Last Cake, Next Cake

This week's cake is the most interesting because everyone who made it used different pans and different berries combination. But everyone agrees that this cake is a winner.

As such is what Hanaa exclaimed. "This week's cake was a winner!" is the very first sentence in her post. She used a very unusual and pretty heart-shaped pan. Her genoise "rose beautifully and is probably my most successful (aka high) genoise to date." So she split it in half and layer it with her homemade Strawberry Rhubarb Preserves. Topped with neat rows of sliced strawberries, it's a cake that makes anyone wants to eat it.

Jane made the Red Fruit Shortcake a couple of weeks ago. She baked the genoise in a 9 inch round pan and used fresh strawberries and dried currants. The cake was a hit. "Everyone seemed to really like it. I added the creme fraiche topping to it as well. It was a really light dessert with all of the fruit and tasted very fresh." Jane also made the Chocolate Feather Bed. Showing her devotion in making this cake, she made a trip to the grocery store to get the extra eggs needed to make up for being 9 grams short in egg yolks. The trip paid off, with her saying "I am definitely a fan of the chocolate feather bed."

The only person who stayed faithful to the recipe and made the cake in a flan tin is Melissa. Though unfortunately, as it is winter in Canberra where she lived, she was unable to find reasonably priced berries. "I priced Raspberries at $10 a punnet and strawberries at $4 a punnet. I'd probably need about three punnets to fill the flan. So, I may look for other options to feed my family." Melissa, always on the cheerful side, is still excited about the cake. "I've only done half a job but I'm really thrilled with this. It came out beautifully and now I just need to find some seasonal fruit."
 
The amazing Kristina, who not only made this cake but also showed off her impressive-looking shed. I can't build anything to save my life (well except desserts but that does not count) and I'll admit to staring at the shed pictures longer than the cake pictures. Anyway... Kristina used her Mary Anne pan to make this cake, claiming to perform magic trick where the eggs and sugar mixture transformed from liquid form to what she called "magic form." She served the cake with strawberries and sweetened whipped creme fraiche. "Delish!" was the verdict.

Our FEATURED BAKER this week is Lois, who went the extra mile and made the pink meringue kisses. Lois is the only one who is lucky enough to find currants, though she doesn't feel so lucky. "They were tart, as expected, but the little red gems were also chock full of little seeds. I was hoping for a texture more like a seedless grape. The package of currants sat in the fridge for a long time and eventually, went in the trash." Nevertheless, she topped the cake with strawberries and raspberries, brought the cake to a dinner party, where it turned out to be a birthday cake for one of the guests. Served "with a bit of whipped cream and vanilla ice cream. It was delicious."

Next week we have the Lemon Canadian Crown. I've read through the recipe and it seems pretty straightforward but it is one of those cakes that require extra planning and lots of waiting time. For one thing, this cake calls for ladyfingers so if  you want to make your own, you need to schedule extra time for this. It is worth it, by the way, to make your own ladyfingers, Rose's recipe is awesome. After lining the side and bottom of the pan with ladyfingers, filling it with the custard mixture, you need to freeze it for a minimum of 5 hours. Only then you can make the meringue topping and bake it in the oven to get the nice browned top.

Happy 4th of July weekend for my fellow US bakers and happy baking everyone!