Upside-down cakes are traditionally made with rings of canned pineapple and pink maraschino cherries to add a pop of colour and sweetness to the retro, classic fruit dessert. That makes it particularly easy to bake this type of cake year-round because you can always find canned pineapple at the grocery stores, and maraschino cherries, too, regardless of the season.

The fruit is baked on the bottom of the cake pan, underneath the cake batter. Once baked, the cake is flipped onto a serving plate to reveal the fruit layer that was hidden under the cake. This is how this dessert gets its name.

Upside-down cakes are known for being very decorative because you can take time to arrange the fruit in a pattern which bakes into the cake, anchoring the fruit in place.

The upside-down cake recipe is a perfect example of a classic recipe that you can tweak to suit the seasons with the fresh local fruit at the market. You can imagine using summer berries mid-summer, or sliced peaches or nectarines in the late summer months. And in the spring and early summer, replacing the canned pineapple with flavourful stalks of rhubarb is ideal!

What You Need To Make An Upside-Down Cake With Rhubarb

The vanilla cake batter is a variation on a pound cake recipe, also called a quatre-quarts (which is the French baking term for pound cake). The pound cake is made with roughly equal weights of flour, butter, sugar, and eggs.

The original rhubarb upside-down cake recipe first appeared in the New York Times, and I started baking this rhubarb raspberry version in 2011. I've since converted it to metric weights and done a little tweaking based on my experience. Here's what you need to make my version:

• butter—use unsalted butter or cut back on the salt if you are using salted
• sugar—we are using white sugar in the cake batter so that the vanilla flavour shines and brown sugar in the quick caramel sauce for flavour
• flour—instead of using cake flour, we are using a combination of all-purpose flour plus ground almonds to reduce the gluten and create a moist, tender cake
• leavening—the cake layer is made with baking powder not baking soda. Read about baking soda versus baking powder if you are unsure the difference.
• salt—I always bake with Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using table salt, add half the amount to avoid making the cake too salty
• fruit—I used a combination of rhubarb and raspberries to create a more vibrant pink fruit layer that is bright in colour and flavour and that can stand up against the sweet vanilla sour cream cake layer
• cornstarch—there's a little cornstarch added to the fruit to help the juices gel so that the fruit topping is not so liquid because both rhubarb and raspberries have a lot of water in them
• sour cream—always use full-fat sour cream if you can for the best cake texture
• eggs—I bake with large eggs. Using smaller or larger eggs may affect the texture of the cake

Please see the recipe card for the exact ingredients and quantities.

Substitutions And Variations

How To Make The Best Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake

Step 1—Combine the sugar and cornstarch first (image 1) and mix it really well with a whisk to eliminate any clumps of cornstarch (image 2) before adding in your fruit (image 3). Let the fruit sit to macerate and draw out some of the juices.

Step 2—Combine the butter and brown sugar (image 4) in a small saucepan and heat them until bubbly and boiling (image 5) before transferring to your cake pan (image 6).

Note: you can either use a 9-inch springform pan that is buttered and lined with parchment or you can use a 9-inch round cake pan with 3-inch straight sides

Step 3—Whip the butter and sugar for several minutes until really light and fluffy (image 7) before adding the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla (image 8). Whip the mixture really well to incorporate air (image 9).

Step 4—In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, ground almonds, leavening, and salt (image 10), then add one third of it to the mixer at a time (image 11), alternating with the sour cream, half at a time (image 12). You will end up with a thick, fluffy cake batter (image 13).

Step 5—Arrange the macerated fruit over the caramel layer in a decorative pattern in your springform (image 14). Dollop the batter over top and spread it from edge to edge with a mini offset spatula (image 15). Bake the cake until the top is an even, deep golden-brown and a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean (image 16).

How To Flip An Upside-Down Cake

You can't cool the cake completely in the springform because we need to be able to unmould it: otherwise, the cake will adhere to the sides of the pan, and the fruit syrup will set and stick to the parchment if the cake gets too cold.

For this reason, you can only cool the cake briefly in the pan, just long enough to be able to handle it. Fifteen to thirty minutes is all you need to wait before flipping it onto a serving plate:

• Run a knife around the edges between the cake and the pan to ensure the cake isn't stuck to the edges
• Place a large plate over the pan
• Place your left palm flat under the cake pan, and place your right palm flat on top of the plate to hold them together (or vice-versa)
• Flip swiftly, maintaining the pressure of your palms on the plate and the pan. Don't hesitate. Just do it!
• Set the plate down on your counter
• Lift the pan upwards slowly with both hands, gently, to release it (or unlock the buckle of the springform to release the sides, then carefully release the springform base and parchment off the fruit layer)
• If any fruit sticks to the parchment, don't panic! Just transfer them back where they belong!

With upside-down cakes, it's important to take the time to melt the sugar for the fruit layer, which helps reduce sugar crystallization when the cake is baked. The thing to note is that your brown sugar quick caramel may crystallize in the pan while you prepare the rest of the cake. If this happens, don't panic. The cake takes so long to bake, and with the fruit juices, the caramel will dissolve because both the rhubarb and the raspberries contain a lot of water.

On the other hand, for a pineapple upside-down cake, you may have to take extra steps to prevent crystallization because the fruit isn't as juicy. A squeeze of lemon juice added to the brown sugar mixture when it's on the stove can help, as can a spoonful of honey, both of which help prevent crystallization of sugar syrups.

Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake Baking FAQs

Other Rhubarb Recipes

Rhubarb is such an interesting ingredient because it is so sour. If you've got some, here are some more great rhubarb recipes to bake this spring:

If you tried this recipe for the best rhubarb upside-down cake with raspberries (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!

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Rhubarb Raspberry Upside-down Cake

This moist rhubarb raspberry upside-down cake is made with ground almonds to lighten the cake layer and raspberries to add colour to the fruit layer.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Calories 452kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• OXO balloon whisk
• 9-in springform
• Braun mixer
• GIR spatula

Ingredients

For the quick caramel sauce

• 58 grams unsalted butter
• 100 grams light brown sugar

For the fruit layer

• 450 grams fresh rhubarb cut into pieces to help them fit the springform from about ½ to 4 inches
• 170 grams fresh raspberries or frozen
• 100 grams granulated sugar
• 10 mL cornstarch

For the cake layer

• 190 grams bleached all-purpose flour
• 50 grams ground almonds
• 6.25 mL baking powder
• 0.625 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
• 230 grams unsalted butter room temperature
• 250 grams granulated sugar
• 5 mL pure vanilla extract
• 4 large egg(s) room temperature
• 80 mL sour cream (14% fat) or full-fat Greek yogurt

Metric - US

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 325°F (165 °C).
• Prepare a 9-inch springform pan by lining the bottom with parchment (I basically cut a large square of paper, place it on the base, then clip the sides over so that the paper runs right through the springform). Butter the paper and the sides of the springform pan. Wrap the outside of the pan with 2 large sheets of aluminum foil (in case your springform is as leaky as mine is). Set aside.

Make the quick caramel sauce

• In a small saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar until it gets bubbly. Let it bubble for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Pull the pan off the heat and pour the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Smooth it out so that it forms an even layer. Set aside.

Prepare the fruit

• In a medium bowl, combine the fruit with the granulated sugar and cornstarch. Mix it carefully to not damage the raspberries too much, and let it sit. Stir the fruit every few minutes to evenly distribute the starch and sugar.

Make the cake batter

• Whisk together the flour, ground almonds, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set them aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and the granulated sugar.
• Add the vanilla, and then the eggs, one at a time, beating well, and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Don’t worry if the batter looks curdled at this point.
• Alternately, add the dry ingredients (one-third at a time) and the sour cream (half at a time), beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Be sure to scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl occasionally.

Assemble the upside-down cake and bake

• Arrange the fruits evenly on top of the sugar layer (either decoratively or just neatly arrange them to fit snuggly). Pour the juices over the fruit.
• Dollop the cake batter carefully over the fruit being sure to smooth the top without disturbing the fruit layer. Bang the pan on the counter so as to remove any air pockets (you could also swirl a knife through carefully to remove any air pockets, just be sure to avoid the fruits at the bottom).
• Bake for 1 hour 40 minutes to 1 hour 50 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Because the cake is tall, it takes a long time to bake the middle so make sure you bake it for long enough!
• Let the cake cool for 15 minutes in the pan, then place your serving plate over top, and flip it very carefully because the fruit juices are boiling hot! Set the plate on a wire rack to cool completely. Do not let the cake cool in the pan because the fruits and juices will stick to the bottom, and you’ll have a hard time getting it out after.

Notes

• You can either use a 9-inch springform pan that is buttered and lined with parchment or you can use a 9-inch round cake pan with 3-inch straight sides
• Substitutions and variations:
  • This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!
  • Yogurt—If you don't have sour cream, a baking substitution you can try is to replace it with the same volume of full-fat Greek yogurt (around 10 % fat if possible). Low-fat works too, but reducing the fat may lead to a drier cake or affect the texture.
  • Strawberries—I love to combine raspberries with rhubarb, but if you prefer, strawberries will work too. Try to stick to the total weight of fruit for your rhubarb and strawberries. Otherwise, you may run into trouble getting the cake properly baked.
  • Plain rhubarb—I have baked this recipe without the raspberries with 1 pound (454 grams) of fresh rhubarb, and it worked perfectly. The fruit layer was a bit more beige and lacked the vibrancy of the pink raspberries, but the flavour was still great!
  • Pistachio or hazelnut—you can replace the ground almonds with ground pistachios or hazelnuts. For a nut-free version, try ground pumpkin seeds (like in this moist rhubarb cake made with pumpkin seeds!) or even sunflower seeds.
  • Cake flour—you can replace the weight of nuts plus all-purpose flour with the same weight of cake flour, as in the original recipe. Cake flour is a softer, finer flour that has more starch and less protein than all-purpose. 

