Friday, March 27, 2009

Another Cake Collaboration With Charity

Here's the second cake I promised you.  Unfortunately this cake  lived in the shadow of Snickerdoodle Bundt Cake so was not given its proper dues.

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Charity's choice this time around was a cake she saw on the blog, Food Loves Writing called Restaurant Eve's Cake.  Though essentially a white cake the recipe does not call for just egg whites but the whole egg. In the post, the writer mentions that the cake tastes like sugar cookies.  I agree.  It is reminiscent of sugar cookies though in my opinion better.  (I'm not fond of sugar cookies  as the ones I've eaten in the past have been crunchy, overly sweet, and often topped with even sweeter frosting.).  The frosting Charity decided on was a Fresh Strawberry Buttercream she saw on Culinary Concoctions by Peabody.  I had initially planned on using blackberries instead of strawberries but a little girl who shall remain nameless ate so many of the blackberries I didn't have enough. 

For the cake I followed the recipe as written with my only change once again being the size and type of pan I used. I baked (18) cupcakes and a (thin) 11" x 7"  cake .  With the 11"x7" cake I DSC01216cut out six 3"x3" circles and made two 3 layer mini cakes.  This was  by far one of the easiest cakes I've made and the icing on the cake is,(ha!) besides being tasty and easy,  clean up was a snap.  Now the frosting on the other hand was another story.  Was it good? Yes. Would I make it again?  Probably not.

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My biggest problem with the frosting was the consistency which led to my second problem. It was too sweet.  I only made a half  batch and should have used 2 cups of powdered sugar but because it was extremely runny I had to add a heaping third cup and still it was very "soft".  My dilemma was, in order to get it to a consistency that was manageable I would have to add more powdered sugar, making it extremely sweet. As it was I was already pushing it.   I went ahead and gave it a try as is and "frosted" one of the mini cakes and a few of the cupcakes. With the left over frosting I beat in about 2 oz of softened cream cheese (all I had left) and another 3/4 cup of powdered sugar.  The consistency was a bit better and the taste wasn't quite as sweet.  I used this batch to frost the mini cake you see here.

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I think a fresh strawberry cream cheese frosting would have complimented the cake better as the cake on its own was sweet enough and would have benefited from a tangier frosting.  The buttercream frosting we used would have been better suited to a cake that needed a bit of sweetening.  Don't forget to see how Charity's cake turned out and whether this was a keeper!

43 comments:

Elyse said...

A cake that tastes like sugar cookies?! How fabulous!! I'm sorry that you and Charity thought the icing was blah-blah, BUT your ideas about cream cheese strawberry frosting sound EXCELLENT. This cake looks just beautiful. Another great collaboration between the two of you!

CM said...

Awesome pictures- I especially like the one with the spoon!
Though I probably won't make this frosting again either, I did
seriously love this cake recipe! Seriously easy, and yummy... I think it's one of those cakes that can be tinkered with. I mean, imagine this texture, but a lemon cake!
I also just wanted to say thanks so much for making this with me!

Donna-FFW said...

Ingrid, It looks gorgeous.. would you make the cake again with different frosting? I always appreciate your honest reviews!

A_and_N said...

The cake looks lovely Ingrid! I was wondering if the kind of strawberries used makes a difference. Do some strawberries contain more water than the other. I guess the strawberries have to be the culprit behind it.

oneordinaryday said...

I love the idea of a cake that tastes like sugar cookies. I'm going to remember this one. (Have you tried the sugar cookie bars yet, by the way?)

I really like the tiny cakes. Anything in miniature just gets me at a glance. You did a great job and it sounds delish.

Michelle

Lisa said...

Strawberry and cream cheese, and not even strawberry cheesecake, just strawberry and cream cheese, is one of my favorite combos! As usual, you slayed with me another amazing dessert, but I'm kind of glad you didn't like the frosting, so I don't feel the intense need to make it, like I always do when I drop by your site..lol

On another note - EGADS, those early photos were god awful! I knew NOTHING about photography outside of taking photos with friends, family and the flash..lol My early photos consisted of either a disposable camera, or a cheap pocket digital, and I actually thought they were decent UNTIL..I saw other blogs! I knew then and there that I needed to learn about photography and invest in a better camera! I did, but I still have no natural light, no props and pretty backgrounds, and I desperately need a good macro lens! Let's just say I'm about a quarter of the way where I want to be, but it sure beats those early photos!

Finally, I'm bummed that you won't be in NYC in the near future, but when it can happen PLEASE let me know! :)

Heather said...

i go to restaurant eve for lunch at least once a week to get this cake! it is easily the most sugary, over-the-top delicious cake! looks like you nailed it :D

Nikki Jean said...

Sugar Cookie Cake? YUM!
I'm sorry about the icing problem.

Reeni said...

I love it, because it tastes like a sugar cookie! It looks so pretty. I think your idea of cream cheese with it is perfect.

