Last Cake, Next Cake

Melissa's family are big fans of cheesecakes and pumpkins, so this cake was a hit. " This is a delicious cheesecake!" This cake, not only good, but rated easy on Melissa's cake scale. So easy that it's calling her: "Make me again, again." As have been mentioned before, Melissa really love to be part of this bake-a-long, though at times it's hard since she's in the middle of house and kitchen remodel. " I've really loved it and at times it helped keep me sane. I have loved focusing on something creative and delicious and sharing it with my family, friends and with you all. I have loved being part of something across the world, but shared. I've loved all the baking skills I've developed and (sheepish) I've acquired a number of fantastic new cake pans (gotta love that!)."

Jane, having made the Pumpkin Cheesecake, baked 3 cakes this past week: Barcelona Brownie Bars, Baby Chocolate Oblivion, and Pumpkin Cake with Burnt Orange Buttercream. The Barcelona Brownie Bars were posted in video form. I have not had a chance to check it out but I will. As for the other cakes, the Baby Chocolate Oblivion, while looked easy, turned out to be an adventure with water baths and cupcake pans. For the Pumpkin Cake, Jane went all out with pumpkin pan, green leaves and brown vines made with gumpaste. The end product was beautiful, with a picture of her happily holding the cake!

Just when I thought that Hanaa has abandoned our little group, she came back and baked the German Chocolate Cake. Being allergic to coconut and pecans does not stop her for making this cake. She filled it with "stabilized whipped cream, flavored with homemade Concord Grape Jelly which has a beautiful dark purple color, a pleasant sweetness and a very mild sour note." Hanaa decorated the cake with a thin chocolate glaze in beautiful lacy patterns. As for the tasting notes, both her and hubby loved it. "It's chocolatey, moist and sturdy enough to hold up against any filling."

Lois, our FEATURED BAKER, could not find pecans in Poland, so she decorated her Pumpkin Cheesecake with homemade pepita brittle and called it "architectural." I love her improvisation skills and how pretty the cake look. She wasn't excited about this cake but it turned out to surprise her. "The cake was sensational!  There were seven of us at dinner that night and we ate almost the entire cake, maybe one slice left.  There were no complaints about being too full, diets, or the cake being too rich.  We just cleaned our plates - everyone of us."
 
Our next cake is the English Gingerbread Cake. It is an easy cake to put together. It does not require any adornment, though if you want to decorate it you can do the whipped cream and cherries route like what Marie did.