Nutrition

Calories: 452kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 110mg | Sodium: 54mg | Potassium: 244mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 39g | Vitamin A: 763IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 98mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Rhubarb Raspberry Upside-Down Cake appeared first on The Bake School.

Sometimes, the secret to a moist cake can be less flour, or replacing a portion of the flour with a flour alternative, like a starch (cornstarch, for example) or even ground nuts. The ground nuts add texture to the cake crumb and lighten it in a way that flour can't achieve.

A careful swap of a portion of the flour with some ground almonds, ground hazelnuts, or ground pumpkin seeds can lead to cakes with a very tender, moist crumb and a light texture. This works beautifully in these rhubarb sour cream muffins and the gorgeous rhubarb upside-down cake, made with ground almonds, and in the recipe below with pumpkin seeds!

What You Need

• rhubarb—use fresh or frozen rhubarb. I use chopped rhubarb in the cake and sliced rhubarb for the top
• pumpkin seeds—use raw, untoasted pumpkin seeds
• butter—I bake with unsalted butter. If using salted, you may want to add less salt to the cake to compensate
• sugar—I used granulated sugar, but brown sugar will also work great
• eggs—I always bake with large eggs. Using a different size of eggs may affect the texture
• leavening—we are using baking powder in this cake, not baking soda. Please read about the difference between baking powder and baking soda if you are unsure
• sour cream provides a slight acidity to cake batters, which in turn inhibits gluten formation. Reducing gluten results in more tender baked goods that are softer and moister. Please use full-fat sour cream (14 % fat) for the best cake texture
• salt—I bake with Diamond Crystal Fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the cake may be too salty

Please see the recipe card for the exact ingredients and quantities.

Substitutions And Variations

Like with any recipe, baking substitutions can be tricky, but I have a few suggestions:

• Nuts—I realize that the ground pumpkin seeds are a little unusual, so feel free to replace them with your favourite ground nut or even sunflower seeds. Ground almonds or ground hazelnuts would be perfect here. Pistachios would be excellent! Replace the ground pumpkin seeds with the same weight.
• Greek yogurt—for the sour cream, you can replace it with the same volume of full-fat plain Greek yogurt. Low-fat would probably work too, but your recipe will have less fat, and I can't guarantee that it will work out the same.

How To Make A Moist Rhubarb Cake

Step 1—Combine all the dry ingredients, including the pumpkin seeds in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal S-blade (image 1). Process the mixture until the pumpkin seeds are fairly finely ground (image 2).

Step 2—Cream the butter with the sugar until very light (image 3) before adding the eggs (one at a time) and vanilla (image 4). Whip the mixture until it is very light and fluffy (image 5). You want to incorporate a lot of air!

Note: When you are taking away flour from a recipe, even if it's a fraction that is removed, the key to this making the cake light and fluffy is beating the butter and sugar for a very long time (like 4 minutes), and then beating in the eggs, one at a time, and then 4 minutes more after they are all added. The resulting batter at this stage is emulsified nicely and extremely light and fluffy, resembling soft whipped cream. Don't even bother moving forward with the recipe until you achieve that texture.

Step 3—Add half the dry ingredients to the mixer (image 6) and stir them in before adding the sour cream (image 7), then mix in the last of the dry ingredients to create a thick batter (image 8). Stir in the chopped rhubarb (image 9).

Step 4—Transfer the rhubarb sour cream cake batter to a prepared square cake pan (mine is non-stick, so I buttered it then lined it with parchment paper, leaving an overhang). Arrange logs of rhubarb decoratively in a cross-hatch pattern or weave, sprinkle generously with sugar (image 10), and bake until golden brown (image 11). Use a cake tester to make sure it's done.

Tip—make sure the logs of rhubarb on the top aren't too thin because they become thinner and a little tough to bite through when baked.

The resulting rhubarb cake is very moist and full of rhubarb chunks that go so well in this sweet, nutty cake. It's absolutely addictive and the perfect cake to bake with rhubarb this season. This rhubarb cake is quite different than the rhubarb pudding cake (with rhubarb compote baked under a thick layer of cake) and the orange cake made with cornmeal and topped with rhubarb.

Baking With Rhubarb Tip: Metal And Rhubarb Don't Play Well Together

When you're baking with rhubarb, keep in mind that rhubarb is quite acidic. You need to consider the material of your cake pan or bakeware, especially for recipes where the rhubarb may come into direct contact with the pan. I used a square 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, but I found the rhubarb chunks in the cake discoloured the stainless steel finish in places. So even though I used a stainless steel pan for this recipe, it might be more appropriate to bake it in a coated stainless steel, ceramic, or even glass pan to avoid discolouring your pan. You may have to adjust the baking time accordingly since glass, for example, is insulating and slower to heat up, which means your cake will take a little longer to bake.

Regardless of whether your pan has a special coating on it (ceramic or non-stick) or not, be sure to take the time to prepare the pan before baking: grease the pan, and dust the sides with flour or line with parchment. If the pan doesn't have a coating on it, line the bottom with parchment with an overhang to avoid the rhubarb reacting with the metal as much as possible.

Serving Suggestions

I like to serve this cake plain, but also with lightly-sweetened whipped cream. This maple whipped cream would also be lovely paired with this rhubarb cake. And you can also serve it à la mode with a scoop of cardamom ice cream.

Other Rhubarb Recipes

I love to bake with rhubarb. The tart flavour of rhubarb allows it to pair nicely in sweet baked goods like these rhubarb recipes:

If you tried this recipe for the best moist rhubarb cake (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!

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Moist Rhubarb Cake with Pumpkin Seeds

This rhubarb pumpkin seed cake reminds me of a giant financier, it's nutty and moist, and full of rhubarb.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, French

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 50 minutes minutes

Servings 9 pieces

Calories 367kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• 9x9-inch pan
• Mini processor
• 5-quart KitchenAid Artisan mixer
• Mini offset

Ingredients

• 450 grams fresh rhubarb washed and trimmed
• 156 grams bleached all-purpose flour
• 108 grams pumpkin seeds
• 5 mL baking powder
• 3.75 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
• 153 grams unsalted butter room temperature
• 150 grams granulated sugar
• 2 large egg(s)
• 5 mL pure vanilla extract
• 65 mL sour cream (14% fat)
• 30 mL granulated sugar

Metric - US

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C). Butter a 9x9-inch (23x23-cm) square pan (preferably non-reactive and non-stick). Line with parchment paper leaving an overhang. Set aside.
• Slice rhubarb in half, lengthwise (or even in quarters for thicker stalks of rhubarb) and then into 2 ½" pieces. Select about 27–36 of the prettiest and set them aside for the top of the cake. Chop the rest into ½" pieces. Set aside.
• In a food processor (like this KitchenAid on Amazon), pulse together the flour, pumpkin seeds, baking powder, and salt until the seeds are finely ground and the dry ingredients are evenly mixed.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (like this KitchenAid on Amazon), cream together the butter and sugar, then beat them together on medium-high speed for a full 4 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl as needed with a spatula. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition. Then add the vanilla, and beat the mixture again for another 4 minutes on medium-high until it's very pale, light (like soft whipped cream).
• With the mixer on low, add half the dry ingredients, mix them in, then add the sour cream. Scrape down the bowl again, then add the rest of the dry ingredients, and stir just to combine. Take the bowl off the stand, then fold in the ½" rhubarb pieces with a spatula. The batter will be very thick.
• Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, smearing and pressing it into the corners and edges of the pan. Then arrange the reserved sticks of rhubarb on the top into a pattern (see picture). Sprinkle with 2 tablespoon granulated sugar. If you are using a pan with a removable bottom, place it on a baking sheet.
• Bake the cake until the edges are nicely browned, and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. This takes about an hour (more or less).
• Let cool before serving. Unmold after about 20 minutes. Cut into squares once cooled.

Notes

• This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!
• You can replace the sour cream with full-fat Greek yogurt (around 9 % fat or more).
• Substitute light brown sugar for granulated sugar in the cake batter (same weight).
• Use ground almonds, hazelnuts, or pistachios in place of pumpkin seeds (same weight). Or you can use sunflower seeds if you'd like to keep the cake nut-free.
• Beware of baking in aluminum pans: the rhubarb is acidic and can cause the pan to blacken in places if the aluminum pan is uncoated (or not anodized). 

Nutrition

Calories: 367kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 77mg | Sodium: 221mg | Potassium: 343mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 574IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 92mg | Iron: 2mg

This rhubarb cake recipe was adapted from the April 2015 issue of Bon Appétit magazine, page 66. You can find a version online here: Bon Appétit recipe,

The post Moist Rhubarb Cake appeared first on The Bake School.

My mom used to make a gingerbread loaf cake that she served with a lemon sauce in wintertime. This gingerbread snacking cake topped with cream cheese frosting and lemon curd is my ode to the unusual yet wonderful combination of gingerbread and lemon.

The gingerbread cake recipe is based on this maple cinnamon cake, which is also very simple to make. The mixing method and the texture of the cake batter are very similar to the one-bowl chocolate cake, which makes a very fluid cake batter that bakes into a very moist cake, just like this one!

