Soon her eye fell on a little glass box that was lying under the table: she opened it, and found in it a very small cake, on which the words `EAT ME' were beautifully marked in currants. `Well, I'll eat it,' said Alice, `and if it makes me grow larger, I can reach the key; and if it makes me grow smaller, I can creep under the door; so either way I'll get into the garden, and I don't care which happens!'
Alice In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
This month's Melbourne Cake Club theme was Magic Cakes. I knew immediately that I wanted to make, not one of the three layer custard cakes that are currently in vogue, but the "Eat Me" cake from Alice in Wonderland with magical powers to make Alice grow very, very tall.
However, I wanted to modernise the Eat Me cake - currants on top of the cake as decoration didn't sound tempting - so I searched the Web for some ideas, and found this recipe on Hello Giggles for a cranberry lime cake.
I did make a boo boo in that I didn't remember to buy cranberry juice, so I just used lime juice instead. Hey, it worked for me. This cake is reasonably healthy for cake, with applesauce and yoghurt replacing some of the fat. I doubled the recipe, as one batch (for 6 little cakes) only made a single thin 8" layer cake. To mix things up, I added a cup of cranberries to the batter.
I used a lime flavoured buttercream instead of the glaze, and decorated the cake with "Eat Me" spelled out in cranberries. To give definition to the edge of the cake, I used brightly coloured cachous around the edge.
This cake was not my favourite cake ever, as the healthier aspects of it gave it a denser texture than an ordinary full of butter cake. However, it tasted quite good, and the zesty lime buttercream was delicious.
John Farnham once said that one is the loneliest number, and so it was for me at Cake Club this week. I did a poll on the weekend before to check if anyone was coming as a couple of people had to pull out, and I had three confirmees, and several people who'd RSVPed to come on Meetup but didn't reply to my email. For this reason, I didn't cancel it. However, after half an hour at the venue, it became plain that I was it, so I gave half of the cake to the staff at the venue before departing.
This poor cake was unloved at work too - I threw a few slices out at the end of the day. Whether it was because they didn't like the cake, or they were worried they would catch the heavy cold I am currently "blessed" with from eating it, I don't know.
Oh well. I had fun coming up with the concept of this cake and making it - two months in the planning. Sometimes you just have to please yourself.
5 comments:
Sorry to hear you were on your lonesome at the cake club but it is nice you get to share it on the blog - it looks like a cake worth sharing to me - sorry you have a cold - I am just getting over one and it is no fun feeling like you have to be careful not to pass it on.
Thanks Johanna. It was a little unfortunate but the staff at Mme Brussels were lovely and came and talked to me so I didn't feel like such a Nigel. Let's hope cold and flu season is over soon! On the upside, today (Friday) my cold seems to be on the way out - best I've felt all week.
Oh no, that's disappointing that you were the only one Cakelaw! The texture of the cake does look different from regular cakes. Get better soon-I still have a cough that is lingering!
I'm sorry to hear you were left alone at the cake club! What a pity - and ditto that this cake didn't receive the loving reception it could have done. I think it sounds great and I love applesauce in baked goods. I'm impressed with your creativity thinking the notion up too.
I hope you feel 100% again soon.
Oh no, such a sad story, I am glad the staff were so nice to you,and I hope your cold is better soon. Oh, I love your Eat Me cake premise. Cranberries are much more exciting than currants. It looks very inviting, if I was Alice, I would eat it!!
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