Jamie said...

Oh wow, this sounds delicious! I just posted a recipe on my blog for sugar cookie bars, so this sounds right up my alley!

The Blonde Duck said...

But it's pink! How can you not like a pink cake!!!

Jin Hooi said...

Your cake looks yummy!!! Sorry about the frosting .. I always have problem with frosting too.hmmm... evil fronsting, they are not good for our waistline but good for kitchen disaster ;-)) Anyway, darling , ur cake looks very pretty, well done !!!

Irene said...

A cake that tastes like cookies and strawberry buttercream? Hang on while I revise my plans on what cake to make for my own birthday!!!

Monica H said...

You know, as soon as I saw that frosting, I thought of Peabody. And while the frosting looks good, it does look incredibly sweet.

Funny enough (or not funny at all) I just made a strawberry cake. I wioll frost it tomorrow with a Strawberry Cream Cheese Swiss Meringue Buttercream.

Yes, that's a mouthful. I'll let you know how it turns out!

Oh, and both cakes look wonderful :-)

Anonymous said...

it looks so pink-pretty though!
I'm asian, so I hate overly-sweet stuff so I never ever bake cakes with frosting for asians. but once I tried adding cream cheese in, and my asian friends actually loved it! the tanginess balanced off the sweetness really well.

grace said...

regardless of your troubles, it's an absolutely stunning cake! there's just something about pink that appeals to me. :)

Jamie said...

This is so pretty! I would love to see it with the Blackberry frosting too.

Debbie said...

It looks gorgeous and sounds like one of the best cakes I've seen in a long time...I absolutely love sugar cookies. The colors alone in this cake and so appetizing!

Jodi said...

Even if you weren't the happiest with the frosting, it still looks very delicious and the pics are awesome! Maybe just a little ice cream on the side would help! YUM!

Thanks for the sweet note in my email! Have a great week!

Anonymous said...

As I was reading your comments about the problems with the frosting, I was thinking in my head, 'cream cheese'. And there you got the same idea in your last paragraph.

Your cake looks gorgeous!!

The Blonde Duck said...

Ingrid--

Don't worry, you'll like Samantha. She's just overtired and scared right now. After she talks to this mysterious stranger, you'll like her more.

Sara said...

The mini cakes are so cute! Sorry you didn't like the frosting, I tend to like really sugary frosting, even the fake stuff they put on grocery store cakes :)

Maria said...

Looking good! I am enjoying all of the cake recipes!

Lo said...

mmm. These look lovely!! So cute. And pink! Yum.

Noodlegirl said...

omg that look so delicious!

jesse said...

Mmm, sugar cookie cake... as for the frosting... it looks pretty! And don't worry about it, it's tough getting frosting to just the right consistency and taste!

Pam said...

This looks so pretty and tasty. I am not a fan of overly sweet frosting either.

angie said...

Just started my diet today, I should be banned from your site until I get things under control!

That looks so good!

avesta said...

I like that you made a mini version....soooo cute!!! looks good, too!

Pumpkin said...

I've been on a constant search for a good white cake recipe. I love white cake, but so many recipes I've tried have been dry and/or bland. This looks divine!

Sara @ Our Best Bites said...

oh those are too cute for words!

Lori said...

This looks amazing. I made strawberry muffins and I had the same beef with the frosting - too sweet. I think I need sour strawberries and cream cheese and a little sugar or something!

THey look beautiful regardless Ingrid.

Teanna said...

I think the strawberry cream cheese would have worked perfectly, but to be honest, that frosting looks SO DELICIOUS!

Bunny said...

Ingrid your cake looks lovely and I'm bookmarking it to make at the restaurant next week. I'm going to make the strawberry cream cheese frosting too, it sounds so darn good!

Coleens Recipes said...

I am VERY impressed with your photography!!

Emily said...

Well, I think it looks very good! I have no doubt in my mind I would enjoy this cake.

Anonymous said...

thanks for your lovely comment! made me Smile~

teresa said...

I just discovered your blog and you've got me wishing I had cake right now so bad! Beautiful pictures and such yummy recipes!

Kerstin said...

Beautiful cake - I love sugar cookies, so I could definitely be a big fan! Cute blog!

Aimée said...

I think it's really pretty and who doesn't love an easy clean-up!

Amanda said...

How fun! I made a 6 tier mini cake for my daughter's best friend's birthday. I used 3 ramekins and cut the layers in half, I had to stand it up with a wooden skewer poked through the middle since it wouldn't stay standing up LOL!

Sydney said...

om nom nom i will have to make this, it looks so tasty!

shanna said...

Ingrid - So glad you guys liked the cake base (although, let's be honest, Restaurant Eve is the one who should be glad, not me) - and thanks also for letting me know about this post! I had seen it (and I swear I thought I commented already) but it was good to come back. Looks delish!