The Cake Slice Bakers

Whether I’m strolling with my 88-year-old mother in a quiet Northern California neighborhood or whether I’m striding down Main Street in Southern California, birds are singing! My fine-feathered friends won’t let me forget to celebrate this season of rebirth.

Japanese haiku poetry master, Basho expresses with elegance the lighthearted hopefulness that accompanies spring:

“April’s air stirs in
Willow-leaves…a butterfly
Floats and balances”

~Matsuo Basho

Smooth as that first sip of coffee, sophisticated as a Kahlua cocktail, Carole Walter’s Great Cakes’ Espresso Cake is as soothing as jazz. Espresso flavors play rich and deep but the timbre of the cake is feather light. (Perhaps blending the butter with caster sugar for 8 minutes contributes to the fluffy sponge.) Lemon zest adds another layer of complexity. (Amazing what a ½ teaspoon of citrus zest can do!)

Combining elements of Carole Walter’s recipe for Kahlua syrup and Ganache Glaze, I created a Kahlua Chocolate Ganache to pour on top of the espresso cake. 

Mona Lisa is better looking when embraced by her golden frame in the Louvre. Ginger Rogers shines brightest when dancing with Fred Astaire. Similarly in the world of sweets, pound cake performs wonders when paired with bold flavored partners.  This is especially true for the Old-Fashioned Pound Cake from Carole Walter’s Great Cakes.

Excited to be a part of this formidable group of ladies called The Cake Slice Bakers, I took on this month’s assignment of baking a Black & White Cake from Vintage Cakes cookbook.  (Variations of shapes e.g. cupcakes, Bundt cakes are allowed.) Suddenly, popping up on Facebook were previews of fellow contributors’ completely professional cakes! This confirmed my suspicion that I was part of an elite group. Gulp....When faced with performance anxiety...