"Cake Bible" by Rose Levy Beranbaum

[Dailey]

i love the cake bible, some of the best cakes i've ever tasted! my all-time favorite white cake is the "white velvet", i also love the perfect chocolate american cake, white whisper, yellow downy, cheesecake. pretty much all of the ones i tried. i'm interested in making the sour cream coffee cake tommarro but am wondering if i can make them into mini muffins? i'm afraid it will affect the outcome of my cake, does anyone know?

[sanrensho]

i'm interested in making the sour cream coffee cake tommarro but am wondering if i can make them into mini muffins?  i'm afraid it will affect the outcome of my cake, does anyone know?

I think you'll be fine. When in doubt, make two batches (one coffee cake and one batch of muffins)!

Just make sure to cut down the baking time for the mini-muffins.

[Ling]

I bought the book based on this thread. I think I'll try the Golden Almond cake first!

[mpshort]

You should see my copy of this book, it looks like it's been through a war! Standard recipes that never let me down:

Golden Butter cake

White chocolate velvet cake

White cake (can't remember the specific name, it's the same as the golden butter cake just sub whites for the yolks)

Mousseline buttercream (my standard buttercream)

Neoclassic buttercream

Cocoa souffle roll

have a dessert on this week's menu that uses this, roulade style filled with french vanilla ice cream flavored w/ powdered pate choux and swirled ganache; called chocolate eclair ice cream

Chocolate cloud cake

My standard for buche de noel

[Dailey]

thanks sanrensho, i'm gonna give it a try!

[Abra]

I just read through this book from beginning to end. Wow. Where's it been all my life? i want to make every single thing in it.

For those of you that have already made her various yellow cakes, which one most closely approximates the crumb of (forgive me) a Duncan Hines cake mix? My husband loves that Southern favorite, Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting, but it seems that it has to be made with a mix. I've tried several scratch versions, and none of them cut it with him. In his defense, it's the only thing made from a mix that he prefers to home made. But undeterred, I keep trying to find the perfect recipe, with that totally insubstantial, melting crumb. Is one of these perchance it?

[sanrensho]

I just read through this book from beginning to end.  Wow.  Where's it been all my life?

That was my reaction too after picking up this book. So far, I've made most of the butter cake recipes in the first part of the book and am now working my way through the genoise recipes.

Tried the Fudgy Genoise Jeffrey recipe today...this might be my new favorite recipe for choc. layer cakes. I'll have to frost it and see how it turns out.

[sanrensho]

Tried the Fudgy Genoise Jeffrey recipe today...this might be my new favorite recipe for choc. layer cakes. I'll have to frost it and see how it turns out.

I take back the above comment. This recipe actually tastes a bit too sweet for a layer cake, which is surprising as RLB's recipes tend not to be overly sweet. One of these days, I'll retry the recipe with 200g sugar instead of the recommended 250g.

[Patrick S]

For those of you that have already made her various yellow cakes, which one most closely approximates the crumb of (forgive me) a Duncan Hines cake mix?  My husband loves that Southern favorite, Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting, but it seems that it has to be made with a mix.  I've tried several scratch versions, and none of them cut it with him.  In his defense, it's the only thing made from a mix that he prefers to home made.  But undeterred, I keep trying to find the perfect recipe, with that totally insubstantial, melting crumb.  Is one of these perchance it?

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I've tried her All Occasion Downy Yellow Butter Cake, and I'm sure it isnt what you're looking for. Its a fine cake in its own way, but it doesnt have the " totally insubstantial, melting crumb" you're looking for.

[Abra]

Thanks, Patrick - you've saved me from putting yet another yellow cake down the disposal! Do you have any idea what scratch cake can duplicate that Duncan Hines crumb?

[Steven Blaski]

Thanks, Patrick - you've saved me from putting yet another yellow cake down the disposal!  Do you have any idea what scratch cake can duplicate that Duncan Hines crumb?

