Chips.

Another recipe from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman.

We got some beautiful, red, Scottish strawberries for this one - they were so sweet and delicious - it did seem a bit of shame to turn them into cake.  The cake was very nice - kids loved it.  The white chocolate really just made a sweet, sticky layer towards the bottom.  I would probably only use under par strawberries for this, though, as beautiful strawberries should just be eaten as they are!

Also, it was a very sweet cake but some of the other cake slice bakers reduced the sugar in it or added blueberries to balance the sweetness - Feeding My Enthusiasms.

Recipe - 

Ingredients - 

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 tsp grated lemon zest

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups plain flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

6 tbsp (3oz) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

8 oz strawberries, hulled and sliced

1 cup white choc chips or chunks

Method - 

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.  Grease an 8 inch square baking pan and dust it with flour, knocking out any extra.  Combine the egg, egg yolk, sour cream, lemon zest and vanilla in a large glass measuring cup and lightly beat.  Combine 1 1/4 cups flour, the baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium mixing bowl.

2. Combine the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 mins..

3. With the mixer on medium-low speed, pour the egg mixture into the bowl in a slow stream.

4. Turn the mixer on low speed and add the flour mixture 1/2 cup at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.  After the last addition, mix for 30s on medium speed.

5. Combine the strawberries and remaining 1/4 cup of flour in a medium bowl and toss to coat.  Fold the flour covered berries along with the chocolate chips into the batter with a rubber spatula.

6. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake the cake until it is golden and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean, 45 to 50 mins (my one took a bit longer - maybe another 15-20 mins).  Let the cake cool in the pan for about 5 mins, invert it onto a wire rack, and then turn it right side up on a rack to cool completely.  Cut into 9 squares and serve.

7. Store uneaten squares in a cake keeper or wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Click to see the Cake Slice Blogroll.  Some of the bakers made the lime chiffon cake this month and others have done both.

I'm so in the way of baking with American recipes now that we have cooked so many things from this book.  Funny that only a few months ago, I would have been put off by an American recipe whereas now I am quite familiar with the different measurements and a good lot of the ingredients too.  Looking forward to next month's cake. 

The Cake Slice Bakers - Challenge 8 - May 2011 - Orange-Almond-Caramel Upside-Down Cake.

Well I loved this cake - turned out beautifully.  The orange cake is so soft and lovely and the nutty caramel is scrummy, but I think the caramel somehow overpowers the light cake.  I love both elements but I would probably mix and match a bit.  The orange cake is stunning and would be wonderful on its own.  The caramel topping might be better on a denser cake.

I made the cake with very fresh eggs from my friends chickens and I think their yolks really added to the lovely orange colour of the sponge.  You can't see it properly in my photographs - I think the sun was too bright when I was taking the pictures.

This was also the first baking I did in my new house.  I have a new fan oven and had no idea what I was doing with it but I just turned the temperature down a little and it was fine.

I was very pleased with this cake, though, and it disappeared within 24 hours.  Will certainly make use of the separate bits of this recipe again and may even make it together again.  It was delicious and very quick and easy to make.

Recipe (From Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman).

Ingredients - 

(For the topping)

1 cup sliced almonds

6 tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter

2/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup honey

(For the cake)

1 1/2 cups plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup sour cream

2 large eggs

1/4 cup orange juice

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tbsp grated orange zest

Method - 

Make the topping.

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.  Grease a 9 inch round non-stick cake pan and dust with flour.  Line the bottom of the pan with a circle of parchment paper and grease and flour the parchment.

2. Spread the nuts on a baking sheet and toast until golden, 8 to 10 mins (or use toasted flaked almonds like I did so you can skip this step). Heat the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until foaming. Whisk in the brown sugar, turn the heat to low, and cook, whisking, for 2 mins.  Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth with a spatula.  Drizzle with the honey.  Scatter the toasted almonds over the honey.  Set aside.

Make the cake.

1. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.  Combine the sour cream, eggs, orange juice, and vanilla in a glass jug and lightly beat.

2. Combine the butter and granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 mins, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.  Stir in the orange zest.

3. With the mixer on medium-low speed, pour the egg mixture into the bowl in a slow stream, stopping the mixer once or twice to scrape down the sides.

4. 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.  After the last addition, mix for 30s on medium speed.

5. Pour the batter over the almonds, gently spreading it into an even layer with a spatula.

6. Bake until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.  Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let stand for 5 mins.

7. Holding the pan and a plate together firmly with oven mitts, immediately invert the hot cake onto the plate.  Peel away the parchment paper.  If necessary, replace any almonds stuck to the bottom of the pan.  Let the cake cool for 20 mins and serve warm or at room temperature.

8. Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Check out The Cake Slice Blogroll to see other versions of this cake.

The Cake Slice Bakers - Challenge 7 - April 2011 - Cold Oven Cream Cheese Pound Cake.

So this is my first ever Bundt cake.  Don't tell my husband but I bought myself a Bundt tin for it.  I'm glad I did as I love the way the cake looks and look how perfect it is in my cake keeper!

So, can't wait to keep experimenting with Bundt cakes.  I think they look classy and grown up.

Anyway, I didn't put any ginger in this cake as I don't like the stuff so I increased the lemon and made a lemon icing.  It was lovely and we finished it off very quickly.  Next time, I think I would up the lemon flavour a little more as I do love the tang.  A very moist and soft crumb to this cake.

Now, as we are moving house soon, I have packed away my recipe books and forgot to take a note of the recipe for this post.  Instead I will link to Emily's Cooking Foray for her post which includes the recipe.

Click here to see The Cake Slice Bakers Blogroll.

The Cake Slice Bakers - Challenge 6 - March 2011 - Chocolate Cream Pound Cake.

Any kind of chocolate cake always goes down well here.  The boys helped make this one and thoroughly enjoyed licking the spoons/bowls/everything going.

As you can see, I opened the oven too early so the cake sank in the middle but apart from that it is a very nice and easy chocolate cake.  We made it the day before I went away for a two day course and it was all gone by the time I got back.  Should have made two!

Recipe - Chocolate Cream Pound Cake (adapted from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman)

Ingredients - 

6 tbsp cocoa powder

1/4 cup double cream

1 cup plus 2 tbsp plain flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

4 oz unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 large eggs

1tsp pure vanilla extract

Method - 

1. Preheat the oven to 325F/170C/GM 3. Grease a 9" by 5" loaf pan and dust with flour.

2. Sift the cocoa powder through a fine strainer and into a heatproof bowl.  Place the cream in a microwave safe jug and heat until just boiling (30-60s).  Pour the hot cream over the cocoa and stir and mash with a spoon to make a thick paste.  Set aside to cool.

3. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.

4. Combine the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 mins.  Beat in the cocoa powder paste until smooth.

5. With the mixer on medium-low speed, add the eggs one at a time.  Stir in the vanilla.

6. Turn the mixer to low speed and add the flour mixture 1/2 cup at a time.  After the last addition, mix for 30s on medium speed.

7. 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 centre comes out clean, about 1 hour and 10 mins.  Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 mins, invert it onto a wire rack, and then turn it right side up on a rack to cool completely.  Slice and serve.

8. Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper or wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

See other bakers' versions at The Cake Slice Blogroll.

The Cake Slice Bakers - Challenge 5 - February 2011 - Coffee - Dime Bar Cake.

My version of this wasn't very successful.

It did not look pretty, the crunch topping sank into the cake and more or less disappeared and my husband's verdict was, "you've made better cakes".

It tasted fine but nothing amazing.  I should maybe try again to see if I can get the proper effect of the dime bar crunch on top but, actually, I don't think I will bother.

I'm not going to bother putting the recipe up.  

However, others in the Cake Slice Bakers did better jobs so click on the link to have a look at their versions of this cake - Cake Slice Blogroll.

And have a look at Apple & Spice to see how the cake should have looked!

The Cake Slice Bakers - Challenge 4 - January 2011 - Graham Cracker - Chocolate Chip Snacking Cake.

This is the cake we made this month from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman and, Look!, I now have a cake keeper.  This was a Christmas gift from my in-laws and I love it.  I can now keep the cake I make fresh but on display on the counter - lovely.

So, this cake is made to be like the American S'mores.  I had never heard of these until recently.  An American friend of mine made us some S'more bars which she brought with her for us to eat on a girlie spa day.  They were heaven and I should really get the recipe from her.  Unfortunately this cake doesn't match up to those.  It is nice enough but not a recipe that I would really be craving.  Rufus and I enjoyed most of these cakes served with strawberries and ice-cream and that seemed to be the best way to eat them and really made us say "yum" whereas, on their own, they were a little bit dry and boring.  I think partly because I had overcooked them a little.  

Recipe - 

Ingredients - 

For the cake - 

8 whole Graham crackers, finely ground (about 1 cup)

1/4 cup plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

6 tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

For the frosting - 

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup icing sugar

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup Marshmallow fluff (I just used the whole jar)

Method - 

Make the cake - 

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.  Grease an 8-inch square baking pan and dust it with flour, knocking out any extra.  Combine the Graham cracker crumbs, flour, baking powder and salt in a medium mixing bowl.