Ingredients

This is a classic gingerbread made from a simple list of ingredients, heavy on molasses and warm spices. Here's what you need to make this gingerbread cake:

• flour—I made this cake with bleached all-purpose flour, but unbleached should work fine
• spices—I used a combination of dry spices that are typically found in gingerbread cookies, specifically, ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves
• leavening agents—this cake is made with baking soda, which contributes to the colour of the cake, the rise, and also the flavour
• fats—I used a combination of unsalted butter and canola oil to help give this taste a moist texture with a buttery flavour
• sugar—I used dark brown sugar to add even more molasses flavour to the cake
• eggs—I always bake cakes with large eggs at room temperature so that they mix better into the batter
• salt—I bake with Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt. If using table salt, you may want to add half the amount to avoid the cake being too salty
• molasses—use Fancy molasses, not blackstrap molasses which may have a stronger flavour that won't work well in this recipe
• milk—I used whole milk (3.25 % fat). I don't recommend fat-free milk, though it will technically work fine
• topping options (optional but definitely worth it!)—white chocolate cream cheese frosting (without icing sugar) and lemon curd (preferably homemade), thick cream cheese frosting, salted caramel sauce

Please see the recipe card for the exact ingredients and quantities.

Substitutions and Variations

Instructions

Like classic gingerbread cutout cookies, this cake starts by melting the butter with the sugar and molasses, before adding the eggs (and other liquids), and finally the dry ingredients. This is very similar to a two-bowl mixing method, like for muffins. Here's how to make this cake:

Step 1—Combine the molasses, brown sugar, butter, and canola oil in a small saucepan (image 1) and heat it on medium–low to melt the butter and help mix the ingredients (image 2).

Note: Don't boil this! The goal isn't to thicken or evaporate the mixture in any way. We want a little heat to incorporate the ingredients better but not too much.

Step 2—Whisk the eggs with the salt in a large bowl before adding the melted butter and molasses mixture and the milk (image 3). Whisk until evenly combined (image 4)

Step 3—Meanwhile, whisk the dry ingredients together (image 5) to get the spices evenly incorporated then transfer them to a sieve set over the bowl of wet ingredients (image 6) to remove any lumps of spice (image 7). Whisk to form a fluid cake batter (image 8).

Note: the baking soda will start to react and the mixture will fizzle and bubble a little. This is normal.

Step 4—Transfer the cake batter to a prepared 9x9 cake pan (image 9) and bake until set (image 10).

Remember, there are many ways to check if a cake is done baking so use a few. I like to use a cake tester and insert it in the centre of the cake to check if it's done baking. I also look for signs like the edges of the cake pulling away from the pan.

Serving Suggestions

Other Gingerbread Recipes and More Christmas Baking

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Gingerbread Cake

Learn how to make the most delicious gingerbread cake with cream cheese frosting and lemon curd. This gingerbread snacking cake is flavoured with molasses and lots of spices, and topped with a generous amount of white chocolate cream cheese frosting and lemon curd.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Canadian

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 16

Calories 219kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• 9x9-inch pan
• Cake tester

Ingredients

• 190 grams bleached all-purpose flour
• 7.5 mL ground cinnamon
• 7.5 mL ground ginger
• 3.75 mL baking soda
• 2.5 mL ground nutmeg
• 1.25 mL ground allspice
• 1.25 mL ground cloves
• 255 grams Fancy molasses
• 100 grams dark brown sugar
• 80 grams unsalted butter room temperature
• 45 mL canola oil
• 2 large egg(s) room temperature
• 1.25 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
• 250 mL whole milk (3.25 % fat) I don't recommend fat free

Suggested toppings and garnishes (optional)

• 1 batch white chocolate cream cheese frosting
• 125 mL lemon curd

Metric - US

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 °F (175 °C). Prepare a 9-inch (23-cm) square metal pan by greasing and flouring. Line the bottom of the pan with a square of parchment paper to make it easy to unmould it. Set aside.
• Whisk together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Set aside for later.
• In a small saucepan, combine the molasses, brown sugar, butter, and oil. Heat it on medium–low, just warm enough to melt the butter and get all the ingredients well mixed. Do not boil! Set aside to cool slightly.
• In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the salt to loosen them up, then add the warm (not hot) butter and molasses mixture, as well as the milk. Whisk everything together until really well mixed.
• Sift the dry ingredients over the wet ingredients to remove any lumps and whisk them into the wet ingredients. The batter will be very fluid, the baking soda will start to fizz and bubble a little, and there may be a few very small lumps of flour.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. The cake will also pull away slightly from the sides of the pan.
• Remove the cake from the oven and cool completely in the pan before serving.

Notes

• You can enjoy the cake as is without any toppings, but if you can, definitely serve it with lemon curd (homemade lemon curd is better but store-bought will work) and this white chocolate cream cheese frosting is also excellent with this cake. You can also serve it with salted caramel sauce if you prefer.
• I baked this cake in a 9x9 OXO gold pan which has a non-stick finish so I skipped the flour when preparing the pan but still butter the bottom and sides and line the bottom with parchment to make unmoulding and serving neater. If your pan doesn't have a non-stick finish, flour the sides of the pan before pouring the batter inside.
• For the spices, I love to add lots of ginger and cinnamon as well as nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. Some will also add ground black pepper or white pepper to give the cake a little spicy punch. It's really up to you the spices you use.
• You can replace the molasses with honey or maple syrup. Both will work, but the flavour and colour of the cake will be markedly different.
• This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!

Nutrition

Calories: 219kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 115mg | Potassium: 296mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 183IU | Vitamin C: 0.04mg | Calcium: 70mg | Iron: 2mg

The post Moist Gingerbread Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting and Lemon Curd appeared first on The Bake School.

This cake recipe follows the standard 1-2-3-4 cake formula, meaning the baking ratio of ingredients is 1 cup butter, 2 cups sugar, 3 cups flour, and 4 eggs. To accommodate the small cake pan and create one single layer, a half batch of the 1-2-3-4 cake recipe is needed to fill the pan without overflowing.

What You Need to Make a Cake Sweetened With Honey

• honey—opt for honey with a lot of flavour and character. I use either Greek honey or local autumn honey that is darker and flavourful
• butter—this recipe was developed with unsalted butter. If using salted butter, you may want to adjust the salt in the recipe to avoid the cake being too salty
• sugar—I prefer to make this cake with white granulated sugar, not brown sugar as brown sugar will impart too much flavour that will interfere with the delicate taste of honey and lavender
• eggs—all the recipes on this site are tested with large eggs. If using smaller or larger eggs, this will affect the texture of the cake.
• flour—I bake with regular bleached all-purpose flour. This cake will likely work with unbleached flour, though the texture may be a little less fluffy.
• leavening agents—this cake recipe calls for baking powder, not baking soda. Read about baking soda versus baking powder if you aren't sure the difference.
• salt—I bake with Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If you are using regular table salt, you may want to add half the amount to avoid the cake being too salty
• lavender buds—use culinary-grade lavender buds. Do not use lavender that is for household use for adding scent to rooms as this may be laced with fragrances that aren't edible
• milk—the liquid for this cake is whole milk (3.25 % fat) - I prefer full-fat milk which lends a little more fat to the cake to help it stay moist
• optional garnish—I topped the cake with honey-sweetened whipped cream made from 35 % fat whipping cream, mascarpone, and honey. This is optional but adds an extra layer of texture and flavour creating an elegant dessert.

Please see the recipe card for the exact ingredients and quantities.

Substitutions and Variations

• tea—instead of lavender buds, you could also try Earl Grey tea with bergamot. Crush the tea in a mortar and pestle to turn it into a fine powder
• milk—I prefer to bake with whole milk (3.25 % fat) but 2 % milk will also work fine. Skim milk is virtually fat free and will also work, but the cake may be a tiny bit less moist
• dairy-free—you can replace the butter with unsalted vegan butter and the milk with unsweetened soy milk. You can replace the whipped cream topping with honey-sweetened coconut whipped cream

How to Make a Honey Cake

This one-layer cake is simple to make, like any standard layer cake, using the creaming mixing method. Here's how to make this honey-sweetened cake:

Step 1—Grind the lavender in a mortar and pestle to turn the flower buds into a fine powdery hay-like texture (image 1) then whisk it into the flour along with the baking powder and salt (image 2).

Step 2—Combine the butter, honey and granulated sugar in the stand mixer bowl with a paddle attachment (image 3) and cream the three ingredients until light and fluffy before adding the eggs one at a time and the vanilla (image 4).

Step 3—Add the dry ingredients (image 5) alternating with the milk (image 6), beginning and ending with dry to create a fluffy smooth batter (image 7). Don't overmix it.

Step 4—Transfer the cake batter to a parchment paper-lined butter and floured round cake pan (image 8) and spread it with a mini offset spatula (image 9).

Step 5—Make sure the batter is levelled and smoothed from edge to edge (image 10) before baking until golden brown and set (image 11). The edges will begin to pull away from the sides of the pan.

Step 6—You can serve the cake plain drizzled with honey, but I like to also top it with mascarpone whipped cream sweetened with a little honey (image 12).

Tip: the honey-sweetened whipped cream can be made following the same recipe as the maple whipped cream, but replacing the maple syrup with honey. How much honey you add is entirely up to you. Since I was planning to also drizzle honey on top of the cream to decorate it, I only added 30 grams (1 oz) of honey to sweeten it.

Honey Cake Baking Tip

The fun thing about crystallized honey is that you can heat it (in the microwave or a saucepan) and the gritty honey melts and becomes smooth and fluid again.

Of course, this is only temporary. As it cools, the honey slowly crystallizes again Remember, sugar syrups tend to crystallize (as does honey) because they have such a high concentration of sugar molecules.

Baking With Honey FAQs

More Easy Elegant Cake Recipes

If you tried this recipe for the best lavender honey cake (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!