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Abra, there's a Best Butter Cake thread on the P&B forum and one of the posters, after making one of the recipes tested, claimed: "I think this is the alternative to a cake mix (as long as people don't want the chemical taste). It has wonderful tight crumb, very soft and moist and very comparable to a cake mix in texture." I can't vouch for this, but it might be worth a shot.

Click here.

[Abra]

Thanks, Steven! I had missed that thread, and will now try that version. The crumb in her picture looks a bit dry, but she was experimenting with variations and I'm not sure which one of the crumbs is shown. But I swear, if that one's not it, I'm giving up. I don't even like yellow cake. And with so many gorgeous things to make in the Bible, there's no time to waste on less-than-stellar cake baking.

Edited October 18, 2005 by Abra (log)

[Ling]

The Golden Almond butter cake is indeed a delicious, homey snack. I topped it with an ground almond streusel topping (ground almonds, sugar, butter, flour, oatmeal).

[sanrensho]

The Golden Almond butter cake is indeed a delicious, homey snack.

I like that cake..a lot. And I love the way it retains its flavor, moistness and crumb even after a few days. I find it perfect unadorned.

[sugarbuzz]

I was goofing around with the white velvet butter cake & substituted half of the milk with coconut milk & added 3/4 -1 cup of unsweetened coconut to the batter. With a nice cream cheese frosting with a hint of lemon it was really good.

[Ling]

Thanks, Steven!  I had missed that thread, and will now try that version.  The crumb in her picture looks a bit dry, but she was experimenting with variations and I'm not sure which one of the crumbs is shown. But I swear, if that one's not it, I'm giving up.  I don't even like yellow cake.  And with so many gorgeous things to make in the Bible, there's no time to waste on less-than-stellar cake baking.

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I just tried the recipe referenced above by Steven--it is indeed soft and dissolving in texture (but the edges are crisp and quite nice). It is also quite sweet, like a cake mix. I think your husband might enjoy it.

[SethG]

I made Rose's sour cream coffee cake the other night and I wish to add my recommendation to those posted above. It's really nice. I put in the optional layer of apples, which added a moistness/sweetness that I think really made the cake. That and the walnuts in the crumbly parts.

[Lumas]

I made the Chocolate Domingo Cake a few days ago and I really did not like it. The cake was very fudgy tasting. It reminded me of the chocolate cake in devil dogs, except the devil dogs tasted much better. Will not be making this one again.

I also made the Almond Cake and topped it with a sour cream ganache. I really did not like this combo. The sourcream overpowered the taste of the cake, which had a great almond flavor by itself. I might try it again, but with no topping this time.

Edited October 29, 2005 by Lumas (log)

[freddurf]

Lumas, when I made her banana cake the first time, I made it with the sour cream ganache. I'm not sure if it was the choc. I used, it was just some cheap stuff I picked up, but I didn't care for it either. I made the cake again but this time I used a lilikoi IMBC and it was awesome.

[Steven Blaski]

Speaking of banana cake, this week I made Wendy's Secret Banana Cake and it was fabulous. I liked it better than RLB's. I undercooked it a bit by accident -- it was in the oven for 45 minutes in a 9-inch pan and I was getting nervous as it was browning a lot. The center was a little undercooked, but I actually liked it that way, a little molten banana. It's has a delicate crumb (with lots more banana and sour cream than in RLB's version) -- so be careful when dismounting it. It was so good on its own I didn't even use the chocolate buttercream I had leftover in my fridge. It's perfect plain.

Thanks Wendy!

[jgarner53]

When I made the Sour Cream Ganache, I wasn't thrilled with it either. Maybe I should have left the sour cream out so that it was room temp, but it was hard to work with, and unlike an ordinary ganache, I found I couldn't soften it up more and rework it. The cake I used it on (the banana cake, btw) looked so horrible that I threw a chocolate glaze on it to help improve the look (though I was also trying for a smooth finish, not the quick icing look).

For my money and effort, I'll stick with a regular ganache that I know I can work and soften enough when I need to and get a smooth finish on a cake.

I did like the downy yellow cake, though, as far as basic butter cakes go. I made them as cupcakes and topped with the chocolate mousseline buttercream. My only complaints about chocolate buttercream is that in spite of the great flavor, the color was wimpy (I was using 61% chocolate) and pale.

