What cake to make?

Toast4532

Hi

I'm looking to make a cake for someone as a thank you. I've only really made sponge cakes before so am a bit stuck on what cake to make.

I don't want something that needs to be iced as I've never made icing or iced a cake before so have no experience with it.

Is there anything I can make that isn't too difficult and doesn't need to be iced? I also need to transport it, so something that's not too fragile.

Eviledna

How about chocolate devils food cake - it's rich and moist, super easy to make and can be made in two 8 inch sandwich tins, baked at 180 for about 35 mins. Simply buy some strawberries and fresh cream to put between the two layers and no icing will be needed.

I have posted the recipe here before. Ignore the coffee fudge icing if you are filling it with cream & strawbs. However it is a super easy icing to make as a first attempt if you'd like, it was the first icing I ever made, it spreads on like nutella and dries like fudge.

Just thinking about this moist fudgy cake makes me want to make it, it is so so easy to make

Cerulean Chicken

Eviledna I'd forgotten about this cake, must make it soon! OP yes this is a gorgeous chocolate cake, om nom nom.

Toast4532

Eviledna wrote: »

How about chocolate devils food cake - it's rich and moist, super easy to make and can be made in two 8 inch sandwich tins, baked at 180 for about 35 mins. Simply buy some strawberries and fresh cream to put between the two layers and no icing will be needed.

I have posted the recipe here before. Ignore the coffee fudge icing if you are filling it with cream & strawbs. However it is a super easy icing to make as a first attempt if you'd like, it was the first icing I ever made, it spreads on like nutella and dries like fudge.

Just thinking about this moist fudgy cake makes me want to make it, it is so so easy to make

That look likes a fab cake, think I am going to make it this week to see what it is like and if I like it, I'll go with it for definite.

I was thinking about the icing, and would ready made icing be okay to use (on this cake)? How hard is it to roll the icing for the cake?

Cerulean Chicken

Toast4532 wrote: »

That look likes a fab cake, think I am going to make it this week to see what it is like and if I like it, I'll go with it for definite.

I was thinking about the icing, and would ready made icing be okay to use (on this cake)? How hard is it to roll the icing for the cake?

When you say ready made do you mean Betty Crocker type "frosting" buttercream, or are you referring to sugarpaste in both questions? Ready to Roll sugarpaste is a totally different thing to work with than buttercream etc, it can be tricky, depends on the person tbh. The type of cake you use underneath it is quite specific, it can't be sponge (too soft for heavy icing), no fresh cream, no fresh fruit.

Eviledna

You could use ready made roll out icing, but to be honest I reckon something like a buttercream would be better on this (you can buy butterceam ready made too). Like using cream, this cake needs a change in texture and something creamy to complement it, as it's quite rich, and could be a little dry without anything on it or beside it. Spreading buttercream or the listed icing is even easier than rolling out ready made IMO, even if you have never done it before, it won't be beyond you, trust me.

Here is a nice video on how to buttercream a cake.
Dont have a pallette knife? Don't worry, use the smoothest butter knife you have. Don't have a turn table? Invert a bowl and put the cake plate on top of that to turn. Not getting a smooth finish? Pop your smoothing knife in hot water in between icing applications, it will help spread the buttercream evenly. Can't get a smooth edge? Use a fork to create peaks or ridges instead.

If you are hellbent on not icing it with softer icing, how about buying a ready made salted caramel sauce to serve with it? M&S make a fab one in a jar.

Toast4532

I was wondering about both types of icing to be honest.

I had thought of a yule log type cake, what do you think? I am still open to suggestions.

Daisy78

Key lime pie with a digestive biscuit base maybe?

phormium

Well everyone seems to like chocolate biscuit cake even though I would eat it I don't consider it 'proper' cake but it is easy to make, use the odlums recipe.

First buy a large box of pringles and eat them, then clean the container and line with some baking parchment. Make your chocolate biscuit cake mix and pack into pringles tin, leave in fridge to set. Cut off the tin when solid and you have a yule log, make some basic chocolate fudge icing, equal quantities of soft butter, icing sugar and melted chocolate, use something like Aldi or Lidl 50% or so cocoa solids (same for biscuit cake). Beat butter, sugar, choc together then spread on the log, mark bark effect with a fork, dust a bit of icing sugar for snow.

If you want it fancier make or buy some Christmassy cake decorations, if you have a bit of holly growing anywhere nearby get a couple of leaves, wash & dry them, paint back of them with melted chocolate, leave set in fridge, peel off leaf and use chocolate shape to decorate log, few dried cranberries or cherries if you had them would make the berries.

