Last Cake, Next Cake

We have mixed of participants this week. Only a couple of people made the Peanut Butter Ingots. The rest, having already made them, bake to catch up.

Jane, having already made the Peanut Butter Ingots, decided to tackle both the Molten Chocolate Souffle and Lava Cakes and the Gingerbread Cheesecake. She was very excited about the Molten cake. This cake reminded her of a good Molten cake that she had when she was 11 years old, at Morton's Steakhouse in New York. Rose's cake had a lot to live up to, and unfortunately, it did not live up to the expectation. "Good but not worth the work or the wait or the anticipation.  I expected Morton's but instead I got Applebees. Maybe I've just built up the cakes in my mind since the first experience so that nothing can compare." 

For the Gingerbread Cheesecake, Jane went all out with a homemade crust. "The crust was part 1 and it ended up being particularly delicious." She had trouble with the caramel again, having to made 3 batches. I admire Jane's perseverance in her caramel-making adventure. It was all worth it. "The majority of my friends have tried almost every cake I've made in the past few months and they said it was seriously the best one yet.  The caramel on top was a delicious addition and the pumpkin in the middle wasn't too strong or too weak."

ECL decided to follow the ingots' spirit and made Chocolate Ingots. She used cocoa nibs that she's been stashing in the freezer for this recipe. ECL noted that the only time consuming thing of this recipe is the beurre noisette. It is also the most interesting thing, as the recipe requires slow incorporation of the beurre noisette into the rest of the batter. So slow it should take as long as 5 minutes. "They are pretty good little cakes. They have a nice crisp crust and a moist interior. The almonds and cocoa nibs complement the chocolate (and all that butter) nicely. I like them, but I don't love them. They do make nice little chocolate snacks, and for that I can't complain." You can check out ECL's Peanut Butter Ingots here.

Lola fancied up the Peanut Butter Ingots with Chocolate Glaze, using bittersweet chocolate. "The chocolate and peanut butter are favored over the vanilla by my tasters. Yum! chocolate and peanut butter with a sprinkling of toffee chips. It is fun to serve this simple shape small cake to guests."

Mendy made Marble Velvet Cake. He posted a very short post where the only thing he said was that this is "a fairly classic marble cake with a terrific soft texture." You can check out Mendy's Peanut Butter Ingots here.

Our FEATURED BAKER Melissa made Peanut Butter Ingots despite having what sounded like a super crazy week. She had a somewhat unexpected visitor at home for the weekend. On top of that, things are crazy at work and she hadn't been getting enough sleep. With all the things going on, Melissa was glad that these Ingots were easy to make. And a bonus that it's tasty. "When they came out of the oven they smelt fantastic - warm and buttery, with wafts of peanuts. They were crunchy on the outside and crumbly and moist on the inside. I could make these again for a quick afternoon tea treat for the kids."

Next week is FREE CHOICE week. This is our last "real" free choice. After this we have 3 scheduled cakes, followed by one week break (Thanksgiving), and finally the Free Choice Wedding Cake will be the finale of this bake through.

I've posted this on the baking schedule on the right-hand side bar, but here it is for you guys to see:

Oct 31: Free Choice

Nov 7: Pure Pumpkin Cheesecake (p.247)
Nov 14: English Gingerbread Cake (p.75)
Nov 21: Bernachon Pale 'd'Or Gateau (p.107)
Dec 3: Wedding Cake Free Choice