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Chowhound Cake Day 2014!

My friends and I are gathering this Saturday, August 16 for our annual Cake Day baking fest. Last year, we discussed that it would be fun if a bunch of other home cooking 'hounds joined us virtually and shared their cakes here.

So if you care to play along, please bake a cake this Saturday and take a picture of the finished cake, and a picture of a slice (since the inside is sometimes the best part!). Simple or elaborate, all cakes are welcome!

Hope to see your photos here after the 16th. :0)

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  1. What cake? Am I missing something?

    Sounds like fun...

    2 Replies
    1. re: sandylc

      This was inspired by a similar post last year:


      Several people indicated they'd like to join in the 'virtual' cake day together, so I thought I'd throw it out there again. :0


      Bake any cake you want to!

      1. re: TorontoJo

        Sorry! I thought we wee all baking the same cake for some stupid reason! yikes...

    2. hmm, i was going to make apple crisp for a party i am having saturday but now i may have to make cake instead!

      1. Love this, TJ! I remember your cakes last year.

        I am definitely going to participate.

        What are you planning on making?

        7 Replies
        1. re: nothingswrong

          Yay! I'm doing two cakes. One is make ahead (the mocha rum bundt cake that I posted in the baking thread) and the other is this crazy Indonesian layer cake that requires 30 eggs! I'm really looking forward to that one, even though it means hunkering down next to my toaster over for a few hours -- you spread a layer of batter, broil it, spread another layer, broil it, etc. etc.

          What are you thinking of making?

          1. re: TorontoJo

            Oh, duh, I already read about them on the baking thread. Brain slip!

            I'm so excited to see the Indonesian layer cake! Can't wait to see photos. Your mocha rum cake looks gorgeous.

            I have no idea what I'll be making. Surely nothing as intricate as yours... I've been eyeing a recipe for baklava cupcakes, which call for a chopped nut/honey mixture inside of them and a honey/cinnamon buttercream. But that's not really a cake I guess... Will have to search through my bookmarks!

            1. re: TorontoJo

              I remember seeing a similar spread-and-broil cake in a cooking magazine (Gourmet?) several years ago, but I don't remember it being Indonesian. I suppose it's hopeless to try to dig that one up...

              1. re: sandylc

                Here's the recipe I'm using:


                And nothingswrong: what about adapting the baklava cupcakes recipe to a layer cake with the nut and honey mixture in between the layers?

                1. re: TorontoJo

                  I'm thinking about it... It just looks so good. I love baklava but am sure I'd be the only one eating it around here, though I think the bf would eat the cake. We'll see!

                  1. re: TorontoJo

                    I made a recipe like this long ago when I was in high school and wanted to impress a long ago boyfriend, i think. it was a recipe for "Baumkuchen" in some cookbook I can't recall. Half of the batter was chocolate, the other unflavored (or vanilla). each layer was spread in the pan and then broiled before another layer added. i think there were about 15-20 all told. topped with a chocolate ganache, whipped cream and strawberries. the cross section of the finished product with all of the pinstriped thin layers was very impressive indeed. the taste was good, but not wow. Please let me know what you think of your recipe after you've digested.


                    1. re: MAH

                      Wow, that sounds fantastic. White cake, whipped cream, strawberries, and chocolate is my favorite flavor combo for sweets.

                      I made a cake for a party last year like that, but not with the thin layers (and only 4 layers total) and it's one of my favorites. I wonder if I could somehow combine mine with yours for something with more layers... The wheels are turning!

            2. Well, I made a tasty cake but it did not come out so pretty! Made this bundt cake but did not wait long enough for it to cool before turning it out so you can see it is a little broken. Tasted a chunk that fell off and it's yummy! Hopefully my party guests won't mind the sight of it...any ideas to dress it up?

              Recipe: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...

              4 Replies
              1. re: bustlingswan

                Even just a good dusting of powdered sugar will go a good way in disguising the broken bits, or a thick chocolate glaze will distract the eye (along with upping the anticipation).

                1. re: Caitlin McGrath

                  Totally agree. Powdered sugar or a chocolate ganache would be nice.

                  You can also add chopped toasted nuts or chocolate shavings atop the chocolate glaze to really camouflage some mistakes and bumps underneath.

                  I'm sure it's delicious though, I can just *tell* from the picture.

                  1. re: nothingswrong

                    Agreed -- a drizzle of ganache, then sprinkled with some toasted pecans.

                    But I'm sure it's wonderful as is!

              2. Well, lots of baking happened yesterday. My friends and I made a total of 13 cakes (though the two rum cakes were made in advance).

                My kueh lapis (Indonesian layer cake) was a lot of fun to make, though it meant parking myself in front of a toaster oven for a long time.

                The mocha rum cake looked lovely, thanks to the bundt pan, but I wasn't that keen on the cake itself -- mostly because I've come to the conclusion that I'm not a big fan of rum cakes. I do make an exception for baba au rhum, though (which another friend made).

                24 Replies
                1. re: TorontoJo

                  Holy cow, TJ! Looks amazing!!! All of it.

                  The slice of Bundt looks beautiful and the layer cake is perfectly clean and orderly... I do not have the patience to make something like that :)

                  Hope it was all tasty. Wish I was there. I love having a variety of sweets to choose from.

                  1. re: TorontoJo

                    That looks amazing. It's like a high end baking contest only everyone wins.

                    1. re: TorontoJo

                      First, I'm very sad I missed this. I would have loved to have made a cake as I remember your post from last year. Next year, please give more advanced notice!!

