I have decided to take on a new challenge: The Avid Baker’s Challenge! My friend Hanaa started this group and after months of admiring the treats they make and seeing what was on the schedule for the rest of the year, I decided it was time to join the fun. We are baking from Flo Braker’s stupendous book, Baking for All Occasions. It’s one of the (far too many) books in my collection that I occasionally make something from and think, “The recipes in here are so good, why don’t I make things from it more often?” I also think it’s great that Flo gives all measurements in both weight and volume. I have somewhat recently started weighing pretty much everything and it’s nice when the weight measures are in the book so I don’t have to keep looking at my cheat sheet. The recipe this month is Orange Chiffon Tweed Cake with Milk ‘n’ Honey Sabayon. In the recipe notes, Flo shares that this cake was inspired by a cake from Gayle’s Bakery in Capitola, California. I used to live not far from that bakery, and agree with Flo that it has outstanding treats.
The cake involves a number of steps in preparation (grating chocolate and oranges, juicing oranges for fresh juice, etc.) and quite a few dishes. It was a nice project for a weekend afternoon, not something to bake in a hurry. The recipe was meant to be baked in a ten-inch tube pan with a removable bottom, but since that would yield fourteen to eighteen servings, I cut it in half. I baked the cake in a six-inch pan round pan and four ramekins. I had a little –okay a lot – of trouble getting the cake to come out of the pan neatly, so sadly I do not have a lovely full-cake picture to show. I also had a bit of trouble with the Sabayon. I didn’t think to look up what a Sabayon was before I made this recipe so I’d have a better idea what it should turn out like; according to this link it is “a light custard, which has been whipped to incorporate large amounts of air.” Mine was sort of airy, but didn’t really hold. The honey/orange flavor of the creamy sauce was incredible, though, especially on a light cake, which did turn out delightfully airy and tasted wonderful.
I must say, though everything didn’t go perfectly, I had a good time making this cake and it really did present a bit of a challenge for me, which I enjoy. This recipe rated an 8 for Deliciousness and a 5 for Effort, for an EDR of 1.6. This group is not posting recipes, but you may stop by Hanaa’s site to learn more about The Avid Baker’s Challenge and see the other bakers' links.
7 comments:
Hi! I'm a newbie as well.
Lovely texture on your cake. I completely agree with you on using weight in baking!
I'm very happy your first ABC entry turned out well. Your cake slice looks great! Good to know this recipe works in a non-Bundt pan too. As for weighing, I don't bake any other way :o)
Isn't funny that we all have so many baking books, yet don't seem to bake too much from them - until someone starts a group and then we think, "Hey, I have that book - I should bake from it more often!"
Ok - that's what I do, at least!
Welcome to the ABC group! Your Tweed cake did turn out wonderful. That sabayon sauce still has me mumbling to myself. BTW, there is no such thing as to many cookbooks =). I have run out of room for my cookbooks and now find imaginative ways to make them look like natural decor in my living room. I am sticking with that story.
The ramekin of cake looks great. I've heard Flo Braker's name so many times, but haven't made any of her recipes. I'm looking forward to seeing what else you make with this group!
Mmmm chifon cake. It looks as puffy as clouds!
Pssst... I left you a little award on my blog ;) Go check it out for details!
I've only been to Gayle's once and When I went, I finally understood what all the hoopla is about!
The chocolate specks really do give it a tweedy appearance. Chiffon cakes are temperamental and I'm rarely brave enough to go there. It looks lovely with your sabayon!
Post a Comment