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Lavender Honey Cake

Learn how to make the best lavender honey cake with this easy recipe. This honey-sweetened cake is flavoured with ground lavender buds and topped with honey-sweetened whipped cream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine British

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings 10

Calories 365kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• OXO balloon whisk
• Braun mixer
• Cake tester
• Pastry brush
• 8-in cake pans

Ingredients

Honey cake

• 8 grams dried lavender culinary grade
• 190 grams bleached all-purpose flour
• 5 mL baking powder
• 2.5 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
• 170 grams honey
• 115 grams unsalted butter room temperature
• 100 grams granulated sugar
• 2 large egg(s) room temperature
• 5 mL pure vanilla extract
• 125 mL whole milk (3.25 % fat)

Honey whipped cream (optional)

• 160 mL whipping cream (35 % fat) cold
• 75 grams mascarpone cheese
• 30 grams honey plus a little extra to drizzle on the finished cake
• dried lavender for decorating

Metric - US

Instructions

Honey cakes

• Preheat the oven to 325 °F (165 °C). Prepare an 8-inch cake pan by buttering and flouring it, and lining the bottom with a round of parchment paper. Set it aside for later.
• Grind the lavender buds in a mortar and pestle to turn them into a fine hay-like powder.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, ground lavender buds, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the honey, sugar, and butter until it is light and fluffy. You can also use an electric hand mixer for this recipe!
• Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing in between each addition, and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla.
• Add one-third the flour, then half the milk, another third of flour, then the rest of the milk, and the rest of the flour, mixing between each addition, and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix the batter until all the ingredients are combined.
• Transfer the batter into the prepared pan and smooth it out from edge-to-edge.
• Bake until the cake is golden brown and set, testing with a cake tester inserted into the centre of the cake. This cake will take about 45 minutes to bake through.
• Set aside to cool for 15 minutes before unmoulding on a wire rack to cool completely.

Honey whipped cream (optional)

• Combine the cold cream, mascarpone, and honey in a large bowl and whip until firm peaks form.
• Place the cooled cake on a large plate, removing the parchment paper from the bottom. Spread the whipped cream on top and then drizzle with honey and sprinkle with lavender buds.
• Serve immediately.

Notes

• This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!
• Make sure to use culinary grade lavender that is edible, not lavender you may find for potpouri. 
• Opt for honey with a lot of flavour and character. I use either Greek honey or a local autumn honey that is darker and flavourful.
• Subtitutions and variations
  • tea—instead of lavender buds, you could also try Earl Grey tea with bergamot. Crush the tea in a mortar and pestle to turn it into a fine powder
  • milk—I prefer to bake with whole milk (3.25 % fat) but 2 % milk will also work fine. Skim milk is virtually fat free and will also work, but the cake may be a tiny bit less moist
  • dairy-free—you can replace the butter with unsalted vegan butter and the milk with unsweetened soy milk. You can replace the whipped cream topping with honey-sweetened coconut whipped cream

Nutrition

Calories: 365kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 85mg | Sodium: 268mg | Potassium: 132mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 700IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Lavender Honey Cake appeared first on The Bake School.

When I worked on this recipe, I wanted a simpler chocolate cake than the typical chocolate layer cake with berries. I was aiming for a single-layer chocolate cake that is quite similar to a flourless chocolate cake of sorts but with a little (buckwheat) flour added to the mix. The buckwheat flour in this recipe not only gives this chocolate cake more flavour, it also helps give the inside of the chocolate cake a little more structure so that, when you underbake it just like you would a real flourless chocolate cake, the cake sinks and settles, but not too much, so it doesn't become overly dense like some other recipes.

What You Need to Make This Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake

The beauty of fallen chocolate cake recipes like this is you likely have most (or all) the ingredients you need in your pantry and fridge. Here's what you need:

• butter—I bake with unsalted butter. If using salted, you may want to adjust the amount of salt you add
• chocolate—I baked this cake with a dark chocolate that is bittersweet (70 % cocoa solids). The flavour and sweetness of the chocolate will have an impact on the sweetness of the cake so use a chocolate you like! The major ingredient is chocolate, which means you MUST use the best dark chocolate for baking because it provides both flavour, structure, and texture to this dessert. For this recipe, I used Cacao Barry Ocoa 70% dark chocolate, which is a professional quality dark chocolate that you can buy in IGA grocery stores in Quebec and online from Vanilla Food Company
• eggs—I always bake with large eggs. If you use smaller or larger eggs, this may have an impact on the texture of the final dessert
• sugar—I used granulated sugar because I find this gives the best volume when whipping the eggs.
• flour—I used gluten-free buckwheat flour. As you can see it is a whole-grain flour, unbleached
• ground almonds—you can use either ground blanched almonds or unblanched. This doesn't matter
• salt—I bake with Diamond Crystal Fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the cake may be too salty.

Please see the recipe card for the exact ingredients and quantities.

How to Make a Chocolate Cake With Buckwheat Flour

Step 1—Begin by combining the chocolate and butter in a bowl above a pan of gently simmering water (image 1). Let it all melt together, stirring often, until smooth and glossy (image 2). Set it aside to cool slightly while you whisk together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl (image 3).

Step 2—Place the eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (image 4) and whisk them until frothy before slowly drizzling in the granulated sugar (image 5). Continue whipping until the mixture is very light in colour, creamy, and ribbony (it forms a ribbon when dripped onto the surface as in image 6).

Step 3—Immediately fold the dry ingredients in with a large spatula (image 7) and then the melted chocolate (image 8). The batter will be thick (image 9). Transfer the mixture to a prepared springform pan (image 10).

Tip: Because I wanted a taller chocolate cake, I opted to use an 8-inch springform pan. Make sure to take the time to prepare the cake pan properly: I buttered the pan all over, lined the bottom with parchment paper, and then dusted the sides with buckwheat flour to make sure that this cake would unmould perfectly from the sides, which it did, as you can see in the photos!

Step 4—Make sure the top of the cake is smooth before placing it in the oven (image 11). Bake the cake until it domes on top and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan slightly (image 12). The cake will fall and crack as it cools (image 13). This is normal!

Note: Like with flourless chocolate cakes, it's best to let this cake cool completely and then sit overnight before cutting into it. The cake will sink and settle, and the top will crack a little, and the texture inside of the cake changes as the flavour improves. This recipe makes a great make-ahead dessert. I stored it unwrapped overnight, but feel free to store it under a cake dome. I served this moist chocolate cake with a thick layer of whipped cream and lots of berries. It's the perfect dessert to celebrate summer.

Baking Tip: Volume Without Separating Eggs

A lot of flourless chocolate cake recipes have you separate the whites from the yolks so that you can whip the whites to stiff peaks and fold them into the batter to lighten the mixture. I hate that, and I bet you do too.

Rather than beat the whites separate from the yolks, I opted to make this chocolate cake like I would make a génoise cake, whipping the whole eggs with the sugar until it's at the ribbon stage, a foam so stable, light, and thick that it forms a "ribbon" when drizzled off the beater onto the surface of the whipped mixture. This stable foam is perfect for providing enough rise to this easy gluten-free chocolate cake recipe. No separating of eggs is required!

More Gluten-Free Baking

Check out these other gluten-free baking recipes if you are looking to bake more desserts without gluten without compromising on taste and texture:

If you tried this recipe for the best buckwheat chocolate cake (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!

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Gluten-Free Buckwheat Chocolate Cake

This moist buckwheat chocolate cake is topped with whipped cream and fresh strawberries and you won't believe it's gluten-free! The cake is quite similar to a flourless chocolate cake, but made with a little buckwheat flour and ground almond. It's perfect for serving as a single layer cake with summer berries and lots of whipped cream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings 10

Calories 436kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• 8-in springform
• 5-quart KitchenAid Artisan mixer
• OXO balloon whisk
• Cooling rack

Ingredients

Gluten-free chocolate cake

• 150 grams unsalted butter
• 175 grams dark chocolate (70 % cocoa content)
• 4 large egg(s)
• 150 grams granulated sugar
• 63 grams buckwheat flour
• 75 grams ground almonds
• 1.25 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt

Whipped cream

• 250 mL whipping cream (35 % fat)
• 25 grams icing sugar

Garnish

• 450 grams fresh strawberries

Metric - US

Instructions

Gluten-free chocolate cake

• Preheat the oven to 350ºF (175 °C). Butter the bottom and sides of an 8-inch springform pan, then line the bottom with a round of parchment paper. Use a tablespoon or two of buckwheat flour to flour the buttered sides of the pan. Set the pan aside.
• Melt the butter with the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Mix until perfectly smooth, glossy, and even. Take the bowl off the heat and let cool slightly.
• Meanwhile, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs with the granulated sugar to the ribbon stage when the mixture is very pale in colour and extremely light in texture. This takes about 10 minutes.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the buckwheat flour, ground almonds, and salt. Fold this dry mixture into the fluffy egg mixture. Then fold in the melted chocolate and butter.
• Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan. Smooth the top and tap the pan to remove any large air pockets.
• Bake the cake for about 45 minutes until the surface is set but the inside is still a little underbaked.
• Let the cake cool for 10 minutes then unmold it onto a plate and let it cool and rest overnight. The cake will crack and settle in this time. That's normal!

Whipped cream

• When you are ready to serve the cake, whip the cold whipping cream in a large bowl. When the whipped cream is still a little soft, add the icing sugar and finish whipping the mixture to form thick whipped cream. Spread the whipped cream over the chocolate cake.

Garnish

• Top the whipped cream layer with a pile of washed berries. Serve immediately.

Notes

• This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!
• For the dark chocolate, I used Cacao Barry Ocoa 70 % dark chocolate.
• You can serve this cake with whipped cream as written, or ice cream (like this vanilla bean ice cream or this dark chocolate ice cream). This would also be excellent with mint chocolate chip ice cream!

Nutrition

Calories: 436kcal

The post Gluten-Free Buckwheat Chocolate Cake appeared first on The Bake School.

I love the simplicity of single-layer cakes, especially a comforting banana snack cake like this. They bake in less time than a loaf cake, though the ingredient quantities are comparable, which means you get to eat your cake faster. And since my love for combining coffee and banana is real (remember I turned that combination years ago into a coffee banana smoothie, still one of my all-time fave smoothie flavours), well, here we go again: coffee and banana together in cake form with a milk chocolate fudge frosting.