2. Combine the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 mins, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.  With the mixer on low speed, add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then beat until smooth.

3. With the mixer on low speed, add 1/3 of the flour mixture, then 1/2 of the milk, stirring until combined.  Repeat with the remaining flour and milk, ending with the flour.  Stir in the chocolate chips.

4. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.  Bake until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean, about 35 mins (this was a touch too long, probably check at 25 mins).  Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 mins.  Invert it onto a wire rack, and then turn it right side up onto a rack to cool completely.

Make the frosting - 

1. Place the butter in a medium mixing bowl and beat until creamy.  With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the sugar, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.  Stir in the vanilla and the Marshmallow Fluff and beat until smooth.  Use immediately or cover the bowl with plastic wrap and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

2. Cut the cake into squares and serve each one with a dollop of frosting on top.  Store uneaten squares in a cake keeper at room temperature for up to 3 days.

If you don't have Graham crackers, you can substitute digestive biscuits but I decided to get them as I was intrigued as to what they were.  They actually taste a lot like Rich Teas to me.  Now I need to figure out what I am going to do with the other 16 I have so I would be grateful for any suggestions.

Also, if you don't have Marshmallow Fluff, you can simply melt down some marshmallows and use that instead.

Here is the link to The Cake Slice Bakers Blogroll to see how other members got on this month.

The Cake Slice Bakers - Challenge 3 - Cranberry Cake.

Oh yum, I loved this cake.  It is packed full of fresh, zingy cranberries and topped with an almond streusel.  It was lovely as a dessert with some sing cream. This will be a regular in my baking repertoire from now on.  I'll need to make another soon for my Dad as I think he would really love it too.

I made this for a Christmas party we were having with some of our friends from our NCT antenatal class.  Best class I ever went to as we have made some amazing life-long friends.  

As you can see from the picture, my version is still a bit gooey inside.  It needed a lot longer than the cooking time of 70 minutes.  In fact after 140minutes with the temperature increased after 40 mins, it still wasn't quite cooked properly but we had to leave for the party so I had to take it out.  All the other Cake Slice Bakers seemed to have the same problem so I have amended the recipe in my book to start off at a higher temperature and cook for longer.  I certainly don't mind gooey cake, though, so no hardship.

Here is the link to the Cake Slice Blogroll if you want to have a look at other versions of the cake (with much better photography than mine!).

Cranberry Cake adapted from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman.

Recipe - 

Ingredients - 

For the streusel - 

100g flaked almonds

2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

2 tbsp light brown sugar

For the cake - 

228g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

3 large eggs

450g granulated sugar

170g butter, melted and cooled

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

340g fresh cranberries

Method - 

Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/GM2 (I would increase this to GM4 next time).  Grease a 10-inch round springform pan.

Make the streusel - 

Combine the almonds, butter and brown sugar in a medium bowl.  Work the mixture between your fingers to form large crumbs.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

Make the cake - 

1. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.  Combine the eggs and granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until the mixture is lightened and increased in volume, about 5 mins.  With the mixer on low, add the butter in a slow stream.  Turn the mixer to medium speed and beat for another 2 mins.  Stir in the vanilla.

2. Gently but thoroughly fold in the flour mixture, a large spoonful at a time.  Stir in the cranberries.

3. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a spatula.  Sprinkle the streusel over the batter.  Bake the cake until it is golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean, 60-70 mins (may need longer but I have yet to try making it at the higher temperature).

4. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 mins.  Release the sides of the pan and use a large spatula to slide the cake from the pan bottom to a wire rack.  Cool completely, cut into wedges and serve.

5. Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper or wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to 5 days.

And just a few Christmassy photos since this is a festive recipe (I know that's a rubbish excuse!).

The Cake Slice Bakers - Challenge 2 - November 2010 - Cinnamon Pudding Cake.

This month we made the cinnamon pudding cake from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman.

My first attempt came out very dry and not nice at all.  I then tried again and reduced the cooking time and it was a big improvement.  However, it wasn't a cake I would particularly cook again.  Although I liked the idea of the cinnamon cake with the lovely topping of gooey caramel, I have had far nicer ones than this.  It is simple and quick to make but I think any little extra effort to make a more traditional sticky toffee pudding is worth it.  Some of the cake slice bakers rave about it so if you fancy the idea, maybe you should try it and see if it is for you - have a look at The Cake Slice Blogroll to see some adjustments that others made to improve it.  In fact, one of our members, Felice emailed Lauren Chattman about it and got a very friendly reply.  She suggested that you could increase the topping ingredients by 50% to make more caramel or add an egg to the cake mix to make a richer cake.

