Bad Cook, Better Baker

I thought it’d be fun to share some bakes I did this quarter! Tried out a lot of fun recipes and per usual, I have rambling thoughts on everything. Baking for content creation has actually really inspired me to do more unique bakes, which has been a lot of fun (and expensive, since I now feel justified in purchasing the bougie ingredients for really no reason at all).

It’s been a pretty depressing few months with the state of the America right now, and the news cycle each day is enough to send anyone into a spiral. One of my core principles is that life is meant to be enjoyed, not hustled–but it’s getting harder to live a simple life filled with simple things when everything is burning all around us.

On the bright side, I’m more incentivized to volunteer wherever possible! I’m going to start baking for a local organization that provides cakes for underprivileged kids called For Goodness Cakes, which is just the cutest thing I’ve ever heard. More content forthcoming.

With that, here’s what I baked this quarter and my thoughts on each:

Marble Cake + Whipped Cream Cheese Ganache + Toasted Coconut Caramel Filling

Cake by Cleo Buttera: https://cleobuttera.com/cakes/moist-and-tender-marble-cake/
Ganache by Savvy’s Kitchen: https://cupcakesavvyskitchen.com/white-chocolate-cream-cheese-ganache/
Caramel/Coconut Filling by Broma Bakery: https://bromabakery.com/how-to-make-homemade-caramel/ | https://bromabakery.com/samoa-cake/

Overall, I thought this was a great cake! I did modify Cleo Buttera’s cake recipe by swapping out half the butter for oil, since I have an affinity for oil cakes over butter cakes– all-butter cakes just get so dry for the subsequent days and I knew this cake would sit in our house for at least a few days. I do think it helped the longevity, we still got the flavor of the butter but the texture stayed great at room temperature. The chocolate part of the marble was delicious, likely due to the steps in the recipe to properly bloom the cocoa powder in hot milk/butter before mixing with the batter. I actually got wind of this recipe from PancakePrincess, who rated this one pretty high on her list. It’s a yes from me!

It was also my first time making a ganache! I picked up a bulk bag of Callebeaut’s white chocolate for this (a whopping 5.5 lbs from Restaurant Depot, and worth every penny–also the MOST fun store). This frosting was delicious, kept well, and retained shape. I think it’d be amazing piped onto cookies as well. It was also great that the frosting had no butter, since I’m also butter-adverse for frostings as well (this is an anti-American-buttercream blog, sorry-not-sorry).

To be clear, I love butter as an ingredient for most desserts, but not in cakes and frostings. Texturally, it never does what I want it to. I let butter shine in pastries, custards, creme pats, etc.

This was also my first foray into making caramel and I was THRILLED when it didn’t seize. I’ve had a lot of mishaps making Christmas Crack during the toffee step, so I was nervous. I will say that it took a lot longer than the recipe said it would (likely because I’m on a convection stovetop, which I abhor) but we persevered and we pervailed. Overall, this was a pretty easy recipe to follow and especially delicious mixed with shredded coconut for the filling of this cake (plus more ganache), as inspired by Girl Scout’s Caramel Delites,, which was the inspiration for this birthday cake for my boyfriend who orders far too many boxes every time the new year rolls around. I also double-purposed the extra caramel in a homemade banana caramel cold brew, which was *chef’s kiss*.

Rating: 3.9/5 – While each of the components were good, I do think each element was a little too sweet, which overall combined into a cake that was too sweet. However, texture and flavor of everything was good, if not a little one-note. I’m also not sure if I thoroughly loved my pairing of coconut-caramel with cream cheese… although to be honest, I’m a much bigger fan of floral, lighter notes than these darker caramel notes. I’d maybe add a little more salt to the ganache next time and maybe go without the caramel-coconut filling and simply fill with more ganache.

Rhubarb Coffee Cake

Recipe by KatieBirdBakes: https://www.katiebirdbakes.com/rhubarb-cake/

This one is a special one because this is a recipe from my new colleague! I started a new corporate job a few months ago and shared my baking interests as an icebreaker (an easy go-to for me, personally). Very quickly, I was notified by everyone that one of my colleagues ran a very successful baking blog, linked above. Cue my inspiration to start this entire journey of my own, so to you, Katie, who will likely never see this: a true hat tip to you.

I’ve never consumed, bought, nor purchased rhubarb before so it was a quick trip to my local farmer’s market to purchase said ruby red stalks. I’ve lurked on multiple rhubarb recipes before so it wasn’t hard to pique my interest.

For whatever reason, the rhubarb lost all of its color in my oven, likely due to me placing my pans on the top row too close to the heat source. The cake itself was INCREDIBLE, as I love any almond-flavored desserts. The rhubarb, I didn’t really understand. It was kind of stringy and hard to cut and chew through, so I chalk it up to my user error of cutting them into stalks that were too small and potentially overcooked too quickly. In any event, the cake was delicious and a perfect way to purpose my new cake stand gifted by a beloved friend.

Rating: 3/5 – in no way does this reflect a review of the recipe but rather the result of my baking and also a remark on how I feel about rhubarb overall!

Hummingbird Cake

Recipe by Sally’s Baking: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/hummingbird-cake/

This is a tried-and-true recipe and a staple in my book. I absolutely adore this cake and it’s always a hit! Mainly for my boyfriend’s coworkers, who are the main recipients (lol). Not enough people know about hummingbird cake, which is a crime on humanity if you ask me. Not that I don’t love carrot cake, but hummingbird is a close second. In the same vein of spice cakes, next on my list is a morning glory cake!

This recipe is also SO EASY to put together! It all comes together mostly in one-bowl and can be made by hand. The texture on this one stays moist for days (because it is, after all, an oil cake) and combined with cream cheese frosting, it’s an absolute dream.

My cream cheese frosting is basically the same as Sally’s, except sub out the butter (shocking, I know) with 2/3 cup of heavy whipping cream instead. I whip the cream separately and then fold it into the cream cheese to lighten up the texture.

This cake was made for my boyfriend’s manager who lost his mom a few years ago, on her birthday. I also made an ikebana arrangement so the use of flowers on the cake was a no-brainer and made for a lovely, cohesive gift.

Rating: 5/5 – This is a perfect cake IMO. No marks.