Cinnamon Flop Cake

I found this recipe for cinnamon flop cake (which is also called cinnamon brunch cake) on RecipeZaar at http://www.recipezaar.com/77397. I was drawn to it because of all the rave reviews and easyness of it, so I decided to make it. I admit the cake was super fast and easy to make but it just didn't have quite the texture I was hoping for (Maybe I mixed it too much, or not enough, or didn't add enough toppings?). It was a bit on the dry side and it wasn't as fluffy as I would have preferred for a light brunch cake, but it still had a really nice cinnamon and brown sugar flavor combination. The only changes I made to it was to add 1/2 tsp of cinnamon to help the cake flavor complement the topping flavor. I'm still puzzled why it is called a "flop" cake (maybe because you just "flop" all the ingredients together into one bowl?) but try it for yourselves and see if you like it!

Brown Sugar Sponge Cake

I got the original recipe for this quick and easy cake from my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, but I decided to use brown sugar instead of white and added 1tsp of vanilla to it to give it more sweetness. The best description for this cake would be from my friend who described it as a thick and sweet pancake. I found the texture to be a bit more dense and not as fluffy as I would have preferred (maybe because I used brown sugar instead of white) but it still had good flavor. Because of its pancake appeal, it would also taste good serving it with maple syrup and vanilla ice cream or with whipped cream and fresh fruit.

Brown Sugar Sponge Cake

1 Cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 eggs (at room temperature)
1 Cup lightly packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 Cup milk
2 Tbs Butter
1 Tbs confectioners sugar

1) Preheat oven to 350F; grease and flour an 8in square baking pan
2) Sift together flour and baking powder in a small mixing bowl and set aside
3) In large mixing bowl, beat eggs with an electric mixer on high for about 4min or until thick
4) Once thick, gradually add sugar while mixing at medium speed for 5min or until light and fluffy
5) Add flour mixture to sugar mixture and beat on low until just combined
6) In a small saucepan, heat milk and butter on low heat until butter melts, then beat into sugar mixture until all combined
7) Pour in pan and bake for 25min (mine took 27min) or until toothpick inserted comes out clean
8) Cool in pan on wire rack (about 30min)
9) Once cooled, remove from pan and sprinkle with sifted confectioners sugar and enjoy!

Chocolate Guiness Layer Cake

This is one of my favorite chocolate cake recipes. It is made with Guinness beer (learn more about this beer at http://www.guinness.com/), which gives the cake a nice rich, dense, chocolate taste. I made it for my girlfriends birthday in the summer and it seemed to be very popular. There are many different versions of this cake but you can find the recipe that I used at http://www.cookiemadness.net/?p=1388, which is my favorite version of this cake. I decorated my cake with little toffee bits which gave it a more sweet taste to go along with the frosting.

OREO® Layer Cake

I love Oreo's and I love cake! So why not combine the two...? This cake is like two big and soft Oreo's staked on top of each other! It's fun to make and delicious to eat!

OREO® Layer Cake

1 Box of chocolate cake mix
(follow instructions on the back of the box to see what other ingredients will be needed, my box called for eggs, oil and water)
1 Box of M.Christie® chocolate wafer cookies
3 Cups whipping cream
4 Tbs confectioners sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

1) Follow instructions given on box to preheat oven and line two 8 or 9in round baking pans
2) Place a large bowl and electric beaters in fridge to chill for later to make whipping cream
3) Prepare and bake cakes following the instructions given on the box
4) Once baked (when toothpicks inserted come out clean), cool on racks for 10min then remove from pans and cool completely
5) Meanwhile, prepare whipping cream by pouring cream into chilled bowl and beat with an electric beater until soft peaks form
6) Slowly add sugar and vanilla and beat until desired consistency
7) Gently slice off top of one cake so that you have a flat surface to work with*
8) Evenly layer flattened cake with a whipped cream layer
9) Evenly place chocolate wafers on top of whipped cream layer
10) Gently and evenly add another layer of whipped cream on top of the wafer layer
11) Repeat steps 7-10 and add one cake on top of the other
12) Use remaining whipped cream to cover all sides of cake, then decorate cake with remaining chocolate wafers to your desire
13) Store in fridge for a few hours to allow the wafers to soak up the whipped cream and become a soft cookie
14) Remove from fridge, cut, and enjoy!

*I haven't decided what to do with the left over round tops of the cakes yet, but I guess you could make a mini OREO® layer cake as well!

Vanilla Lager Cake

I remembered making this chocolate Guinness cake a while back and how it was so moist, dense, and delicious that I wanted to try making another type of cake using another type of beer I had in my fridge. I discovered this vanilla cake recipe that was simply enough and I decided to change it a bit so I could add my beer without it being to overpowering. The first batch I made I used Kokanee Gold, which is an amber lager that has a hint of caramel taste to it. The second batch I made I used Granville Island Honey Lager because I wanted to try it again with a different sweetness. Both cakes turned out awesome and were moist with a delicious unique flavor to them. I think lager beers work best because they are much lighter and more refreshing than ales or stouts.

















Vanilla Lager Cake

1 Cup butter
1 Can (355ml) Lager beer
2 Eggs, beaten
1/2 Cups sour cream
2 Cups all-purpose flour
2 Cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda

Frosting:
2 Cups whipping cream
3 Tbs confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanilla
(optional: remaining can of beer, approx.2-3Tbs)
(optional: 1 Cup crushed walnuts)

1) In saucepan, melt butter over medium heat; once almost melted add beer and bring to a slight simmer stirring occasionally
2) Once simmered, remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly
3) Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375F, grease and lightly flour two 9in. pans
4) In a small bowl beat eggs, once beaten add sour cream and beat until smooth
5) Stir together all ingredients (including egg mixture and beer mixture) in one large bowl until smooth
6) Pour batter equally into pans and bake in oven for 20-24min (mine took 22min)
7) Remove from oven and cool on wire racks for 10min, then remove cakes from pans and let cool completely on wire racks

8) Meanwhile; to make frosting, pour whipping cream into a large chilled bowl (pre-chill bowl and beaters beforehand while making the cake)
9) Beat cream on high with electric beaters until it forms soft peaks
10) Gradually add remaining ingredients to whipped cream and beat until desired thickness and store in fridge until cake is cooled
11) Once cake is cooled, ice cake and garnish with walnuts (or with garnish of choice)