I resisted the urge to add cardamom to the cake batter, but please, don't let that stop you. Cardamom would be so awesome in this recipe, as I have proven in this cardamom banana bread recipe. Perhaps I need to make this one again with cardamom, you know, to make sure.

This post is sponsored by Cacao Barry.

What You Need to Make This Cake

Like banana bread, banana cake has a simple list of ingredients. You'll also need to plan for the frosting (so more butter and sour cream than if you were to make the cake unfrosted).

• butter—preferably unsalted though salted will work in this recipe. You may adjust the salt in the cake batter if your salted butter has a lot of salt
• sugar—both granulated sugar and light brown sugar go in the cake, and icing sugar (also called powdered sugar or confectioner's sugar) in the frosting (sift the icing sugar for the smoothest frosting texture)
• eggs—I bake with large eggs, weighing approximately 56 grams (shell on) or 50 grams (shell off). Larger or smaller eggs may result in either a wetter cake or a dryer cake, respectively
• mashed banana—mash very ripe bananas that are quite soft and with a blackened peel. If the bananas are too young, they are more starchy, which will have an impact on the taste and texture of the cake
• sour cream—I bake with full-fat sour cream (14% fat). If you use lower fat sour cream, the texture of the cake may be dryer
• pure vanilla extract
• all-purpose flour—I bake with bleached all-purpose flour. You can try unbleached, but the texture and rise of the cake may differ
• chemical leaveners—you need both chemical leavening agents, baking powder and baking soda in this cake. If you aren't sure the difference, you can read about baking powder versus baking soda
• coffee:
  • ground coffee beans, as in coffee grinds (the kind you would brew to make drip coffee)—these don't add too much flavour to the cake, but they do give the cake a lovely speckled look reminiscent of the banana seeds. Feel free to skip it if you want!
  • instant espresso powder is a great way to add coffee to baked goods without adding water. Added to the frosting, it enhances the chocolate flavour but also add a subtle coffee taste that is so nice with chocolate and banana
• salt—use Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt, but if you only have regular table salt, add half the amount because it's saltier
• chocolate—I've tested the frosting with both milk and dark chocolate and both work. The flavour will obviously differ
• Dutch-processed cocoa powder—I bake with Cacao Barry extra brute cocoa powder, which is a dark cocoa powder with a little over 20 % fat.

See the recipe card for the exact ingredients and quantities.

Substitutions and Variations

• Chocolate—the frosting can be made with milk or dark chocolate but please use high-quality chocolate with a higher percentage of cocoa solids (at least 40 %) otherwise the frosting may lack flavour and be too sweet
• Nuts—you can add chopped nuts to the banana cake batter, for example chopped roasted peanuts or toasted walnuts would be excellent here
• Coffee—don't like coffee? Skip the coffee grinds and the espresso powder.
• Garnishes—I've topped this cake with candied pecans, chopped nuts, but also chocolate sprinkles. Use what you've got!

This coffee banana cake has the perfect texture, and it's not too sweet. It's just right for a thick slather of chocolate frosting made from the best chocolate for baking. I've tested the frosting with both 41 % milk chocolate and 70 % dark chocolate, and both work great.

For this recipe, I went with Cacao Barry Alunga milk chocolate (41 % cocoa) to make a slightly sweeter chocolate frosting but not too sweet! Alungo is referred to as milk chocolate for dark chocolate lovers because it has a balanced flavour. Trust me, Alunga is a great milk chocolate and makes excellent chocolate fudge frosting with sour cream, whether it's for a simple banana snacking cake like this banana cake like this or for a tall layer cake like this tall 6-inch vanilla cake with milk chocolate frosting.

You can order Alunga milk chocolate and most Cacao Barry products online via the Vanilla Food Company website and they ship across Canada and to the United States! In Quebec, you might find them at certain IGA grocery stores, as well as Aubut in Montreal.

How it's made

There are two components to this recipe: the banana cake and the chocolate sour cream frosting. Start with the banana cake and while the cake is cooling, you can make the frosting.

Step 1: Do your cake prep work first by buttering your cake pan (image 1), sifting your dry ingredients (image 2), and combining the wet ingredients together (image 3). Use a small whisk to combine the wet ingredients until smooth (image 4).

Step 2: Combine the butter and sugars in a bowl (image 5) and beat them together using an electric hand mixer (or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment) until fluffy (image 6), then mix in the eggs one at a time (image 7).

Step 3: Once the batter is fluffy and smooth (image 8) add the wet ingredients (image 9) alternating with the dry ingredients (image 10), beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Use a spatula to scrape the sides and the bottom of the bowl to ensure all the ingredients are well mixed (image 11). Do not overmix at this stage or the cake will be tough!

Step 4: Pour the batter into the prepared 9x9 square cake pan and use a mini offset spatula to smooth it out (image 12). Bake until the edges are golden and begin to pull away from the sides (image 13). A cake tester inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.

You can also use a Thermapen to check the internal temperature of the cake. It should be around 93–95 °C when it's baked.

If you aren't experienced at making frosting, please refer to this post about how to make chocolate fudge frosting for more details and lots of step-by-step pictures.

Step 5: Make the chocolate frosting while the cake cools, melting the butter with the chocolate first (image 14), then after that mixture is smooth and has cooled down a little, you can sift in the cocoa powder, espresso powder, and icing sugar (image 16), also adding the sour cream. Beat the with an electric hand mixer (image 17).

Step 6: When the frosting is glossy, thick, and smooth (image 18), use a mini offset spatula to spread it on top of the cooled cake (image 19).

Serving Suggestions

You can garnish this cake with candied pecans/candied nuts, or nut/popcorn brittle. This cake is great served with homemade ice cream! Serve it with dark chocolate ice cream, cardamom ice cream, or even chocolate brownie ice cream!

Tip: I love this chocolate frosting and I make it all the time! I highly recommend making a half batch to garnish this marble loaf cake or a larger batch for this vanilla cake with milk chocolate frosting. It would also work great with this eggless chocolate cake!

Banana Cake Baking Tips

I baked this banana cake in a square 9x9 pan so that I could cut it into square portions for a fun afternoon snack.

Tip 1: Make sure that you take the time to prepare the cake pan before transferring the batter into the pan: I like to butter the pan and line the bottom with parchment. If the pan isn't non-stick, flour the sides too! This way, the cake can be unmoulded and frosted very easily.

Tip 2: Don't overmix the batter once you've incorporated the wet ingredients. If you do, the cake will be dense, tough, and possibly even gummy! You may incorporate the last of the dry ingredients by hand, with a spatula to avoid developing the gluten in the cake batter.

Tip 3: Unmould the cake onto a rack after it's cooled down for 10 minutes. This ensures the edges don't get damp from condensation and it will also speed up the time it takes for the cake to cool down.

Other Banana Recipes to Try

Want to bake more with bananas? Here are some other recipes to try, from an elaborate banana split cake to simple banana bread without baking soda.

If you tried this recipe for banana cake with chocolate frosting (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!

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Banana Cake with Chocolate Frosting

Learn how to make the best banana cake with chocolate frosting with this easy recipe. The moist banana cake is made with sour cream and the chocolate fudge frosting is flavoured with espresso powder and sour cream for a very flavourful topping.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings 9

Calories 559kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• 9x9-inch pan
• 5-quart KitchenAid Artisan mixer
• GIR spatula
• Mini offset

Ingredients

For the coffee banana cake

• 173 grams unsalted butter softened
• 100 grams granulated sugar
• 100 grams light brown sugar
• 2 large egg(s)
• 350 grams mashed banana from 3–4 large bananas
• 60 ml sour cream (14% fat)
• 10 mL pure vanilla extract
• 250 grams cake flour
• 23 mL ground coffee beans
• 10 mL baking powder
• 2.5 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
• 1.25 mL baking soda

For the milk chocolate frosting

• 58 grams unsalted butter
• 65 grams milk chocolate (41 % cocoa content)
• 140 grams icing sugar sifted
• 85 grams sour cream (14% fat)
• 23 grams Cacao Barry extra brute cocoa powder
• 5 mL instant espresso powder
• 5 mL pure vanilla extract
• 1.25 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt

Decoration (optional)

• 30 grams candied nuts chopped, or toasted nuts chopped

Metric - US

Instructions

To make the coffee banana cake

• Preheat the oven to 350ºF (175 °C). Grease a 9x9-inch (23x23 cm) metal brownie pan (I used a Chicago Metallic pan you can find on Amazon). Line the bottom with parchment paper. Flour the sides of the pan if you find your cakes stick. Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or with an electric hand mixer, cream together the butter and the sugars. Scrape down the sides of bowls as needed.
• Add the eggs one at a time and beat them in. The mixture should be fluffy and well mixed
• Mash together the bananas with the sour cream and vanilla.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour with the baking powder, baking soda, the coffee grounds, and the salt. You can also sift the dry ingredients if they are very lumpy, but note the salt and coffee grinds won't go through the sieve, so add them after sifting or transfer what is trapped to the bowl of dry ingredients.
• Alternate mixing into the cake batter the dry and wet, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Mix until the batter ingredients are combined. Do not overmix!
• Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the surface with a mini offset spatula . 
• Bake the cake for about 35 minutes until the edges are golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let cool 10 minutes then unmold onto a wire rack.
  

To make the milk chocolate frosting

• Melt together the butter with the Alunga chocolate on power level 5 of the microwave or over a double boiler. Set aside to cool slightly.
• Beat together the melted chocolate mixture with the rest of the ingredients into a smooth frosting
• Once the cake has completely cooled, smooth the frosting over top and decorate with candied or toasted nuts or even sprinkles.