                      The cakes are beautiful but I need bigger pics. The table looks awesome, do you have larger pics of the individual cakes? If so, please post. Oh, I do love cake!

                      1. re: Jpan99

                        Sorry about that! I wasn't planning on making a big deal about it, but then remembered that a few people had asked about it, so decided to post last minute.

                        Here are close ups of all the cakes. I've include the slice shots for those that had interesting interiors.

                        In order:

                        Almond Cake Roll topped with homemade feuillitine
                        Poppy Seed Grapefruit Cake with White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
                        Devil's Food Cake with Black Pepper Buttercream
                        Persian Fig, Quince, and Orange Cake with Pistachio and Rose Petal
                        Layer Cake with Yuzu Buttercream and Yuzu Curd
                        Peach-Blueberry Coffee Cake
                        Lemon Cake with Raspberries and Pistachios
                        Chocolate-Espresso Dacquoise
                        Swedish Princess Cake (sponge cake, raspberry jam, chantilly cream, marzipan)
                        Lemon Cake with Raspberries and Pistachios
                        Pistachio Cake with Whipped Cream Frosting

                        1. re: TorontoJo

                          FWIW, I enjoy seeing the shots and hearing about the party. It would be one intimidating party to be part of, though! You know, this would be a great blog--details of the cakes and what people thought.

                          1. re: chowser

                            Thanks, chowser! I don't have a blog, but a couple of my friends do, so I'm sure they will post about it eventually. Here are their posts from last year:


                            Edited to add: there really is a huge range of baking skills in the group, but no one cares. It's just fun to all bake together and we pitch in to help each other in a baking crisis.

                            1. re: TorontoJo

                              Oh...never mind the cakes..you eat well on cake day! I added about a dozen cakes to my list of things to make. That mondrian cake looks like fun!

                              1. re: chowser

                                Oh, do we ever eat well! Gotta have fuel to keep us going for a full day of baking. :)

                            2. re: TorontoJo

                              The Dacquoise looks like the one they made on America's Test Kitchen. How was the black pepper buttercream? That does look like an interesting cake. That and the yuzu looks so delicious!

                              1. re: Jpan99

                                Good eye, it was the ATK dacquoise!

                                And the black pepper buttercream was delicious -- it was such a surprising hit of flavour that worked really well with the rich chocolate cake and whipped ganache frosting.

                                The yuzu cake was wonderful. Here's the slice shot of it.

                              2. re: TorontoJo

                                Wow TJ, thanks for the extra pics. It's nice to see the close-ups of everything. All of it looks amazing... like a gorgeous bakery case.

                                I too recognize the ATK dacquoise, and the grapefruit poppy cake cross section is absolutely stunning!

                                What was your favorite cake of the evening? Or how about your top 3 faves? You can include your own of course. Just curious.

                                1. re: nothingswrong

                                  My top 3 were probably the yuzu (I *love* yuzu-flavored stuff), the dacquoise (fantastic flavor and I love the nutty/meringue texture) and the pistachio cake (because I'm a sucker for anything pistachio).

                                  My favorite surprise of the evening was the black pepper buttercream. The pepper was such an interesting foil to the rich, rich chocolate cake and whipped ganache frosting.

                                  The best part is that there were no duds on the table! With maybe the exception of my mocha rum cake. Not sure it was a dud (it was made well), but I just don't like rum cakes. :0)

                                  1. re: TorontoJo

                                    Well, it sounds like it was a fantastic variety this year. I've been wanting to make that dacquoise for ages and am glad to hear it was yummy.

                                    I feel ya on the rum cakes. I always think I'm going to like them but nope. I used to work in a coffee shop ages ago that served the only rum cake I ever enjoyed and it was a REALLY good yellow butter Bundt with just the tiniest rum flavor in the syrup it sat in.

                                    Anyway this thread was very inspirational. I have all sorts of ideas I want to try now. Thanks!

                                2. re: TorontoJo

                                  I recognize the daquoise! I made it a couple of times last fall from The Baking Book. Great recipe!

                              3. re: TorontoJo

                                The indonesian layer cake is the little picture on the right? It is beautiful! What was indonesian about it?

                                I love the bundt cake and need to find that pan as unfrosted chocolate cakes are my 'thing.'

                                1. re: tcamp


                                  The spice mix. This is an expensive cake even in Indonesia due to the labour intensive nature of the cake and cost of good quality spices. My grandfather used to bring a slab of kueh lapis for us when he visited and it was always considered a real luxury.

                                  1. re: tcamp

                                    Here's the bundt pan:


                                    And jadec is sure right about the labour involved in making the kueh lapis. I suppose it's the same with baumkuchen or chimney cake -- you have to literally park yourself next to the oven for a couple of hours to add a new layer of batter every few minutes. It's not difficult at all, but it is time consuming. And the ingredients are not cheap: 30 egg yolks (!) and well over a pound of butter. All in a little 8" square pan.

                                    1. re: TorontoJo

                                      Thanks! I offered to make a birthday cake for an architect friend and your picture made me think of a Gehry structure.

                                  2. re: TorontoJo

                                    LOVE kueh lapis - care to share your recipe?

                                    1. re: klyeoh

                                      Sure! This is the recipe I used:


                                      For the spices, I used a mixture of ground cardamom, cinnamon and nutmeg. You could also add ground cloves, ginger and aniseed, depending on your preference.

                                      1. re: TorontoJo

                                        Thanks, TorontoJo - much appreciated :-)