The Ultimate Cake

neuro-praxis

Sorry - I don't have a recipe - this is a request!

A good friend is leaving the office I work in on Monday. He's a special person who deserves a special cake. We are going out for a meal on Monday night but I want to arrange cake and champagne in the office itself before we leave.

I need your help! My baking endeavours are not always successful so the simpler, the better. Thanks!

Faith

Personally I can't get enough of Victoria sponge cakes. That's just my preference though, and they're pretty boring.

_blank_

Chocolate Biscuit Cake ftw.

Dizzyblonde

www.odlums.ie/Recipes/R_ClaVic.html

This is a recipe for a simple Victoria sponge, but instead of the butter icing they fill it with, I use jam and fresh cream. Also, if you spread the jam on both halves it won't fall apart when you're serving it.

tSubh Dearg

I love a well made Victoria sponge, it's simple but delicious. It's best with jam and cream as mentioned though in the summer I like to put fresh strawberries in with the cream, in the middle and on the top

Dont be at yourself

The greatest cake of all is...

...not even a cake.

Make him a gigantic trifle - sponge/swiss roll + jam + fruit + jelly + custard + cream + chocolate + strawberries

neuro-praxis

Although I am partial to a nice dollop of trifle, I'm not sure it's the most suitable way to say goodbye!

I may go witht he sponge. My sponges often fail. My oven is rubbish. We'll see!

Faith

The trick to a sponge is to whisk the ingredients really well, and gets LOTS of air in it by lifting the whisk up out of the bowl while you're doing it. That'll make it really light and fluffy. If you just whisk it quickly and don't get air in the mixture, it'll just be flat anf heavy.

I too put cream and jam in the centre. Yummy!

As an aside, a well meaning but poor baker friend of mine made me a Victoria sponge for my birthday. She went with butter icing in the centre, except instead of using butter (although the name is a giveaway to it being important!), she used Olivio spread. It obviously never set and just ooozed out the sides. Not great!

rubadub

DesF wrote: »

Chocolate Biscuit Cake ftw.

yep, very hard to mess it up, a kid can make a decent one. have never met a person that doesnt like it, and it will keep very well if not eaten on the day. and easy to wrap and give people pieces to bring home (i.e. cannot squish)

RyanAsh

i will give you my secret recipe for cheesecake which is just savage, my family, housemates & bf love it anyway so thats a good few!
Ingreds:
1 pack Hobnobs
1/4 lbs butter
2 packs philidelphia
2 oranges
2 lemons
1/2 pt cream
1 pack lemon jelly
1 pack orange jelly

Method:
Put all biscuits (except 3/4 to munch yourself) and put into plastic bag, remove air & smash with rolling pin (or the bottom of a wine bottle will do grand!) until all crumbs.
Melt butter and mix in crumbs. you might need more butter but dont have it too wet or it'll just taste sickening.
Press mixture into bottom of dish (preferably one that has a pop out base but any kind of dish is fine really. Put in fridge to set.
Melt jelly in microwave and add half a mug of cold water...leave to cool...but not to set...keep mixing it around and making sure its not setting!
Beat philidelphia with the juice and rind of the oranges & lemons.
Beat the cream separately & then fold into the cheese mixture.
When jelly is pretty cool (lukewarm is ok) add to the cream/cheese mixture.
Take base out of fridge and pour cheesecake mixture on top. Place back in the fridge to set!
You can decorate it with little mandarins and pipe cream on it if you want but to be honest its just gorgeous on its own. It only takes about a half hour to make, maybe 2hours to set and is so easy!
Best of luck!
aren't you nice making a cake for your co-worker!

ps. the first slice is always the hardest with cheesecake, once one is out the rest of them are fine....just something finicky about the way the biscuit base sets i suppose!