Notes

• This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!
• I baked this in a square 9x9-inch (23x23-cm) cake pan. Be sure to butter it and flour it, lining the bottom with square of parchment paper to make the cake easier to serve.
• Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the surface with a mini offset spatula.
• For the chocolate in the frosting, I've tested the recipe with both milk or dark chocolate and it works! Please use high-quality chocolate with a higher percentage of cocoa solids (at least 40 %). Otherwise, the frosting may lack flavour and be too sweet!
• Want to add nuts? You can add chopped nuts to the banana cake batter, for example chopped roasted peanuts or toasted walnuts would be excellent here
• Coffee—don't like coffee? Skip the coffee grinds and the espresso powder. The coffee grinds in the cake batter create a lovely flecked cake, reminscent of the banana seeds. The espresso powder in the frosting is discrete, but you can skip it altogether if you would prefer.
• Garnishes—I've topped this cake with candied pecans, chopped nuts, but also chocolate sprinkles. Use what you've got! Chopped popcorn brittle also makes a fun garnish.

Nutrition

Calories: 559kcal | Carbohydrates: 75g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 101mg | Sodium: 181mg | Potassium: 411mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 46g | Vitamin A: 817IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 97mg | Iron: 2mg

This post is sponsored by Cacao Barry. I was compensated monetarily and with product. Thanks for supporting the companies that allow me to create content. As always, please know that I wouldn’t work with a sponsor nor recommend a product if it wasn’t worth it.

The post Banana Cake with Chocolate Frosting appeared first on The Bake School.

Ingredients

This moist blueberry cake is made from a simple list of ingredients. Here's what you need.

• butter—use unsalted butter or adjust the amount of salt added if you are using salted
• sugar—you will need a combination of white granulated sugar and light brown sugar for this recipe
• eggs—use large eggs or else the cake may be too dry or too crumbly
• vanilla—use pure vanilla extract in this cake, or half the amount if baking with artificial which tends to be more potent.
• flour—I bake with bleached all-purpose flour. You can get away with unbleached in this recipe.
• leavening—this cake is leavened with baking powder, not baking soda. Read about baking soda versus baking powder if you don't know the difference.
• salt—use Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt. If using table salt, add half the amount or the cake may be too salty.
• milk—use whole milk if possible with 3.25 % fat, though low fat will work too.
• cinnamon—use ground cinnamon. Note that it's only added to the topping to preserve the sweet vanilla flavour of the cake
• blueberries—you can use cultivated or wild blueberries for this cake, but wild blueberries are more flavourful and taste much better when in season so bake with them if you can! Frozen blueberries can work too but you will have to bake the cake a little longer. Do not defrost frozen blueberries before incorporating.

See the recipe card for the exact ingredients and quantities.

Substitutions and Variations

Instructions

You only need a small amount of cake batter to fill an 8-inch springform pan, so we are using an electric hand mixer to mix the ingredients.

Step 1—Start by making the streusel, combining the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl and stirring them with a fork (image 1) before working in the cubed butter (image 2). The cinnamon streusel will resemble wet sand (image 3). Set aside for later in the fridge if your kitchen is hot.

Step 2—Combine the butter and sugars using an electric hand mixer in a large bowl (image 4). Mix the ingredients well before adding the eggs one at a time, along with the vanilla (image 5). Beat the mixture until fluffy and light (image 6).

Step 3—In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, then add them one-third at a time (image 8), alternating with half the milk (image 9). Remember to begin and end with flour. The batter will be quite thick (image 10).

Step 4: Add the flour-coated blueberries to the bowl of vanilla cake batter (image 11) and fold them in gently with a spatula (image 12).

Step 5: Spread the blueberry cake batter in a buttered and floured 8-inch springform pan using a mini offset spatula (image 13), then top with streusel (image 14).

Step 6: Scatter a few extra blueberries over the top, nestling them between blogs of crumble topping (image 15). Bake until the edges are golden brown (image 16). A cake tester inserted into the middle will come out clean when it's baked through.

Hint: There are many ways to check if your cake is done baking. Use a couple of methods to be sure.

Cake Tip

Remember to let the cake cool slightly (10–20 minutes) before you unmould it. This will give time for the edges to set and the cake to firm up.

The beauty of baking in a springform pan is that you can unmould the cake without having to invert it, which is especially useful for old-fashioned coffee cakes topped with crumble or streusel.

Be sure to cool the cake on a wire rack completely before serving.

Storage

Simple cakes like this will stay fresh for up to 4 days wrapped tightly with plastic wrap stored in a cool, dry place. After that time it will either dry out or go bad.

It isn't necessary to refrigerate the cake, unless your kitchen is very hot. Let the cake come to room temperature (at least 30 minutes) before serving if you do refrigerate it.

Top tips

• Always run a spatula around the sides of your mixer bowl between steps to ensure all the ingredients are properly mixed.
• Ripe berries are very delicate and will break down easily. Use a large spatula or wooden spoon to fold the berries into the cake batter gently. Do not use a mixer for this step.
• Toss blueberries in a small amount of flour (1 teaspoon) to coat them in flour, removing the excess. The flour will help anchor the berries in the cake batter and prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the cake.
• Remember to butter and flour your springform. You can also line the bottom of the pan with a round of parchment paper to ensure it's easy to unmould.

Blueberry Cake FAQs

More One Layer Cake Recipes

I love the simplicity and elegance of one-layer cakes, sometimes referred to as snacking cakes. Here are a few others to try:

Serving Suggestions

If you tried this recipe for blueberry crumb cake (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!

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Easy Blueberry Crumb Cake

Learn how to make the best simple blueberry crumb cake with this easy recipe. This moist blueberry cake is easily mixed with just an electric hand mixer and loaded with blueberries and topped with a layer of cinnamon crumble topping, transforming this old-fashioned cake cake into a moist and delicious blueberry crumble cake.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Calories 379kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• Braun mixer
• 8-in springform
• GIR spatula
• Mini offset
• Cake tester

Ingredients

Cinnamon crumble topping

• 65 grams bleached all-purpose flour
• 70 grams light brown sugar
• 2.5 mL ground cinnamon more or less depending on how cinnamony you want the topping to be
• 1.25 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
• 58 grams unsalted butter softened slightly

Blueberry cake

• 188 grams bleached all-purpose flour
• 7.5 mL baking powder
• 2.5 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
• 80 grams unsalted butter very soft
• 100 grams granulated sugar
• 50 grams light brown sugar sugar
• 10 mL pure vanilla extract
• 2 large egg(s)
• 125 mL whole milk (3.25 % fat)
• 290 grams fresh blueberries divided

Metric - US

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 ºF (175 °C). Butter and flour an 8-inch springform pan, lining the bottom with a circle of parchment. Set aside. Attach the beater attachments to the Braun MultiMix Hand Mixer to get it ready to use. 

Cinnamon crumb topping

• Use a fork to combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
• Pour the melted butter over top and stir it until evenly mix. It will form a crumbly, sandy mixture. Set aside.

Blueberry cake

• In a bowl, with the hand mixer, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, beat together the butter and the sugar until it is well mixed, light and fluffy. Mix in the vanilla, and then the eggs, one at a time. Be sure to move the mixer around the edges of the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well mixed.
• Alternate adding the flour mixture and the milk, beginning and ending with the flour. Stir just to combine on a lower speed.
• Toss three-quarters of the blueberries with 1 teaspoon (5 mL) of flour to coat them then gently fold into the vanilla cake batter by hand with a wooden spoon or spatula.
• Transfer the cake batter to the prepared pan and smooth it out.
• Sprinkle the topping over the batter, scattering and tucking a few extra blueberries in places to decorate it.
• Bake the cake until a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean. This takes about 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes.
• Let the cake cool on a wire rack for 20 to 30 minutes before removing the springform ring. The cake should unmold quite cleanly. You may need to release the sides with the help of a thin knife.

Notes

• Subsitutions and variations:
  • Berries - you can use fresh or frozen blueberries, preferably wild blueberries which have more flavour and a better taste. If baking with frozen, stir the frozen blueberries directly into the cake batter without defrosting.
  • Sugar - you can make this cake with granulated sugar or brown sugar (light or dark). The colour of the cake and the taste will be different with brown sugar which contains molasses, especially if you use dark brown sugar with a higher molasses content.
  • Salt - add half the amount of salt if you are using regular table salt in place of Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • Nuts - you can add nuts to the topping if you'd like. For example, chopped pecans would be really nice!
  • Oats - you can incorporate oats in the streusel, replacing a portion of flour with oats in the topping
• Always run a spatula around the sides of your mixer bowl between steps to ensure all the ingredients are properly mixed.
• Ripe berries are very delicate and will break down easily. Use a large spatula or wooden spoon to fold the berries into the cake batter gently. Do not use a mixer for this step.
• Toss blueberries in a small amount of flour (1 teaspoon) to coat them in flour, removing the excess. The flour will help anchor the berries in the cake batter and prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the cake.
• Remember to butter and flour your springform pan. You can also line the bottom of the pan with a round of parchment paper to ensure it's easy to unmould.
• Serve this blueberry cake for dessert with a scoop of ice cream. This cardamom ice cream or this lemon custard ice cream will pair especially well with this old-fashioned blueberry cake.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice of cake | Calories: 379kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 75mg | Sodium: 252mg | Potassium: 211mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 481IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 86mg | Iron: 2mg

The post Easy Blueberry Crumb Cake appeared first on The Bake School.

This delicious apple cake is very different from the classic apple bundt cake with caramel sauce or this apple crumb cake, both of which rely on fresh apples alone for apple flavour.

This apple coffee cake has a very intense apple flavour because it's made with apple butter, as well as fresh apples. These two ingredients make for better flavour but also a very moist apple coffee cake! I used this apple butter trick in these apple cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, which is how I knew it was a good idea!

