Each month The Cake Slice Bakers are offered a selection of cakes from the current book we are baking through. This year it is The European Cake Cookbook by Tatyana Nesteruk*. We each choose one cake to bake, and then on the 20th - never before - we all post about our cake on our blogs. There are a few rules that we follow, but the most important ones are to have fun and enjoy baking & eating cakes!
Follow our Facebook, Instagram,
and Pinterest pages
where you can find all of our cakes, as well as inspiration for many other
cakes. You can also click on the thumbnail pictures below to take you to each
of our cakes. If you have a blog and are interested in joining The Cake Slice
Bakers and baking along with us, please send an email to thecakeslicebakers at
gmail dot com for more details.
The Cake Slice Bakers also have a new Facebook
group called The Cake Slice Bakers and Friends. This group is perfect for those who do not
have a blog but want to join in the fun and bake through this book.
1. Poppy Seed Smetanik
2. Rhubarb Strawberry Tea Cake
3. Opera Cake
4. Marbled Chocolate Orange Bundt Cake
The Crew's Offerings
Poppy Seed Smetanik
Marbled Chocolate Orange Bundt
- Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Fan My Flame
- A Little Bit of All Right
- My Recipe Reviews
- Feeding My Enthusiasms
- Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Opera Cake
Preheat oven to 335 degrees F. Line the bottom of a springform pan with parchment paper and set aside.
In a small bowl, toss together the diced strawberries for the cake with the corn starch. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, and vanilla. Beat until the mixture is lightened and fluffy. Beat in the sour cream and eggs until well-incorporated.
In a separate mixing bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients - flour, almond flour, baking powder, and ground cinnamon. Sift into the sour cream mixture and fold in with a spatula until just moistened.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread evenly to the edges with the spatula. Press chunks for strawberries into the top of the batter. Combine the sugars and sprinkle over the top. Scatter sliced almonds over the cake.
Bake in the preheated oven for 80 to 90 minutes. Allow to cool on a wire rack before removing to a serving platter.
For the jam, combine the strawberries, sugar, and vanilla in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until the strawberries begin to break down into a thick puree.
Transfer the jam to a small bowl and let diners serve themselves with a large - or small - helping of cake and jam!
This was a hit with my family! But they definitely want to try it with rhubarb when those come into season here on California's central coast. I can't wait.
Rhubarb Strawberry Tea Cake (Minus the Rhubarb)
very slightly adapted from The European Cake Cookbook by Tatyana Nesteruk
One of my rhubarb shopping sprees from years past...none to be had, yet, in 2019.
Why is this rhubarbless cake, you ask?! Because it's not quite rhubarb season where I am. Our season is very short - say a month - and when I see it in the markets, I buy it all. People usually respond to me grabbing every last stalk in one of two ways: one, they ask what it is and what I do with it; two, they glare are me until I offer to give them some of my armload.
In any case, when I decided to make the Rhubarb Strawberry Tea Cake for this event, I went on a rhubarb hunt. To no avail. People even suggested getting frozen rhubarb. I tried. One of the markets I tried had everything from frozen berries to frozen dragonfruit, but not frozen rhubarb.
So, this is just a Strawberry Tea Cake. And it came from the 'Northern Treats' section - buttery pound cakes, tender lemon treats, and fruity delights that go well with tea. I actually served mine with strong Italian coffee, but you get the idea.
Ingredients
Cake
Topping
Jam
- 2 C diced organic strawberries
- 2 T corn starch
- 1 C butter, softened
- 1 C organic granulated sugar
- 1 t pure vanilla extract
- 1 C whole milk sour cream
- 4 large eggs (I actually used 2 super large duck eggs)
- 2 C flour
- 1/2 C almond flour
- 3 t baking powder (the original calls for 4 t, I reduced it)
- 1/2 t ground cinnamon
Topping
- 1 C diced strawberries
- 2 T organic granulated sugar
- 2 T organic dark brown sugar
- sliced almonds
Jam
- 1-1/2 C diced strawberries
- 1/2 C granulated sugar
- 1/2 t pure vanilla extract
Procedure
In a small bowl, toss together the diced strawberries for the cake with the corn starch. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, and vanilla. Beat until the mixture is lightened and fluffy. Beat in the sour cream and eggs until well-incorporated.
In a separate mixing bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients - flour, almond flour, baking powder, and ground cinnamon. Sift into the sour cream mixture and fold in with a spatula until just moistened.
This was a hit with my family! But they definitely want to try it with rhubarb when those come into season here on California's central coast. I can't wait.
*This blog currently has a partnership with Amazon.com in their affiliate program, which gives me a small percentage of sales if you buy a product through a link on my blog. It doesn't cost you anything more. If you are uncomfortable with this, feel free to go directly to Amazon.com and search for the item of your choice.
I was going to do the rhubarb, too, but ran into the same problem. None to be found anywhere around here. Your strawberry creation looks great!
ReplyDeleteI'm in the same situation as you are. Why don't grocery stores carry frozen? I think it may be that rhubarb is not much of a "thing" in California. Your "punt" was perfect. Looks delicious.
ReplyDeleteYummy! This sounds amazing and good on you for making the recipe work with what you have.
ReplyDeleteI was going to make this cake but the same problem finding rhubarb! I did see a few stalks in the grocery store last night, so I might give it a try next week. It looks wonderful.
ReplyDelete