Week 5, Nov. 2

Cakes are wonderful. There is always an air of celebration surrounding cakes, and many gatherings often seem to fall short if one isn't present. While other desserts are certainly common place in my family too, birthdays, baby showers, and other special occasions always feature at least one cake, and because of the lack of good bakeries (sorry, but store-bought just doesn't cut it) and my desire to create something delicious and memorable, the task often falls on me to bring one that's perfectly suited for the guest of honor. By baking for so many family members throughout the last ten years or so I've had the opportunity to develop some awesome cake and icing flavors.

Many people cut corners when they make "homemade" cakes. Some use mixes from a box, cans of frosting, pre-made rock hard decorations, and/or cheap ingredients like Crisco. While there are always better ingredients to be found, I feel confident that I have located ones that enhance my creations to make them the best they can be. I use unbleached cake flour, which gives a delicate crumb while being formulated to rise high without being chemically bleached. I use potent spices and rich cocoa powder from Penzey's, high quality chocolate, evaporated cane juice, farm fresh eggs, and whole milk and butter for a moist, rich crumb. The result? My cakes may cost more than others, but they're divine.

This week members are receiving a sample of one of my layer cake creations. Each share will pick up a six inch, two layer Chocolate Cake, slathered with Saffron-infused French Buttercream. While most American frostings consist of shortening and/or butter, and powdered sugar, my version is less sweet, smooth, and delicately scented with saffron. While cake crumbs are undesirable and slightly tacky when visible in cake icing, do note that this particular buttercream has specks of orange in it (from real, high quality saffron), and is also the reason why the color is a pastel yellow. The chocolate cake has been infused with a hint of Grand Marnier (an orange liqeuer). I finished them off with a simple decoration of homemade candied orange peel and chocolate flower cut-outs.

With the small size of these cakes, I doubt anyone will have leftovers or the desire to freeze slices. In fact, cakes are best kept in their cake boxes until eaten, within three days. French Buttercream freezes wonderfully well, however, so if you find that you'd like to set some aside for later, freeze the cake, unwrapped, until solid. Once frozen, double-wrap it in plastic and store for up to one month in the freezer.