Ingredients

• butter—use unsalted butter or if using salted, reduce the salt in the recipe
• flour—bleached all-purpose flour
• leavening agents—we are only using baking powder in this recipe. Please read about baking soda versus baking powder if you are not sure what the difference is
• spices—ground cinnamon is a natural paring in this apple cake
• salt—I used Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt in this recipe. If you are using regular table salt, use half the amount
• sugar—I used dark brown sugar in this recipe to enhance the caramel notes in the flavourful apple butter
• eggs—use large eggs to ensure you're adding the right weight of eggs
• apples—I used a combination of fresh apples and apple butter for the most flavour
• brandy pairs so nicely with apples but you can skip it if you don't want to add it. Use something like Calvados, an apple brandy Add 5 mL (1 teaspoon) of pure vanilla extract instead
• oats—use rolled oats (or large flake oats). Do not use minute oats, quick oats or steel cut because the texture will be different.
• nuts—I used pecans in the topping because I love the flavour of apples.

Please see the recipe card for the exact ingredients and quantities.

Substitutions and Variations

Apple butter is different than apple-flavoured butter and it's not apple sauce. Apple butter is made by boiling down apple sauce into a sweet, dark, thick spreadable preserve that is dark and mahogany in colour.

It's not to be confused with a sweet compound butter, where apple is mixed with butter. Do not try to substitute the apple butter for a compound butter, which would add more fat to this recipe.

Do not replace the apple butter with apple sauce. The water in apple sauce may throw off the recipe, resulting in a damp crumb and/or a cake that is less flavourful.

With this in mind, here are a few changes you can make to this recipe:

• nuts—I used pecans but you can use chopped walnuts or even chopped hazelnuts. For a nut-free version, use sunflower seeds and/or pumpkin seeds.
• apple butter—replace it with another fruit butter, like pear butter (which is easier to find). You can still incorporate fresh apple with this.
• fresh apples—I've tested this recipe with Cortland apples and Gala apples. Honeycrisp would also work. Use any apple variety that holds up to baking well. Don't use McIntosh, for example, which turns to mush when heated.
• want more brandy—I have replaced up to ¼ cup of the apple butter with brandy to give the cake more brandy flavour. This worked well!

How to Make Apple Cake with Apple Butter

Step 1: Prepare the streusel topping by first chopping the pecans (image 1), then combining them with the brown sugar, flour, oats, and salt (image 2). Use a fork to stir in the melted butter (image 3) until the mixture clumps together (image 4).

Step 2: Prepare the apples, dicing one of the apples on a cutting board (image 5) and slicing the other (image 6). Whisk the dry ingredients in a bowl (image 8).

Tip: If you use a variety of apples that browns when cut, please soak them in a lemon juice bath (dilute lemon juice in water) to ensure they don't brown excessively after cutting. Strain and blot them dry before incorporating in the cake.

Step 3: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and the sugar (image 8) before adding the eggs, one at a time (image 9), followed by the apple butter and the brandy (image 10).

Please note if the apple butter is cold, the mixture may appear speckled from the butterfat solidifying after adding it along with the brandy. It doesn't seem to affect the texture of the cake.

Step 4: Add the dry ingredients (image 11) and then the chopped apple (image 12), then transfer the cake batter to a square baking pan, using a mini offset spatula to smooth the top (image 13).

Step 5: Scatter the streusel topping on top and the sliced apple (image 14), then bake until the edges are golden brown (image 15) and a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean (don't poke through the fruit, which will skew the results!).

Cut the cake into squares after it's cooled down to serve it. This apple cake will keep for 3 days, covered.

Baking Tip

Like most fruit-based cakes, this apple pecan cake takes a long time to bake. Be sure to use a few methods to check if the cake is done baking (like the skewer test).

Check the cake at a few spots and press the surface gently to make sure the cake has set and springs back when pressed. Even if the edges brown significantly, the inside will not dry out.

Other Desserts with Apples

If you'd like to bake more with apples, check out these recipes:

If you tried this recipe for apple butter cake (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!

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Apple Butter Cake

This apple butter cake is flavoured with apple butter and fresh apples, and topped with an oat streusel for the ultimate apple coffee cake.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 35 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Calories 444kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• Danish dough whisk
• 5-quart KitchenAid Artisan mixer
• Mini offset
• 9x9-inch pan

Ingredients

For the streusel topping

• 120 grams pecans chopped
• 100 grams dark brown sugar
• 63 grams bleached all-purpose flour
• 30 grams rolled oats (or large flake oats)
• 1.25 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
• 72 grams unsalted butter melted

For the apple butter cake

• 250 grams bleached all-purpose flour
• 10 mL baking powder
• 5 mL ground cinnamon
• 2.5 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
• 160 grams unsalted butter softened
• 100 grams dark brown sugar
• 2 large egg(s)
• 240 grams apple butter
• 30 mL brandy
• 2 Cortland apple(s) cored, peeled, and diced fairly small

Metric - US

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C). Prepare a 9x9-inch (23x23 cm) loaf pan by greasing and flouring it, then line the bottom with parchment.

To make the streusel topping

• In a medium bowl, combine the nuts, brown sugar, flour, oats, and salt.
• Drizzle in the melted butter and stir it in with a fork until the mixture resembles a coarse crumble. Set aside.

To make the cake

• Slice one of the apples and peel, core, and dice the other one. Set both of these aside (see note).
• In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar.
• Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition, then add in the apple butter and brandy.
• Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl, and stir to just combine, then add the chopped apple.
• Transfer the batter into the prepared pan and set aside.
• Arrange the sliced apple and sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over the top.
• Bake the cake until a cake tester inserted through the centre (not through the fruit if you can avoid them!) comes out clean. This takes about 45 minutes,
• Let the cake cool completely before serving.

Notes

• This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!
• Substitutions that will work:
  • Nuts—I used pecans but you can use chopped walnuts or even chopped hazelnuts. For a nut-free version, use sunflower seeds and/or pumpkin seeds.
  • Apple butter—replace it with another fruit butter, like pear butter (which is easier to find). You can still incorporate fresh apple with this.
  • Fresh apples—I've tested this recipe with Cortland apples and Gala apples. Honeycrisp would also work. Use any apple variety that holds up to baking well. Don't use McIntosh, for example, which turns to mush when heated.
• If you use a variety of apples that browns when cut, please soak them in a lemon juice bath (dilute lemon juice in water) to ensure they don't brown excessively after cutting. Strain and blot them dry before incorporating in the cake.
• Check the cake at a few spots and press the surface gently to make sure the cake has set and springs back when pressed. Even if the edges brown significantly, the inside will not dry out.

Nutrition

Calories: 444kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 69mg | Sodium: 171mg | Potassium: 252mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 550IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 2mg

The post Apple Butter Cake with Brandy appeared first on The Bake School.

Plum cakes tend to be a more rustic bake, popular in many cultures, especially in European countries, like Germany and Italy. A cake with plums can be referred to as a plum torte because it's a single-layer cake, a little on the denser side and closer to a pound cake, baked with fresh plums on top, usually plum halves as opposed to slices. It's a simple, rustic, yet deeply satisfying cake that is a real treat served as a snack in the afternoon.

This cake with fresh plums is a variation of the 1-2-3-4 cake recipe that is so forgiving. The 1-2-3-4 baking ratio is by volume, which translates to 1 cup butter, 2 cups sugar, 3 cups flour, and 4 eggs. For an 8-inch springform, half of the 1-2-3-4 recipe fits the cake pan perfectly, so that's what you see in the recipe card below.

This post is sponsored by Fruits from Chile. Chile exports more than 2.6 million tons of fruit annually to more than 100 countries across the globe and we are lucky to have access to plums from Chile so we can bake with plums year round!

Ingredients To Make a Plain Plum Cake

This easy recipe for plum cake is made from simple ingredients, including fresh plums and can be flavoured with cardamom, cinnamon, or ginger. Feel free to use any type of plums as long as they are ripe.

• flour—use all-purpose flour specifically. Any changes to the type of flour will result in a different texture and flavour.
• leavening agents, specifically the chemical leavener baking powder. Don't use baking soda here because it would be too much for this cake and there isn't any acidity to balance it out.
• salt—use Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt, which is finer and less salty. If using table salt, you may want to halve the amount to control the salt.
• butter—use unsalted butter, or if using salted, you may want to reduce the salt added to the recipe
• sugar—use plain granulated sugar, which will add sweetness without messing with the flavour of the plums.
• eggs—use large eggs. If you use smaller eggs, your cake may end dry or more crumbly.
• vanilla—use pure vanilla extract for the best results. There's no point in using vanilla bean paste in this recipe because it won't show or make a difference and it is more costly.
• plums—pick plums that are firm but ripe. Don't use plums that are too soft because they will be harder to handle and will turn to mush in the oven very quickly

Tip: You don’t want the plums to be super soft. A slightly firmer Chilean plum will give you the best texture and will slice open beautifully so you can bake with them easily. The fruit will soften as it bakes and become even more juicy!

See recipe card for more ingredient information and exact quantities.

Substitutions and Variations

This plain plum cake is highly adaptable and very versatile. I flavoured the cake batter with cardamom and garnished it with sliced almonds. Both of those are optional!

• Anise: I have also baked this recipe with ground anise, which might seem like an unusual pairing, but it works great!
• Warm spices: Try this cake with plums with warm spices like cinnamon, ground ginger, or even allspice.
• Almond: Skip the spices and add a few drops of almond extract to the cake batter instead (up to 1.25 mL or ¼ teaspoon). You could also replace a small portion of the flour (30 grams or ¼ cup) with the same weight of ground almonds, which will create a more dense crumb with a mild almond flavour.

Tip: You can bake with any variety of plums that you can get your hand on, really, as long as they are ripe, but not too ripe!

