Daring Bakers - July 2014!

This month our host was Ruth from The Crafts of Mommyhood. Her choise was a real surprise for us....

Surprise - Inside Cakes!

I love these cakes! I also love the reaction of my guests, when I cut into one!

I make these cake a lot, mainly during Christmas. I have also made cookie dough stuffed cupcakes.

This challenge, though, came at a perfect time, because I wanted to make a birthday cake for my little one for her school birthday party. The surprise is in the filling!

Surprise Inside Birthday Cake

I based the colors on the sprinkles, that I put on top of the cake.

I started piping the filling in concentric circles.

The left over filling was used to make the outside dots. .

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When I bake/make/cook something, I always make a small sample, which I cut and taste.

This is how it looks inside when you cut the slices!

The cake layers are chocolate and the filling is white chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream.

For the cake layers I use the recipe by Summer at Cake Paper Party.
For the SMB I use the recipe by Rosie at Sweetapolita.
Both with excellent results every single time!

Amazing challenge!!!

Thank you Ruth!


Louise.
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Apricot - cinnamon jam!

After the fresh apricot upside-down cake I made, I still had a lot of fruit left.

We do eat apricots, but I wanted to preserve them as well, so I made a lovely apricot - cinnamon jam, using my KENWOOD Bread Maker!!!!

It is really easy to make.

I washed, pitted and cubed the apricots. Then I weighed them and added the same amount of sugar.
I also put 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon butter. I didn't add any water, though, because the apricots were very ripe and therefore, juicy enough!

Lastly, the most important step: I chose the jam programme and pressed the button......

The cinnamon is actually a helpfull addition, because it "breaks" a bit of the sweetness of the apricots.

This is a very fragrant jam and you can use it in a lot of ways. For example, I eat it by the spoonful right out of the jar (.......), we eat it on bread, but I also use it in cakes in between the layers and I also glaze cupcakes!

Note: Think toasted bread, cream cheese and this jam.... Heaven!!!



Louise

Fresh apricot upside - down cake!

Summer to me is a lot of things.....

One of them is apricots. Oh, I love them. Their smell, their texture, so so tasty!

So naturally, I used them in a cake!

Fresh apricot upside - down cake

for the pan:
110gr butter
150gr brown sugar
apricots, cut in fourths, as many as you need to cover the base of your pan

for the cake:
210gr all purpose flour
1,5 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
120gr butter
150gr white sugar
1,5 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
150gr buttermilk

* Preheat the oven to 180oC.
* Heat the butter until melted and foamy.
* Add the brown sugar and cook it for a couple of minutes. If not all the sugar is dissolved don't worry.
* Pour into the cake pan and arrange the apricots on top.
* Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder. Add salt.
* Beat butter, sugar and vanilla, until light and fluffy.
* Beat in eggs one at a time.
* Add the flour, alternating it with buttermilk (3 times flour, 2 times buttermilk).
* Gently pour batter or spoon it over the apricots.
* Bake for 45 minutes.
* Once out of the oven, let it stand 5 minutes and then invert it on a serving platter.
* Let it cool a bit, then dig in!

This cake is not too sweet and the taste of the fresh fruit is amazing! It caramelizes beautifully!

I don't know if you can make it with canned apricots. But I don't think the taste will be this fresh.

Louise