[SethG]

I made the sour cream coffee cake for the second time yesterday, and I have a question. Both times I've tried the cake, the cake batter has sort of swelled through the layer of streusel on top, swamping it. After baking, the layer of streusel has ended up mostly under the surface both times. The cake has still tasted great, but I haven't achieved the attractive crunchy layer on top.

Anyone know why? What am i doing wrong? I'm following Rose's directions to the letter.

[Wendy DeBord]

I've never made that specific recipe, but I have encountered that happening with the streusel sinking or folding into the batter. I attribute it to the weight of the streusel sinking on the risingly light structure of the cake batter. If you notice streusel doesn't sink on heavy batters. And or it could be that the batter has so much leavening that the air pockets have to push out of the batter and the streusel is just in the way.........and when the air pocket releases it's steam the streusel falls back into the void.

[K8memphis]

I think this book has the Chocolate Oblivion cake--a fellow Egulleter made that for a potluck dinner, and it was delicious. I've since looked at the recipe and remember it to be a very simple flourless chocolate cake. So good!

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I just bought a copy of The Cake Bible!  Would anyone care to list some of their favorite recipes from this book?  There are so many wonderful recipes, I don't know which one to try first.  Thanks

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I love her orange chiffon cake, Bert Green's coffee cake, white spice butter cake, chocolate oblivion truffle torte, and her mousseline buttercream is my standard buttercream. If you make the chocolate torte, be sure to make the raspberry sauce/puree to go with it -- heaven!

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I think this book has the Chocolate Oblivion cake--a fellow Egulleter made that for a potluck dinner, and it was delicious. I've since looked at the recipe and remember it to be a very simple flourless chocolate cake. So good!

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It IS good! (thanks for the kudos, Ling )

Everyone I have made this cake for is blown away. I add 1 TBS Chambord Royale per lb. of chocolate (about 2 parts Callebaut semisweet to 1 part Scharffen Berger unsweetened or bittersweet is a ratio I've had good results with), and then serve with unsweetened whipped cream and raspberry sauce made by forcing defrosted IQF raspberries through a fine sieve, or with fresh berries in season.

The 6 inch x 3 inch size is nice if you don't have a lot of people to help you eat it, too. It's so rich, you don't need big pieces.

Thisis a record I made of making a two-layer Oblivion cake for my best friend's wedding cake.

Have fun!

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I made the raspberry chocolate oblivion truffle torte for my kid's birthday. I posted about it in the desert thread (sniff sniff I wish I could post there more often ) but I think I need to post here too.

Deborah, you are my inspiration for trying this. THANK YOU!!!

RLB is not my favorite author. But that cake was the bombshabomb. I did not do the chambord part--but I will next time. It was so easy--I was really amazed at how easy and perfect it came out. I did it exactly as written and with her whipped white chocolate ganache. I think just some nice light vanilla ice cream is the best complement. And next time I'll use regular white ganache.

It totally melts in your mouth just like a magnificent truffle.

Y'know what's funny? I always push my batter out a bit from the middle toward the edges of the pan because the batter settles & melts inward & so bakes flatter on the top. Well this came out just exactly as I placed it in the oven--which was kinda funny with the little ribbles in it. But all was well 'cause I iced it anyway.

Thanks again!!

Edited November 14, 2005 by K8memphis (log)

[SethG]

I've never made that specific recipe, but I have encountered that happening with the streusel sinking or folding into the batter. I attribute it to the weight of the streusel sinking on the risingly light structure of the cake batter. If you notice streusel doesn't sink on heavy batters. And or it could be that the batter has so much leavening that the air pockets have to push out of the batter and the streusel is just in the way.........and when the air pocket releases it's steam the streusel falls back into the void.

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Thanks, Wendy. Any tips as to how I can make it not happen next time? Maybe I should cut back a little bit on the baking powder/soda? Or whip the batter less to make the cake a little less airy? Neither of these seem like things you'd want to do.

Anyone else have this problem with Rose's recipe?