How To Make a Cake With Plums

Making a plum cake is quite easy! You will make the batter for a simple butter cake, similar to a pound cake, and then top it with plum halves before baking in a springform pan.

Step 1: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using an electric hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (image 1) before adding the eggs (image 2) and the vanilla. The batter should be fluffy and creamy at this stage (image 3).

Step 2: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cardamom or spices (if using) (image 4), then add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl (image 5) and stir them in. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl whenever needed (image 6).

Step 3: Butter and flour an 8-inch springform pan, lining the bottom with a round of parchment paper (image 7). Transfer the batter to the pan (image 8) and spread it from edge to edge in an even layer with a mini offset spatula (image 9). Place the plum halves on top of the batter, cut side-down (image 10).

Step 4: You can sprinkle the top of the cake with sliced almonds (or chopped nuts) and garnish with a little turbinado sugar before baking (image 11). Bake the cake until the plums are soft and the cake is golden brown (image 12).

Hint: Let the colour of the cake as it bakes be your guide so you know how long to bake it! It takes well over an hour for it to turn golden brown and this ensures that the cake won't sink when it cools down. The surface will be set and the plums soft.

Top Tip

It's sometimes tricky to remove pits from stone fruit like fresh plums. Sometimes, you can cut the fruit in half and twist it off the pit. Other times, you can't.

If that happens, you may have to place the plum, stem-side down on a cutting board to cut downward on either side of the pit, parallel to it, angling the knife slightly if the knife hits the pit on its way down.

Plum Cake FAQs

Other Recipes To Make With Plums

Plums are so versatile because they have a tart skin surrounding the sweet fruit. If you have a lot of plums to work with, you can make this cake with plums, obviously. But here are some other ideas for baking with them:

• plum jam that you can make with just plums and granulated sugar, or feel free to flavour it with vanilla bean, tea leaves, spices like cinnamon
• plum muffins which are coffee cake-style muffins with a streusel topping
• plum tart which is a fancy dessert: a pie crust with a plum filling that is sweetened with muscovado sugar, which gives the filling a deeper molasses flavour

What To Serve With Plum Cake

Serve slices of plain plum cake with ice cream in the summer months!

If you tried this plain plum cake recipe (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!

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Plain Plum Cake

This plain plum cake is flavoured with a little vanilla and ground cardamom, giving this cake a sweet flavour that pairs so well with bright plums!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 35 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Calories 334kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• OXO balloon whisk
• 5-quart KitchenAid Artisan mixer
• Cake tester
• GIR spatula
• 8-in springform
• Mini offset

Ingredients

• 190 grams bleached all-purpose flour
• 7.5 mL baking powder
• 3.75 mL ground cardamom
• 1.25 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
• 115 grams unsalted butter room temperature
• 200 grams granulated sugar
• 2 large egg(s) room temperature
• 5 mL pure vanilla extract
• 4 plums halved and pit removed
• 10 grams sliced almonds optional
• 10 grams Turbinado sugar optional

Metric - US

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C). Line the bottom of an 8-inch (20 cm) springform pan with parchment, then butter and flour the sides. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cardamom, and salt. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and the sugar for 2 to 3 minutes until it is light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl with a spatula as needed.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition. Add the vanilla and mix well. Beat the mixture for 2 minutes until it is aerated and very light in colour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and make sure the batter is evenly mixed at this point. You can beat it a little more to make sure.
• Stir in the flour mixture on low speed, just until the flour is completely incorporated.
• Spread the batter in the prepared pan and smooth the top. Place the plum halves, cut side down (or up works too!), and pressing them slightly into batter. Scatter a few sliced almonds and some turbinado sugar on top (if using)
• Bake the cake until the edges are golden brown and the plums are soft and releasing their juices. A cake tester comes out clean when inserted in the cake (avoiding the fruit). This could take as much as 90 minutes.
• Remove the pan from the oven, and let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then release the cake from the springform pan.
• Let the cake cool completely before slicing and serving.

Notes

1. Don’t use plums that are very soft. A slightly firmer Chilean plum will give you the best texture and will slice open beautifully so you can bake with them easily. The fruit will soften as it bakes and become even more juicy!
2. This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!
3. Note that the baking time is quite long. The baking time may be less (about 60 minutes) if you place the plums cut-side up so the juices evaporate or if you use a larger pan like a 9-inch cake pan.
4. Let the colour of the cake as it bakes be your guide so you know how long to bake it! It takes well over an hour for it to turn golden brown and this ensures that the cake won't sink when it cools down. The surface will be set and the plums soft.
5. This is a very versatile cake and plums play really well with so many fun spices. Feel free to replace the cardamom with:
   • ground anise
   • ground cinnamon
   • ground ginger
6. For a almond plum cake, you can use almond extract (1.25 mL or ¼ teaspoon) and replace a portion of the flour with the same weight of ground almonds (up to 60 grams  or ½ cup).
   • ground allspice

Nutrition

Calories: 334kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 72mg | Sodium: 80mg | Potassium: 206mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 532IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 61mg | Iron: 2mg

The post Plain Plum Cake appeared first on The Bake School.

This recipe is simple and makes one layer of cake, which is a lot easier than a layer cake. It's also a little lighter because it's glazed, not frosted.

This carrot cake recipe was adapted from the French magazine Saveurs (May 2012, page 79). The original French recipe was entitled "carrot blondies," but it actually yielded carrot cake. That's okay because it turned out to be a really nice snacking cake, moist and flavourful. I tweaked the spices and the add-ins, opting for crystallized ginger and walnuts.

The only issue I had was with the glaze, but that was my own fault. When I read the glaze recipe, I misread "2 cuillères à café de jus de citron vert" (French for 2 teaspoons of lime juice) for "2 cuillères à soupe de jus de citron vert" (French for 2 tablespoons of lime juice). It's confusing how the French baking term for teaspoon actually literally translates to coffee spoon, but when I think of a coffee spoon, I think of the tablespoon you measure out coffee grinds with. I ended up with a runny glaze that mostly just ran off the cake, but the bit that soaked in gave a nice citrus hit. I added a second layer of thicker glaze later on.

Best Ways To Grate Carrots For Cake and Zest Citrus

You can buy shredded carrots in a bag at the grocery store, which is very convenient, but sometimes they are too thick to bake with. At home, I prefer to use a box grater or a large food processor with a grater attachment (as I did for this eggless carrot cake).

For the citrus zest in the glaze, invest in a microplane to create feathery, light pieces of zest that won't interfere with the texture of the glaze.

Baking Carrot Cake In A Square Pan

As with most recipes from France, no pan size is suggested. I find this rather curious. Are French women born knowing exactly what pan size or type of bakeware they need to use for each recipe? Is there some rule or formula I don't know about?

Traditionally, carrot cakes are baked in round pans and stacked into layer cake with thick cream cheese frosting. But I was going for a snack cake, like this banana cake with milk chocolate frosting, or this chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting. These are simple, single-layer cakes that are baked in square pans and cut into squares to serve. For this glazed carrot cake, I used an 8-inch square metal pan, so my squares are thicker than those pictured in the magazine. Take the time to prepare the cake pan properly before baking. I lined the bottom and sides with parchment, but you can also grease and flour the pan if you prefer.

Alternative Frostings For Carrot Cake Bars

While I love lemon glazes, you may prefer a classic cream cheese frosting, either this cream cheese frosting with less sugar or this white chocolate cream cheese frosting without icing sugar.

If you tried this recipe for the best glazed carrot cake bars (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!

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Glazed Carrot Cake

This easy carrot cake is glazed twice for extra flavor. The first glaze is runnier so it soaks into the cake, while the second is thicker so it coats every piece of cake. This carrot cake is cut into squares so it makes a great afternoon snacking cake.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings 9

Calories 219kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• 8x8-inch pan
• 5-quart KitchenAid Artisan mixer
• OXO balloon whisk

Ingredients

Carrot cake ingredients

• 90 grams white chocolate I used Cacao Barry Blanc Satin
• 120 grams unsalted butter
• 120 grams granulated sugar
• 2 large egg(s)
• 150 grams bleached all-purpose flour
• 5 mL ground cinnamon
• 2.5 mL ground allspice
• 40 grams chopped walnuts
• 30 grams chopped crystallized ginger
• 60 grams shredded carrot
• 15 mL orange zest

Thin lime glaze (to soak into cake)

• 90 grams icing sugar
• 30 mL lime juice

Thick lime glaze (to decorate)

• 125 grams icing sugar
• 15 mL lime juice

Garnish (optional)

• orange zest lemon, and lime

Metric - US

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (175 °C). Line the bottom and sides of an 8×8-inch (20x20 cm) square metal pan with parchment and set aside.
• Melt together the chocolate and butter in a medium bowl in the microwave (power level 4 or 5, NOT high!) or over a double boiler. Set aside to cool slightly, stirring occasionally.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs and sugar until they have thickened and lightened in color (this takes a good 2 minutes or more). Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Add the melted chocolate mixture to the mixer, and beat it in. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and spices. Drop them into the mixer bowl, and beat them in on low until they are just incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Add the grated carrot, chopped nuts, ginger and grated orange zest, then mix them in on low.
• Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan and bake it for about 35–40 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Let the cake cool completely before proceeding with the rest of the recipe.
• Whisk together the ingredients of glaze #1, then pour them over the cake set on a drip rack over a rimmed sheet pan.
• Let the glaze seep in for about 45 minutes, then whisk together the ingredients of glaze #2 and pour it over the cake.
• Sprinkle the zests over the glaze and let it set a full hour at least before cutting to serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 219kcal

More carrot recipe ideas

Want more creative ways of baking with carrots? Here are a few to check out this roundup of carrot recipes including recipes from some of my favourite bloggers!

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