Solid as a rock, will travel well.

Dizzyblonde

Phormium that sounds fabulous, I'm going to make it for Christmas
Could I make the chocolate biscuit cake in advance and freeze it?

Cerulean Chicken

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

Phormium that sounds fabulous, I'm going to make it for Christmas
Could I make the chocolate biscuit cake in advance and freeze it?

It does freeze ok but it lasts weeks in the fridge, about a week out of it (the biscuits just get softer) so there probably wouldn't be much need to freeze it would there?

Dizzyblonde

Cerulean Chicken wrote: »

It does freeze ok but it lasts weeks in the fridge, about a week out of it (the biscuits just get softer) so there probably wouldn't be much need to freeze it would there?

No you're right - if it keeps well in the fridge then that'll be fine. I just want to make it a week or two before Christmas.
Thanks

Toast4532

Daisy78 wrote: »

Key lime pie with a digestive biscuit base maybe?

Thanks for the suggestion, but I want a cake, not a pie, I do appreciate your suggestion though.

Choc biscuit cake is a no-go, either, although again, the suggestion is appreciated.

What about any of these, I would consider icing them with sugar paste or something? Ready made from the supermarket as I wouldn't know how to make it myself.

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1191658/lemon-drizzle-cake

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1940701/madeira-loaf-cake

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2564/easy-apple-fruit-cake

Faith

In your OP you say you don't want to ice the cake. Now you're taking about covering a lemon drizzle cake in sugar paste, which would be ... odd, IMO. You seem pretty confused about what you're after. Why don't you spell it out for us, and then maybe we can help?

Toast4532

Faith wrote: »

In your OP you say you don't want to ice the cake. Now you're taking about covering a lemon drizzle cake in sugar paste, which would be ... odd, IMO. You seem pretty confused about what you're after. Why don't you spell it out for us, and then maybe we can help?

Initially I wasn't going to ice the cake, but after thinking about it, I could (would) ice the cake, if it wasn't too difficult (or expensive).

Cerulean Chicken

You can't really cover things like a lemon drizzle cake and loaf cake with sugarpaste so don't consider that tbh, and you don't make that icing yourself, you buy it pre made and put it on the cake yourself. There are endless cake options out there, carrot, Black Forest Gateaux, fruit cake, cheesecake, madeira, chocolate, etc, etc, but without knowing what is a no-go and with the sugarpaste/no sugarpaste variant it's tough for anyone to know what to suggest to you.

Sugarpaste won't be very expensive but it'll be a lot more difficult than buttercream or ganache icing on a cake if you're trying to cover things like a loaf cake.

BQ1982

phormium wrote: »

Well everyone seems to like chocolate biscuit cake even though I would eat it I don't consider it 'proper' cake but it is easy to make, use the odlums recipe.

First buy a large box of pringles and eat them, then clean the container and line with some baking parchment. Make your chocolate biscuit cake mix and pack into pringles tin, leave in fridge to set. Cut off the tin when solid and you have a yule log, make some basic chocolate fudge icing, equal quantities of soft butter, icing sugar and melted chocolate, use something like Aldi or Lidl 50% or so cocoa solids (same for biscuit cake). Beat butter, sugar, choc together then spread on the log, mark bark effect with a fork, dust a bit of icing sugar for snow.

If you want it fancier make or buy some Christmassy cake decorations, if you have a bit of holly growing anywhere nearby get a couple of leaves, wash & dry them, paint back of them with melted chocolate, leave set in fridge, peel off leaf and use chocolate shape to decorate log, few dried cranberries or cherries if you had them would make the berries.

Solid as a rock, will travel well.

I really love the sound of this. It might be something nice to send into my son's school staffroom before Christmas. Can I just ask about logistics please?

I have made Choc Biscuit cake a good few times so that should be grand but wondering about filling the tin. Do I cut in half lengthways first or just stuff it as is? If I am leaving as is, how do I line with paper without it moving. Sorry for silly questions...

phormium

Leave it whole, do not cut it in half. I usually give the inside of the tin a smear or two of butter to make the baking parchment stick to it. I put the mix in carefully to not disturb the paper, actually sometimes I fill it with the broken biscuits first and then just pour the liquid chocolately mix in on top, couple of bangs on the counter makes it fill the gaps.

You might even get away without any paper inside tube as it is kind of tinfoil lined if I remember correctly, would probably just peel away itself.