  

I have just looked through my photos and found that they are blurred and horrible.  I wonder if my feelings about the cake affected the effort put into the photography?

Recipe - 

Serves 9.

Ingredients - 

For the caramel topping - 

1 cup plus 2 tbsp light brown sugar

3/4 cup water

1 tbsp unsalted butter

1/4 tsp salt

For the cake - 

2 cups plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup whole milk

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Method - 

Make the topping - 

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/GM 4.

2. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan. (Not a loose bottomed one like I did the first time!  Of course, several minutes into cooking I hear the caramel start to pour out onto the oven floor - doh!)

3. Combine the brown sugar, water, butter and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, whisking occasionally.  Set aside to cool.

Make the cake - 

1. Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.

2. Combine the butter and granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 mins.

3. With the mixer on medium-low speed, add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the bowl.  Add 1/2 of the milk and vanilla.  Add another 1/3 of the flour.  Add the remaining milk and the remaining flour.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat on medium speed for 30s.

4. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.  Pour the topping over the batter. 

5.Carefully transfer to the oven and bake until set, 45 - 50 mins.  Now, my second attempt I only cooked for 35 minutes and it was much less dry.  The other cake slice bakers seem to have found that this is a better time for cooking, too.

6. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes, invert it onto a large rimmed serving platter, and serve warm.

7. Let leftover squares cool completely and store in a cake keeper or airtight container at room temperature for up to one day or in the refrigerator for 3 days.

The Cake Slice Bakers - Challenge 1 - October 2010 - Pumpkin-Chocolate Chip Pound Cake.

This is my first challenge as a new member of The Cake Slice Bakers.

I believe they cook a recipe each month from a book for a year.  The book they have chosen for this year is  Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman.

I got myself a copy of this from Amazon and I'm really glad I did.  The main idea of the book seems to be for people who like to bake fairly simple cakes but have a cake on the go all the time.  What a lovely idea - just to keep a cake on the counter (in a beautiful glass cake stand with dome, of course, wee Christmas hint to my husband if he is reading) for anyone to help themselves to at any time.

The chapters divide the book into - snacking cakes, round cakes, loaf cakes, Bundt cakes, crumb cakes and angel food and chiffon cakes.  No, I have no idea what those last two are but I'm looking forward to finding out.  I think I will probably have to buy my first Bundt tin at some point too.

It is an American book so I have bought myself some cup measurements and thought I would try baking the American way.  I have already started scribbling notes inside the book to remind me where a conversion is needed.  Most importantly, I now know a stick of butter = 4oz = 113g.  Previous to this, I would have just dismissed any book which used US measurements so this opens a whole new world of baking to me.  I think that's the whole point of a baking challenge isn't it?  To broaden my horizons.  And, of course, I would never have ever used pumpkin in baking before either, so two "firsts" with my first challenge. 

So, the first recipe - Pumpkin-Chocolate Chip Pound Cake is brilliantly seasonal.  The only problem was getting hold of any tinned pumpkin as it is not really available in the UK and all the online shops importing stuff from the US were out of stock due to a shortage.  I just kept pestering them, though, and finally managed to get myself a couple of tins.

The cake was really easy and quick to make and it came out well.  Easy to slice, looked good and tasted perfect for Autumn - a little bit earthy but sweet and with oozing dark chocolate.  Lovely and moist too.  It lasted less than a day.  We all ate a fair bit earlier in the day and then my in-laws unexpectedly came round so it was great having a freshly baked treat just sitting there to serve to them.  Once I get my lovely cake stand with the glass dome, this will definitely be one of the cakes I will have sitting at the ready inside it.

Recipe below.

Recipe.

Serves 8.

9" X 5" loaf tin.

Ingredients - 

1 3/4 cups plain flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground cloves

pinch nutmeg

1 stick (4oz) unsalted butter, softened

1 1/4 cups sugar

3 large eggs

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/3 cup milk

1 cup miniature dark chocolate chips

1 cup chopped walnuts

Method - 

1. Preheat the oven to 350F, 180C, GM 4.   Grease and flour a 9" X 5" loaf tin.

2. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, cloves and nutmeg in a medium mixing bowl.

3. Combine the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 mins.

4. With the mixer on medium-low speed, add the eggs, one at a time.  

5. Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts.

6. Scrape the batter into the prepared tin and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.  Bake the cake until it is firm to the touch and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean, 55mins to an hour.

7. Let the cake cool in the tin for 5 minutes, invert it onto a wire rack, and then turn it right side up to cool completely.

8. Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge, wrapped in plastic, for up to 1 week.

To see the results of the challenge by other Cake Slice Bakers, visit the the cake slice blogroll.

Can't wait for the next challenge.